Digital Marketing for Startups: 12 Trends To Watch Out for in 2022

New developments continue to arrive in the ever-changing digital media landscape. Thus, entrepreneurs and marketers have to stay updated on what's trending in digital marketing for startups.

What will be in store for 2022? Digital marketing will maintain some elements and have new methods that startups can use for their campaigns. Here are some of the trends that will be relevant when it comes to digital marketing for startups, for those that want to grow their business in 2022:

1. The growth of Web 3.0

Once a novel idea, it's already becoming a foreseeable future with the increasing integration of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in digital marketing activities. These imaging technologies make digital marketing even more appealing to audiences. Combining interactivity and usability allows potential buyers or clients to imagine how a startup's product will work for them.

A crucial Web 3.0 component that will have increasing utilization is artificial intelligence. Fashion startups, for instance, are estimated to reach $861.6 million market value in 2022 for fashion AI technology.

2. Optimizing for mobile

Advanced mobile phone capabilities have led more users glued to their devices to access products and services. From an equal distribution in 2021, ad spending on mobile will eclipse ad spending on desktop. 51% of advertising costs in 2022 will move towards mobile devices.

Mobile optimization thus becomes even more relevant - from responsive websites, increasing use of separate apps, to graphics that present well on a mobile device.

3. Visual storytelling

It's also imperative for startups to tell a story visually, using videos, motion graphics, animations, and many other interactive formats. Storytelling through videos and similar methods allows audiences to fully immerse themselves in the promotional material you're presenting to them. 

Around 82% of online traffic will be video content by 2022, which translates to about 1 million videos crossing the Internet every second. Through videos, startups can engage audiences with visually-appealing stories that attract leads.

4. Shorter content

Gone are the days when people would spend several minutes watching an ad. From 30-seconds spot on TV, marketing for startups have moved onto new platforms like TikTok to showcase their brand in less than a minute or two.

Platforms now allow bite-size content, such as Facebook or IG stories. Startups can effectively capture audiences in mere seconds. Around 2020, 49% of business videos don't even reach a minute duration. It only goes to show how people nowadays consume content quickly.

5. Building customer relationship

Connecting with customers has always been a significant aspect of digital marketing for startups. In 2022, customer relationships will still be relevant. The Forrester Global Marketing Survey implies this - with over 56% of CMOs citing customer experience as their priority.

Startups need to prioritize their relationship with their customers, from designing their products to putting effort into customer service. Digital marketing campaigns have to engage customers across the various platforms they use to access and build a relationship with a startup.

6. Personalized approach

Access to more data means that startups can now have a personalized marketing approach. This method is evident in retargeting ads that customize what ads will show to different users. Connecting to a relevant audience is effortless when startups implement a personal touch to digital marketing.

The 2022 Global Marketing Trends from Deloitte implies this as customers increasingly lean towards brands with a purpose and a marketing approach that's authentic and inclusive. With a personalized approach, startups have a better chance of capturing high-quality leads who will benefit from their product.

7. Growth hacking

The multi-disciplinary approach to digital marketing will also gain traction in 2022. Growth hacking will be relevant as startups use various public and digital channels to promote their businesses. Some growth hacking techniques include organic ranking in search engines for SEO and reaching out to relevant bloggers.

By using cost-effective digital marketing, startups can benefit from the creative execution of various mediums and use them to their advantage. It doesn't always have to be about paying different platforms to gain massive exposure, and this is where growth hacking will become an essential digital marketing tool for startups. Ranking in organic keywords, for example, is an effective growth hacking method as search engines are where 68% of online journeys start.

8. Automated marketing

Automation plays a vital role in digital marketing efforts. It will be easier and faster to implement and modify campaigns. Marketing automation even yields better results - a 14.5% increase in sales productivity and reducing marketing overhead costs by 12.2%.

Various tools are now available to assist in digital marketing for startups. From the basic scheduling of social media posts alone, Hootsuite and Buffer help startups automate the process. Email marketing and sales funnels also have a variety of software available to speed up how startups market their products.

9. Extensive use of data analytics

Tracking and monitoring the performance of digital marketing efforts will become even more crucial as new startups face intense competition against each other's products.

Startups have access to various analytics tools that will allow them to determine the reach and breadth of their digital marketing campaigns. The business intelligence market will reach around $30.9 billion in market value by 2022 as more startups invest in accessing and using data.

10. Social commerce

The combination of social media and e-Commerce will be more evident, as users want a faster way to buy products straight from the social platforms they're using. In 2021, social commerce generated around $474.8 billion in revenue and will continue to be a vital aspect of digital marketing come 2022.

With social commerce, startups infuse digital marketing and the purchase journey right into the customer's experience. Some social commerce formats already exist, such as tagged products on Facebook, shopping on Instagram, and live selling through several social media channels.

11. Creators and viral marketing

Influencers will continue to extend their influence to consumers. However, this time, the creator's economy will gain a foothold and direct the course of what goes viral.

Going viral is among the objectives of startups that do digital marketing. They want their product to gain massive word-of-mouth exposure and recommendations without spending tons of advertising budget. An example of this is when Taco Bell started offering chicken wings - which garnered around 500,000 plus searches on Google and piqued interest over the first week of January 2022.

12. A focus on the audience

When marketing to an audience, it's also crucial for startups to attract the right demographics. By 2022, 3.96 million users will be on social media. And each social media platforms have varying audience demographics. Instagram, for instance, may have a larger share of audiences aged 18-24 at 31%. On Twitter, however, only 17.1% of 18 to 24-year olds use the platform.

For a product to be even more successful, a startup should identify and capture a sizable audience that will appreciate their product. Digital marketing for startups will target a relevant, highly-converting audience instead of merely reaching out to more people. Startups will have to focus on the quality of the audience instead of counting on quantity which may not yield potential leads.

Why Is Digital Marketing Important for Startups?

Startups find it challenging to enter a market as people have yet to hear or trust what they offer. With digital marketing for startups, companies bridge the gap of properly informing and convincing customers.

Among the various avenues to promote a startup, digital marketing is a more economical yet highly-specific and results-driven approach. Digital marketing for startups is crucial to address the challenges of new technologies and competing platforms.

For digital marketing to work effectively, startups will also need the help of creative agencies to produce their promotional materials. Firms that give you access to talented graphic designers, video editors, and copywriters will benefit your digital marketing campaign. Among them is Delesign - a complete, all-inclusive agency to provide the marketing materials your campaign requires.

Delesign has a selection of creative talent for startups to complete their digital marketing requirements. As a startup, you can now focus on bringing your product to the market through well-crafted marketing materials.