Our top 5 marketing trends for 2022

2021- what a year. Filled with lots of frustrations, cancellations, busy times, staff shortages, restrictions, and everything in between. I’m sure there have been many marketing plans written, then rewritten. Many sales forecasts thrown in the bin and hair pulled out. But we got through it. The government put good supports in place and dare I say it we are heading into 2022 a lot more optimistically than we did heading into 2021. At this stage I am sure the marketing plan is completed for 2022 but what do we need to look out for? Here are my top 5 marketing trends for 2022.

1. Cookie-less browsing

I am sure you are all aware of Googles announcement that it will stop the use of third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of 2023. A lot of us depend on third party cookies to remarket to our customers and guests. A plan should be put in place NOW to end our dependency on them. While a lot of Tourism and Hospitality businesses in Ireland may not depend hugely on third-party cookies, we should still make changes to how we measure our websites performance. Here is a great article from Hubspot about the phase out.

2. Video

Video has been around for many years now but if you haven’t got a budget in your marketing plan for some professional videos in 2022, I suggest you add some in now. According to Wix, 80% of your customers would rather watch a video than read a blog post. Calls-to-action get 380% more clicks when placed in videos. We all know that the amount of time people spend watching video on their devices has increased dramatically. Check out our blog post here on the importance of using video to market your business.

3. Organic Content

Creating organic, unique content should be a priority in 2022 for all marketers. Tell your customers why they should visit you, use your own imagery, your own video, and your own voice. Grab every opportunity to tell your followers and readers about your unique selling point and be heard above your competitors.

4. Marketing social responsibility

Your social responsibility policy will become a very important marketing tactic in 2022. Many of your customers and guests are now more eco conscious and will be focusing on what you aren’t doing unless you shout about what you are doing. Small things like a staff wellness programme, charity partner or plastic free working environments will be applauded. Check out our blog post here on how to market your environmental sustainability efforts. 

5. Advanced segmentation

Hopefully 2022 will be the year where we need to start focusing on international travellers again. Business travel will increase again as well as incentive travel. Make sure all your target markets are segmented correctly to achieve the best results from your efforts. Do some research on keywords, make sure your email database is up to date and know when you are going to target your different market segments.
Its hard to predict what 2022 will bring. However, we have gotten this far and we are used to changing up tactics fast. Keep a close eye on your plan for the first and second quarter and spend your budget wisely. Try and get as much business on the books as you can now.

If you need help with a marketing plan for 2022 or help with any of your marketing activities please email Helen for a no obligation consultation on helen@backofficems.ie

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