Top 5 Marketing Trends To Watch Out For in 2022

In 2021, we saw a great influx of new and existing active social media users. By October 2021, global social media users grew by 400 million (+9,9%) over a period of 12 months for a total of 4.55 billion unique users. For context, the world’s population reached 7.89 billion at the start of October 2021, thus resulting in 57,6% of the total population being daily active social media users. This resulted in a majority of companies increasing their digital marketing budgets to better reach their existing and potential clients through social media. Marketing trends are ever-evolving and COVID-19 restrictions are slowly but surely being kicked to the curb. The question arises: is it still viable to focus all your marketing abilities on digital (social-) media marketing? To make sure you stay ahead of the marketing trends for 2022, follow our guide below for the 5 latest trends to watch out for and take advantage of to help your business grow into the new year. 1. Social Media Influencer craze Content marketing is one of the most important aspects of any digital strategy. With lockdown restrictions forcing us to stay home during 2020 and 2021, the amount of social media users increased by 9.9% over a 12 month period until October 2021 (see above statistics). There is one platform in particular that has grown exponentially in popularity and daily users, TikTok. This is largely due to the ever-evolving influence of social media influencers. What is a Social Media Influencer? A Social Media Influencer is a user on social media who has established credibility status in a specific industry. They have garnered the trust of their thousands of followers through the content that they create and their engagement with their fans. Data from MuseFind shows that 92% of consumers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement. Thus, fans tend to turn to their favourite Influencers for guidance and trust in the products that they endorse. As people spend more and more time on social media, they’re also likely to spend at least some of that time interacting with influencers. Thus we recommend sponsoring a social media influencer that is knowledgeable in your business’ field of expertise with branded promotional products for virtual event giveaways. It’s about identifying and communicating the brand’s purpose so customers can feel confident in trusting the brand and aligning themselves with it. 2. Trade shows to make a return With lockdown restrictions easing up into the new year, venues are allowed to host larger numbers of attendees to annual trade shows. A quick look at www.eventseye.com indicates a total of 83 trade shows have been confirmed for the new year thus far. We predict that this number will continue to grow as lockdown restrictions ease down with the rapid decline of COVID cases in South Africa and trade show hosts become more confident in the stability of the decline in cases. According to statistics, 46% of executive decision-makers made purchase decisions while attending a trade show (Source: Gopromotional). Other statistics show that 90% of people who receive a promotional product at a trade show can recall the name of the brand (Source: PROmotion Marketing, LLC). Over 50% of the trade show’s attendees are there for the first time. Since new players in the industry emerge each year, a tradeshow is an ideal place to meet these people. Fresh faces mean new prospects and potential new lifetime customers. To stay ahead of the trend and to ensure that you are visible at trade shows this year when exhibiting your company or brand, make sure to get your branded promotional products from our online shop to attract onlooker attention and leave a lasting impression. 3. International tourism “International restrictions imposed on South African travellers are slowly lifting” - Business insider South Africa reports on 4 January 2022. As other countries slowly lift travel bans to and from South Africa, industry leaders expect exponential growth in the tourism sector in SA as foreigners are desperate to travel after being forced to stay home for such an extended amount of time. Give tourists a reason to choose to do business with your brand over your competitors. Tourists, and people in general, love receiving free gifts as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of their favourite brand. About 83% of people are more likely to do business with a brand that gave them a promotional product. This will give you the upper hand over your competitors and will build everlasting trust between your brand and your customers. This leaves a lasting impression and can be enough to convince a customer to return. You can, however, increase the effectiveness of branded promotional products by putting some thought into it. This brings us to our next tip… 4. Environmentally conscious Global warming and eco-consciousness have been quite a global hot topic with most European countries opting to be carbon neutral by the year 2030 and the UN pushing the rest of the world to comply with carbon neutrality by 2050! Customers are more aware of the type of products that they buy by considering the environmental impact of said product as it may indirectly affect their health and quality of life in the near future. Switching to a sustainable and eco-friendly business model will have a positive impact on not only the environment but also the future of your company. Thus it only makes sense to follow suit with your promotional products. Putting that extra thought into the type of promotional products that you use will give off the impression that you care about the environment and subsequently about their health. According to PPAI Research, 89% of consumers can recall the advertiser of a promotional product they’d received in the last two years. And according to a recent ASI impressions survey, nearly 70% of those consumers say they prefer to keep promotional products that are environmentally friendly. So make it count! Finding the right green promotional products to represent your brand can be tricky and requires you to do some intensive research. For your convenience, Brandability offers a wide variety of eco-conscious promotional products to suit the needs of your customers and leave a lasting positive impression of your brand. 5. Generational Marketing The “one size fits all” mentality won’t fly in 2022. It’s time for your brand to transcend into the new age of generational marketing by using demographic information about your audience to speak in their terms and to their interests. Knowing your audience demographics allow you to cater to their needs. This is also applicable to our use of promotional products. Whereas a Baby Boomer may be satisfied with a coffee cup and a pen, Millennials will rather opt for more useful and eco-friendly products and the younger Gen Z are pulled towards innovation and the latest products to hit the market, like wireless technology, that improves their day to day lives. In the age of digital marketing, social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter provide companies with the right reporting and marketing tools to discover your customer demographic and ways to reach out to other generations that feel left out. Using the wrong type of promotional products can lead to a generation of potential and existing customers and consumers feeling unappreciated resulting in them losing interest in your brand. Luckily Brandability is here to save the day with an extensive variety of promotional products to cater to the needs of even the fussiest generations of 2022. Final Thoughts Marketing trends are ever-evolving, making it hard to stay ahead with the trends. At Brandability, we are constantly updating our range of promotional products to match the criteria of current trends so that you don’t have to worry about doing extensive research for optimal branded promotional products to represent your brand. We offer the latest products at affordable prices including the service to brand these products with your company’s identity. Grow your brand’s presence in the new year with the right promotional products for your unique customers! Visit our website here for more information: www.brandability.co.za.