Top 6 Marketing Trends in 2022 (and the Data to Prove It)

Below statistics cover organic search, mobile optimization, and conversion rates (data from HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021).

• Over 50% of marketers say keyword rankings and organic traffic are the top ways they measure the success of their SEO strategies. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• 71% of marketers say using strategic keywords was their number one strategy for SEO. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Website is the #2 channel used in marketing, behind social media. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• 69% of marketers invested in SEO in 2021. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Email collection forms were the most successful at converting viewers, with a 15% conversion rate in 2020. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• 64% of SEO marketers call mobile optimization an effective investment. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)

The Takeaway 

Create a sustainable marketing strategy to fuel your flywheel by leveraging search engine optimization best practices. Organic search is only escalating as the primary source for prospective engagement (especially on mobile devices), so don't miss this opportunity to ensure your business is relevant and up to date.  

By strategically positioning your website domain as the industry leader, it'll increase your website impressions, brand reputation and potential leads. 

2. Content Marketing

You can be successful in content marketing by focusing on the needs and problems your target audience has. Find out what their problem and then provide them solutions through articles and videos. Content statistics provide helpful insight for developing an effective strategy that will help you generate leads from potential customers who are searching online using keywords related to their industry.

The Data 

Below are key data points communicating the necessity to have content as a part of your marketing and sales strategy in 2022: 

• 82% of marketers actively use content marketing. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Over 60% of marketers measure the success of their content marketing strategy through sales. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• 70% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Web traffic is among the top two most-common measurements of success for content marketing strategies. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Nearly 40% of marketers say content marketing is a very important part of their overall marketing strategy. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Short articles, less than 3,000 words, ranked third in the B2B content assets that generated the best results in the last 12 months. (Content Marketing Institute, 2021) 
• 56% of marketers who leverage blogging say it's effective and 10% say it generates the biggest return on investment. (HubSpot Blog Research, 2021) 

The Takeaway

Are you blogging, creating lead magnets, leveraging SEO within your content and gaining awareness via email and social media? All of this can be summarized into two words: Inbound Marketing. 

Business owners especially can find it difficult to make the time to produce content, but the ROI is well-worthwhile. Ensure your articles are optimized to Google's latest algorithm, are between 300-3,000 words, and provide prospects with answers to their questions. 

One of the easiest ways to start is by asking your sales team the most frequently asked questions they receive from potential clients. Collect their responses and write an article on it! 

For more information on how to level up content marketing, check out our blog Inbound Marketing.

3. Social Media

Social Media is the #1 channel used in marketing in 2021.

Social media marketing is all about knowing your audience. In 2022, the key to success for social listening campaigns lies in establishing a connection with those who follow you on these platforms-and learning everything there's ever going be about them! This way we can support our customers and engage them as loyal brand advocates by giving tailored content that speaks directly toward their interests or needs. 

The Data

• 73% of all marketers rank "increased acquisition of new customers" as their top outcome for social in 2021 (Hootsuite, 2020)
• 45% of marketers are already using infographics while 38% plan to leverage it for the first time in 2022. (HubSpot Blog Research, 2021).
• The number of global social media users is expected to reach almost 3.43 billion in 2023. (Statista, 2020) 
• In 2019, TikTok was the third most downloaded non-gaming app in the world with over 1.5 billion downloads. (Statista, 2020)

Facebook

• Facebook is the primary content distribution channel for marketers today. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• 69% of Americans use Facebook. (Statista, 2021)
• 98.3% of Facebook users access the app on mobile. (Statista, 2021)
• As of 2021, Facebook has over 2 billion monthly active users. (Statista, 2021)
• Marketers believe Facebook is the most popular social media platform across all age groups. (HubSpot Blog Research, 2021)

LinkedIn

• LinkedIn has over 774 million users, with roughly a quarter of them being U.S. internet users. (Statista, 2021)
• LinkedIn is the largest B2B display advertiser in the U.S. at 32.3%. (eMarketer, 2021)
• Since early 2020, LinkedIn live streams have more than doubled, increasing by 158%. (LinkedIn, 2020)
• 4 of 5 LinkedIn members drive business decisions. (LinkedIn, 2021)
• Over 90% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for organic social marketing. (Content Marketing Institute, 2021)

Instagram 

• eMarketer forecasts that Instagram will reach 1.1 billion users in 2022. (eMarketer, 2021)
• Instagram currently has 500+ million active daily users. (Instagram, 2021)
• Users spend an average of 10 hours a month on Instagram. (Hootsuite, 2021)
• Instagram is the second best performing social media platform for marketers. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Users spend around 30 minutes a day on Instagram in 2020. (eMarketer, 2020) 

Twitter 

• Twitter has over 319 million users. (Statista, 2021)
• In the list of the world’s most visited websites, Twitter ranks #12. (SEMrush, 2021)
• Twitter is most popular in the United States, followed by Japan. (Statista, 2021)
• Twitter’s audience skews heavily male. (Hootsuite, 2021)
• 82% of content marketers leveraged Twitter for organic B2B marketing in 2021. (Content Marketing Institute, 2021)
• After testing multi-destination carousels, Twitter saw a roughly 20% increase in clickthrough rate across all objectives. (Twitter, 2021) 

The Takeaway 

Essentially, social platforms are a non-negotiable. For B2B marketing, we typically recommend prioritizing LinkedIn and potentially Facebook, depending on your specific audience type. For B2C, prioritize Instagram and other platforms such as TikTok and Pinterest. 

Engage with your audience by responding to comments, following similar interests, and commenting on similar content to assist ranking your content on the social algorithm. Be consistent in your brand messaging and whenever possible, always link your social content back to your website (let's get those website views!). 

4. Email Marketing 

The marketing landscape is changing, but email remains one of the most effective ways for your business to connect with customers and build lasting relationships. 

The Data 

• The number of global email users is set to grow to 4.48 billion users by 2024. (Statista, 2021) 
• The industry average email click-through rate is 2.13%. (GetResponse, 2020)  
• 45% of small businesses with effective or very effective email copy have average open rates of 26% or higher. (AWeber, 2020)
• Audience segmentation is one of the top three tactics used by marketers in email marketing. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• Mobile-friendly email is the second most-used tactic email marketers to improve their performance. (HubSpot, 2020) 

The Takeaway 

Although there is a bombardment of emails flooding people's inboxes today, email still remains an effective tactic to not only nurture leads but also for fostering current customers. Make sure that your email content is mobile-friendly, visually appealing, and provides value! Readers need to know within two seconds the value proposition you're offering them (and adding a fun emoji doesn't hurt anything either 😉). 

Email also goes hand-in-hand with Inbound Marketing tactics, so don't minimize the inbox as an old school method! From creating monthly newsletters, lead nurture workflows, and one-off marketing campaigns, this channel creates valuable touch points with contacts. 

5. Video Marketing

Video marketing is a cost-effective and easy way to connect with your audience. These statistics show that how companies are using the this medium creating engaging content that not only educates prospects but also has a high conversion rate.

The Data 

• Video will be the top investment for B2B brands in 2022. (Content Marketing Institute, 2021)
• Video is the number one format marketers used in their content strategy in 2021. (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2021)
• 87% of video marketers say that video has increased traffic to their website. (Wyzowl, 2020) 
• 80% of video marketers claim that video has directly increased sales. (Wyzowl, 2020)  
• 93% of brands got a new customer because of a video on social media. (Wyzowl, 2020) 
• YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. (HubSpot Blog Research, 2021) 

The Takeaway 

The positive data points speak for themselves - video is HUGE! Are you using it yet? 

Smartphones have made creating video content that much more accessible and easy to make. Post on social, add it to your website, or start a YouTube channel. Customers want to connect with real-people remotely (yes, you read that correctly). For marketing, sales, and support, video can be a game-changer.

We recommend using Vidyard to showcase your solutions and easily embed on your website, add to emails, or post directly on social media. Download the tool for free here! 

6. Web 3.0

In a world where the internet is ever-present and always on, Web 3.0 will be integral to provide users with seamless experiences tailored for their preferences and location. It shifts the focus away from being the web of information and toward the web of people.

Using Semantic HTML coding, Web 3.0 allows for personalization and improved search capabilities that make the internet a more interactive experience in addition to being informative.

The Takeaway 

Personalize and tailor your experiences for your audience. Web 3.0 marketing heavily leans into inbound marketing, SEO, and social media strategies that are about engaging and listening to your audience.

See our blog Web 3.0 Marketing: SEO, Social Media and Blockchains to learn more!

Want to learn more? 

As a HubSpot Diamond Level Solutions Partner, Vested has helped businesses of all shapes and sizes to achieve their goals and convert more leads into customers, like Cajun Creole Market and Senderra Specialty Pharmacy, by using the power of Inbound Marketing.

The best part is that there are no limits or boundaries on what type of industry can benefit from an inbound strategy. Which industry do you operate within? Let us know, we would love to help your business grow!

About Vested Marketing

As a certified HubSpot Partner Agency, we not only understand the benefits of using the inbound marketing platform to increase traffic and engagement, improve SEO, generate leads, design effective websites and boost sales, we know how to make it happen.

We are inbound marketing experts, SEO gurus and top-notch website developers.

Our team of Engineers Turned Marketers can help get you noticed - for a more innovative and effective way to reach customers, or provide a more seamless way for companies to find your services. Inbound Marketing has no limit to industry, serving from Crypto & NFT, mining, oil and gas, technology & automation, engineering, technology, construction, healthcare, to industrial & manufacturing.