Staying on top of innovative trends in B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing is essential for businesses hoping to expand their market share and remain relevant with current customers and clients.
With any marketing content, online or otherwise, your ability to stay on top of trends can make or break your entire strategy. With an increased emphasis on topics like privacy, AI, and social responsibility, 2022's trends are all about the consumer.
The New Social Responsibility
Social responsibility has always been critical, but it is not longer something brands can overlook. It's no longer enough to ride the coattails of a cause or donate money to charities of your choice. Consumers today expect you to embrace a set of values and follow them through at every level of your business.
Today's customers want to know that they're investing with companies that reflect their values, and they can analyze this at their fingertips. Consumers are savvy, whether that's protecting civil rights, environmentalism and climate change, or social conservatism.
Customers want to see you practice what you preach. In today's hyper-politicized world, you won't be able to please everyone, but you will build stronger relationships with your target market.
Protecting Customer Privacy
Modern consumers are very aware, and in many cases even warier, of privacy concerns. They've heard disturbing things about how companies track their activity on and offline and how businesses may use that information to manipulate their behavior and decisions. That knowledge and fear impact all businesses, regardless of their actual practices.
To ensure that your consumers are confident that you're protecting their data, you will want to be transparent as possible with your audience about your practices and how you use data. In addition, stay on top of updates and adjust your ads and posts accordingly.
Personalization for Consumers
It's a delicate line to walk between protecting consumer privacy and personalizing your consumers' interactions with your business. Today's customers demand both, even if they are incongruous at times.
Personalization applies to both the experience and actual products. If you sell something to consumers, the more customization you can offer, the better you'll fare. This principle applies to everything from streaming subscriptions to vehicles.
It will take some experimentation and creativity to figure out how to deliver this to your target audience, but what's clear is that traditional SEO, such as embedding keywords or using product placement, will give way to a more personal experience.
Leveraging AI in the Sales Process
Artificial intelligence can help you interact directly with customers and clients without devoting as many person-hours. Chatbots are one of the most important ways businesses will achieve this level of interfacing in 2022.
Chatbots allow customers to ask their most pressing questions in their own words. It helps them feel heard by your business, and it respects their time since they no longer need to scour your menus or FAQ page to find the answer they need. In addition, VR and AR are growing in popularity.
Social Media, Influencers, and Inbound Marketing Strategies
This year, audio content on social media will be even more crucial. Podcasts are one of the most significant ways companies reach consumers directly. Nearly 20% of marketers plan to use some audio content in their marketing strategies in 2022.
In fact, almost 40% of those who do find it to be among their most essential tactics for reaching customers. In addition to podcasts, it's a good idea to leverage short videos, tutorials (with or without video content), and more.
As a supplement to these social media strategies, inbound marketing strategies involve meeting consumers where they are (physically, digitally, and emotionally) in the buying process and drawing them into you. In other words, it's about reaching outward to find customers rather than expecting them to come to you.
Your marketing department should devote a significant amount of time to developing a robust inbound marketing strategy, and you'll see your business and markets grow. Working with influencers, especially on social media, is a fantastic way to do this. It also involves savvy SEO, visual content marketing, and much more.
Want more advice on marketing (or just some fun reads)? Check out these FREE resources:
Want a FREE SEO Audit of Your Site?
Get yours here. It’s chock-full of actionable intelligence that will help you boost your bottom line through powerful digital marketing techniques. Need help? We’re happy to assist!