CONTENT MARKETING & SEO TRENDS IN 2022
It’s harder to rank organic content on Google
For many marketers, Google search is the place to be to get your content seen by customers. Securing a place on Google’s
first SERP, or even better, ranking in the top spot, means that millions of eyes could potentially see your brand.
The problem for content marketers now is that Google no longer seems to be playing fair when it comes to ranking
SEO-optimized organic content in searches.
we're losing so much real estate on Google. There are more ads and Google's giving more of the search engine results
pages to its own products. So, it's getting harder to rank organic content, (and) we're moving towards more branded
search
But what is a branded search? It’s basically any search query that includes your brand or product name. The great thing
about branded search queries is that if a customer types in your name that means they know your brand and have high
intent.
Another thing to bear in mind for organic content is that there’s a growing trend of customers asking questions through
Google search. So answer-based content is key and make sure you align keywords with your content
Invest in Creating Answer-Based Content
I mentioned answer-based content earlier to help you improve your organic search. But there’s another reason to look at
creating this type of SEO content - people are looking for it.
This can be seen in the rise in conversational marketing, but also the increase in voice searches which account for 20
percent of Google searches. Ultimately it’s about a more direct approach from consumers. They want information and are
moving towards asking questions to get to the information quicker.
Google is becoming less of a search engine, more of an answer engine. So understanding your audience, their pain
points, answering their individual questions is important
So how can you tap into this move to answer questions in your content?
- Revisit your buyer personas - Look at what issues they are having and what solutions you can
provide. Can that be made into a blog or video that generates traffic? (If you don’t have buyer personas or need
to update them
- Use tools to find popular questions - Search listening tools can provide you with great insights into what people are asking.
- Conduct audience research - This could be as easy as sending an email to engaged subscribers or
asking for inputs on one of your social media channels.
- Create an FAQ Schema - Use a code to tell search engines that the content is in a Q&A
format so it can be ranked higher than other content.
- Create quality and relevant content - This may seem obvious, but the content you create to
answer a question should do just that. Do not use it as an opportunity to sell.
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN 2022
The Metaverse Will Become a Marketer’s Playground
While it has existed for a number of years, the metaverse came to the attention of marketers after Facebook changed its
parent company’s name to Meta in October 2021.
This move, according to Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg is because “the metaverse is the next frontier in connecting
people, just like social networking was when we got started. Over time, I hope we are seen as a metaverse company, and I
want to anchor our work and our identity on what we're building towards.”
But what is the metaverse? Put simply, it’s a network of virtual worlds in 3D that people can connect through Augmented
Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). Well-known gaming platforms that operate in this area already are Minecraft,
Roblox, Pokemon, and Fornite, many of which are familiar to the youngest demographic of all - Generation Alpha.
As a digital channel, the metaverse is relatively new for marketing, but recent campaigns have seen brands embrace its
immersive nature to advertise. For example, Roblox hosted Gucci Garden, a place where visitors could try on and buy
digital Gucci products to dress their avatars. Its aim was to raise brand awareness amongst younger consumers.
So why should marketers tap into the metaverse as one of the digital marketing trends of 2022? According to eMarketer
research, there will be 65 million people that use VR and 110 million using AR every month in 2023. That’s a lot of
potential young customers to have in one space.
Brands Will Start to Use NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens)
Blockchain technology has seen its fair share of detractors. As a technology that stores data using peer-to-peer
networks, it has been linked with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. It's now the basis for another popular
virtual currency - Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).
But how are NFTs infiltrating the marketing sector as a digital marketing trend? A huge part of the metaverse, brands
are using NFTs to link owners to communities or be used as a digital badge.
At the 2022 Super Bowl, the NFL gave every spectator an NFT that was unique to their row and seat to commemorate their
tickets and be used as digital keepsakes.
The media giant and magic maker, Disney is actively hiring metaverse experts to connect the physical and digital worlds
more closely. This will allow for “storytelling without boundaries in a Disney metaverse”. Another example is Adidas and
Prada launching an art project to allow artists to contribute to a tiled canvas that will be made into an NFT and sold.
You're starting to see: I can own this, I have this one-of-one thing and it's a digital asset. You'll see luxury brands
going into the metaverse and saying, you can have this one-of-one outfit for your character.
SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS IN 2022
TikTok Will Continue to Grow & Brands Need to Take it Seriously
When you talk about social media, TikTok is a platform to consider if you’re not already using it. The rapid rise of
TikTok has seen the app reach 1 billion users and counting.
TikTok has enormous engagement (U.S. users spend up to 850 hours a month on the platform) and offers individuals and
brands the opportunity for their videos to go viral: no mean feat in the social media realm.
In terms of the platform’s revenue, TikTok was one of the top-earning non-game app in 2022 with more than $61 million spent by
users. This just shows the earning potential of the app for marketers looking to drive sales amongst young consumers.
Influencers have also played a role in TikTok’s rise with many earning huge amounts through sponsorship deals. Battisby
believes that brands are now taking notice of influencer marketing on the platform.
For a while, TikTok was sort of met with an eye roll, and isn't that just for the kids? Now we see a lot of influencers
like Gordon Ramsay and older celebrities, even Rod Stewart is on TikTok and doing very well. Brands are beginning to see
they can reach a lot more people on TikTok than on Instagram or Facebook.
Thanks for reading
