The 2022 Global Marketing Trends You Need To Know

Having navigated the choppy waters of the past two years, it’s time to look to what the future holds for your brand. What are the top global marketing trends you can use in 2022 to stay ahead of the game? Here’s what our experts have to say.

In 2021, global marketing practices were transformed. 62% of B2C marketers at global brands found that Covid radically changed their customer journey.  44% of B2B marketers completely changed their channel mix in response to another year of uncertainty – with advertising across digital channels expected to exceed 60% of global ad spend this year. 

If you’re wondering what this might mean for 2022 – and how to survive and thrive in the months ahead – look no further. Future-proof your strategy with these global marketing trends.

LOCALIZATION 

1. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO LOCALIZATION

One of the biggest challenges for brands in 2022 is to discover their international audiences. 76% of consumers prefer to buy from websites in their own language. And 66% expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations. 

Businesses need to show they share their customers’ values and create an authentic connection in every market, culture and language. The answer? Localization.

But it’s not enough for localization to simply mean translation. To produce meaningful content in each market, you need local input at the start of the creative process. That’s why it’s increasingly important to gain cultural insights and a well-developed understanding of their international audience. 

2. GET CREATIVE WITH TRANSLATION 

Creativity is just as important in target languages as in the source – especially as demand for high-quality content is growing. 60% of global B2C content marketing budgets were increased in 2021. So creative translation, transcreation and visual asset localization will be essential services in 2022.

These services consider idiomatic and cultural subtleties in the target language so you can speak meaningfully to your audience. In a visual world, localized visual content ensures your images and graphics are appropriate and impactful in every market.

Tailored visual assets and copy give your global marketing strategy an edge. Combining market-specific linguistic and cultural insights with quality transcreation services will help you speak your customers’ language in a way that’s strategic, engaging and effective.

BRAND 

The pandemic caused many businesses to shift online and embrace technology. And in 2022, the need to balance a human touch and leverage technology will only grow as you scale your international marketing activity. So how can you stay ahead when creating content for multiple channels, in multiple markets – while also protecting your brand identity? 

Content sharing platforms are the answer. They centralize and optimize sharing – so brands can create, adapt and deliver approved local content efficiently and at scale. Brands need a tailored platform like Wordbank’s Content Hub to support the nuance and variety of marketing localization requirements. These streamline processes for fast time to market, so you can maintain transparency at every stage and grow your brand while remaining distinctive. 

But to complement state-of-the-art technology, brands need great people. 70% of emotionally engaged global consumers spend twice as much with brands they are loyal to. So when it comes to customer experience, establishing an emotional connection is important. And this is only possible by working with expert copywriters and linguists who understand your brand, market and audience. 

MEDIA 

Video content should be front of mind when developing your marketing strategy. 92% of internet users worldwide watch digital videos each week and this year video will make up 82% of web traffic globally. 

When it comes to international markets, brands need to provide localized video content. 76% of online consumers prefer to buy products where information is written in their native language. And 72% of consumers prefer to learn about a product or service through video. With tailored video content, brands are more likely to appeal to their audiences and gain their trust.

In particular, videos should form a core part of brands’ social media strategy. Instagram is embracing a shift towards video, with their head Adam Mosseri declaring in June 2021 that it’s no longer a picture-sharing app. As the fourth most popular social platform globally – with 1.3 million global daily users – Instagram is leading the trend of what appeals to users most. Reels and Stories are becoming ever more popular, while the company opted to retire IGTV in October. 

Video formats will become shorter and shorter, so there’s a need for speed to keep up with demand. Brands should be ready to embrace this change in their social strategy – and any other new formats that will likely come along in 2022. 

Here are a few tips to get your video content up and running:

• Establish who your target audience is and what kind of content they want to watch.
• Seek localization advice on how videos should be adapted for each market.  Streamline your subtitling, dubbing and voiceover processes to keep up with this trend.
• On social, set up processes now so you can react to evolving trends – don’t wait until new formats become fully established. 

DIGITAL

1. BUY INTO SOCIAL

The rise of social commerce is a continuing digital trend this year, driving opportunities for e-commerce businesses to attract consumers in their social media sphere.

Consumers feel comfortable with brands they’ve chosen to add to their curated feed. 72% of millennials admit they’re more likely to stay loyal to a brand that engages with them on social channels. So, businesses should see social platforms as a way to both communicate with and sell to customers. This applies in your international markets, too. For example, a Facebook survey found that 82% of Spanish-speaking Americans preferred to communicate and consume content on Facebook in Spanish. 

Invest in your social channels to engage existing customers and attract new followers. Given 90% of Instagram users follow a business and 43% of consumers use social media to discover new brands, it’s worth it. Expect to receive DMs from customers and be ready with a friendly response. This will complement existing sales channels and tap into the growing potential of social commerce. Again, don’t forget your international audiences.  A localized social media presence will strengthen your connection with local audiences and make your brand more identifiable.

2. WHAT’S NEXT FOR SEO?

The last of our 2022 global marketing trends is the Google MUM (Multitask Unified Model) update, which is changing the game when it comes to SEO. The AI-powered algorithm aims to end contradictory and irrelevant results when searching online.

The MUM update means users won’t have to search multiple times for a complex query. The algorithm makes connections between different types of information from the initial search to provide better results. This includes different content formats like videos, podcasts and images.

For brands, this means content for content’s sake no longer cuts it. Highly targeted content will be more likely to appear in the user’s search results. So they’ll need to really understand what their audience wants and what they’re searching for. Plus, the MUM algorithm can understand 75 different languages and will translate results to give the user the most relevant answer to their search query. More local information means more insightful results. So brands should prioritize targeted, localized content that will have a greater reach in their target markets. 

As ever, the key is to consider what’s most meaningful to your target audience and plan your content accordingly. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

What can we take from our 2022 global marketing trends? Focus on localization when creating international content and apply it to your global campaigns. This will also help you get to know your audience better in each market. Find a platform to support a scalable localization process, while preserving your brand voice. Localized, adapted and targeted video should take centre stage in your social media strategy. And as the MUM update increases the reach of localized content, take the same approach with your SEO strategy.

If you’re wondering how to optimize your international marketing strategy in 2022, get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

Photo by Shifaaz shamoon on Unsplash