A new year means a new you, not just for yourself, but your business too. One of the most important parts of executing successful digital marketing strategies is being able to follow trends, which includes keeping up with the latest changes in technology and your community. Here’s what you can expect in the business world of 2022.

Hybrid Events
The pandemic has created a need for alternative ways to participate in school, work, and social events. Virtual meetings and activities have become a social norm for many, but with the recent emergence of a vaccine, in-person gatherings are gaining popularity once again. This leaves many businesses wondering – do we keep everything virtual a while longer, or transition back to physical interactions?

This conundrum is the cause of the upcoming trend, hybrid events. This simply means that while hosting physical events, provide the option to either participate virtually, or follow the activities via livestream.

This method allows anyone who has adjusted to online socialization to take part in activities comfortably, without barring social butterflies from spreading their wings.

Chatbots
Chatbots are a type of software that engage in interactions with clients using either rule based programming or AI technology. Have you ever visited a site and saw a little chat bubble pop up offering assistance? If so, then you’ve encountered chatbots.

Why are these bots trending? It’s because of these three primary benefits.

• They increase customer traffic on your website.
• Because chatbots can use advanced qualification logic, providing better leads and more of them.
• If your company experiences a high volume of similar questions, Bots can help any users with common issues so that you have less communications to sort through.

Mobile First Marketing
When people are on the internet shopping or scrolling through content, it’s usually on a cell phone or tablet. Laptops are rarely used casually anymore.

Mobile first marketing means making your product, website, social media content, etcetera easy to consume via cell phone. The more mobile-friendly your company’s content is, the higher it will rank on search engines.

One of the easiest and best ways to accomplish this is by increasing loading speed, which can be done using certain website analytics tools. Increasing the speed also means that your content marketing will likely be more effective because more users are viewing it without giving up because it loads too slowly.

No More Cookies!
No, we don’t mean actual cookies, thank god. However, Google announced back in February of 2020 that third-party cookies will be a thing of the past by 2022 to protect consumer privacy. Firefox and Safari have already phased them out, but Google Chrome makes up 56% of  the web browser market, making the “death” of third-party cookies imminent.

There are a few different types of cookies, all used in one way or another to track website traffic, improve user-friendliness, and collect brand-relevant data. Third-party cookies are specifically used for advertising purposes by a separate domain that tracks your online purchases. Have you ever bought a product one time and then all of a sudden you had ads and emails about it popping up like crazy? Blame third-party cookies.

So what does this mean for your business and marketing strategies?

It simply means that you’ll have to use alternative tools such as Contextual Advertising and API.

Share the Wealth
Consumers are gaining interest in non-profit organizations and the businesses affiliated with them. In 2021 alone, the country’s top 100 non-profit organizations raised 46.6 billion dollars from donations given by the general public.

Remember, individuals want to support causes that they believe in and relate to. When choosing any of the United States’ 1.8 million non-profit organizations, be sure to keep your brand image in mind. Supporting organizations that are relevant to your branding is the perfect way to relate to your target audience, and make a difference in the world while at the same time!

Sharing content from the organization of your choice on your company’s social media pages, sponsoring their events, donating, and volunteering does more than draw consumers to your business. It also bands like-minded individuals together to support a good cause.

If your New Year resolution is to improve your company, apply these trends to your marketing strategy. If you’re unsure where to start, or aren’t ready to dive in, it’s okay to dip your toe in the water first. Consider making the following goals.

• Research some non-profit organizations and make a list of options to support.
• Put a little more time into making your content mobile user-friendly.
• Schedule one casual hybrid event to test the waters.

Small businesses, prepare for a glow-up. New businesses, get ready to work that branding. Get excited and inspired, because 2022 is your year!