Social media and online marketing is no longer just an entertaining trend. This is probably not new to you. Every year strategies become more professional, new channels emerge and ways are found to increase end consumer engagement via omni-channel marketing. These are this year's digital marketing trends:
Last year, TikTok was the most successful app in the App Store. Its download numbers surpassed those of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat. Gen Z uses this App a lot and regularly posts videos. But in the meantime, TikTok has also arrived in the middle of society. Short, creative videos are THE format. Instagram has already tried to copy TikTok by making it increasingly difficult to get reach without reels – for this, there was harsh criticism from the content creators.
The TikTok trend is not bypassing companies either, which is why some are already planning it into their sales strategy. So it's about time to open your own channel and benefit from the rapid growth and active community.
Instead of just being redirected to the brand's website via Pinterest or Instagram ads, live streams turn shopping into an experience. End consumers have the opportunity to experience the brand's product intensively, such as here at Peek & Cloppenburg, without going to the PoS. The products are presented, the haptics are described, smells are explained, they can ask questions in the chat, get them answered directly and have the opportunity to buy the products directly. Anyone who wants to stand out and offer their target group new ways to experience the products digitally, has the right tool at their fingertips now.
Social commerce has been around on social networks since 2021 in the form of integrated stores. This trend has already proven itself and is a fixed component of many profiles. With the store function, users can easily make purchases via the separate shopping page. The trend pays off: shopping is becoming easier and easier because users don't even have to switch platforms to do it. So they're more tempted to look at the products and, if necessary, buy them directly. It's definitely worth considering using the store function, since you can also intercept potential customers already on social media and motivate them to buy.
While the rise of influencer marketing in social media was just beginning in 2010, influencers are already a firmly established marketing tool for most brands today. They present the brand's products authentically and credibly. They have also discovered the great buying potential for themselves and are increasingly marketing themselves and building their own brands instead of presenting the products of others. To profit from this, collections or individual products can be created together with influencers. This is a win-win situation for both parties. The influencer gets professional help with product development and the brand benefits from the awareness the influencer creates.
Cell phone screens are getting bigger and easier to use. For a few years now, more and more people have therefore been using their cell phones to order dinner, book their next vacation or buy a gift for their best friend from the comfort of their couch. According to a Salesforce study, 50% of people use their smartphones to order goods on the Internet, and only 43% use their laptops. And the trend is rising. E-commerce is increasingly becoming m-commerce. It is therefore important that the usability of websites is adapted for the different devices. After all, the desktop version does not automatically work just as well on the mobile device.
Content that is not created by the brand itself, but by users or opinion leaders, is called user-generated content (UGC for short). Micro- and nano-influencer in particular are benefiting from this trend, which is no longer just about their own reach, but about the high quality and professionalism of their content. This creates useful content that is perfectly tailored to the target group and much more cost-efficient to create than if the company has to prepare the content itself.
