Where 2022 Ad Spending Is Going (And How To Get Ahead Of The Trends)

There are a multitude of factors to consider and important decisions to make when creating an advertising budget. Aside from choosing the right channels and tactics to meet its own strategic goals, a brand must take the state of its industry as well as the latest marketing and advertising trends into account to create ad campaigns that will stand up against those of its competitors.

Brands don’t want to jump on any old bandwagon or social platform without a good reason to do so, and this year, they’ll once again be seeking the right avenues to reach their target markets. From diversifying with an integrated multichannel approach to doubling down in a specific medium such as digital, television, print, or social, the options are endless.

With their insight into where ad dollars are being spent in real-time, the members of Forbes Agency Council can forecast where brands will be spending their budgets this year. See their predictions below, along with good ways for brands to get ahead of these trends.

1. Digital Marketing To More ‘Connected’ Consumers

Digital marketing is something that cannot be ignored! The pandemic has made people even more connected to their devices with the demands of remote work and staying in touch with family and friends. This shift has made digital marketing a great vehicle to get your brand noticed by your target consumer in a cost-effective manner. – Thomas Morganelli, Centipede Digital

2. Connected TV Ads Informed By First-Party Data

Where your media dollars are spent really depends on your marketing goals. One area where we see continued growth is connected TV. There is a real power that comes with the ability to serve up video on the big screen in your target’s living room. Combine that opportunity with the strength of first-party data, and it’s clear why CTV offers opportunities unavailable on other marketing channels. – Jonathan Schwartz, Bullseye Strategy

3. Online And Offline Platforms With Consistent Media Availability

Ad dollars will continue to increase on digital platforms that are optimizing their ad strategies, such as TikTok. There will be a continuous amount of spending on offline platforms that follow the supply-and-demand curve, where media availability is consistent. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne LLC

4. Higher-Funnel Digital Efforts With Advanced Tracking

Ad dollars will be spent in digital, but more specifically in higher-funnel efforts where advanced tracking and attribution are now showing true impact and ROI. Think about over-the-top content, streaming video, audio, and more, which were once stuck measuring impressions or maybe view-throughs. Agencies implementing better tracking systems will be able to show the trickle-down effect of these higher-funnel efforts and get better buy-in for a full-funnel digital investment. – Brian Walker, Statwax

5. Niche Targeting Via OTT And CTV

I see a switch from spending on social and search to a surge in OTT and CTV advertising. With the level of understanding of these mediums growing, the barriers to entry are not so high now. For companies with the right level of budget, both OTT and CTV present fantastic growth opportunities and the ability to reach new markets in this increasingly niched-out world. – Christopher Tompkins, The Go! Agency

6. Digital And Social Media Advertising Strategies

Ad dollars will definitely be best spent this year on digital and social media. Brands can get ahead by starting to implement result-driven social media advertising strategies. There are more users on social media than ever before, and platforms such as Facebook and Instagram give businesses the opportunity to yield a considerable return on ad spend and stay profitable year-round. – Jonathan Durante, Expandify Marketing Inc

7. Small-Budget Programmatic Buying On CTV

2022 will see lots of ad dollars move into the CTV space. Many major brands will take their first steps into CTV, especially as they discover how effectively smaller budgets can operate in this less-crowded space. With programmatic buying and audience-targeting tools, it’s possible to make a big splash in CTV, and I expect we’ll see lots of 2022’s ad dollars migrating in this direction. – Jason Wulfsohn, AUDIENCEX

8. The Right Social Media Platforms For Narrow Targets

The growing addiction to social media in all age groups and interest groups makes social media the best place for marketing investment. Social media ads allow for narrow targeting, which helps increase brand awareness among the target audience, and thus conversions. Agencies should identify the right social media platforms for their clients and develop a focused marketing plan to exploit this trend. – Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team

9. Specific Content And Content Creators

While the easy answer is “digital,” I think “content” is more accurate. Forget about which screen, or even which delivery method, will be dominant—consumers are becoming more tied to specific content and content creators. This is a meaningful shift in consumer behavior and an opportunity for agile and innovative marketers to find their audiences. – Andrea Palmer, Publicis Health Media (PHM)

10. Video Content Designed For Omnichannel Use

Designing campaign creative for omnichannel use—with a focus on video through CTV and linear TV—is key. Our in-house production company and agency-owned studios allow us to quickly create video, and this is something all agencies should consider. Even out-of-home placements can leverage video more in 2022. Video content is the 2022 campaign anchor. – Vix Reitano, Agency 6B

11. Inbound Marketing Technologies

It depends on the audience. The goal of digital marketing is to get the right message to the right potential client at the right time. The best way to do that is to utilize the marketing technology that most clearly communicates ROI. I believe that inbound marketing technologies that show the full buyer’s journey are where ad dollars should be spent. – Christopher Carr, Farotech

12. Increased CTV Ad Spend Across All Industries

While spending by channel typically varies by industry, we expect a surge in CTV spending from brands across all industries. While many marketers are shifting spending away from linear TV, we expect investment to come from digital channels, as CTV offers the sophisticated targeting of programmatic advertising with a comparable reach to linear TV for a much lower cost. – Donna Robinson, Collective Measures

13. Product Placement In Streaming Content

Marketers and agencies are increasing their interest in product placement in streaming content on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, and HBO Max. This is driven by the fact that they themselves sat watching hundreds of hours of streaming episodes and films over the course of the pandemic, none of which included traditional advertising. – Stacy Jones, Hollywood Branded

7 Simple Marketing Hacks for 2022

Digital marketing trends are changing constantly. Each year brings new marketing strategies that need to be identified and integrated into the game plans of large and small businesses alike, otherwise, there’s serious money left on the table.

When it comes to online search, Google is way ahead of the competition, being responsible for 94% of total organic traffic and 96% of all smartphone search traffic. This makes getting your business on the first page of Google the single most important factor for your digital marketing success.

The good news is that when it comes to Google’s search engine algorithm, it doesn’t matter if you are a large or small organization. Only those who use the techniques that have been approved by Google get to see their website on Google’s prime real estate — the first page of the search engine results page (SERP).

Let’s take a look at some simple hacks that digital marketers use to make sure their websites rank higher on SERPs and get the most from their traffic.

1. Optimizing Email Strategy

Email has been around for years, but it’s not going anywhere just yet. Roughly 80% of marketers have reported an increase in email engagement over the past twelve months.

Another exciting statistic for all those who are thinking of using more emails in their marketing campaigns is that email marketing has the highest return on investment for small businesses. Of course, that’s only going to be possible with a well-crafted email that has concise copy and an engaging message.

One of the most effective marketing tools is the ability to segment your email marketing strategy to match your customer base. For example, marketers constantly use the holiday season to offer incentives to their customers, like discount codes for those who left their website with an item in the shopping cart.

2. Using the AIDA Formula

AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. Here’s a description from Lucidchart to show how it can be used in marketing.

AIDA marketing model visual explanation

This marketing strategy has been around for a while — since 1898, to be exact. And guess what? It still works.

In fact, AIDA works extremely well on almost all marketing channels to grab the reader’s attention, create a sense of want, pull on their heartstrings, and provide them with a solution to their problem. This proven formula has been used in the past, is still being used today, and should definitely be used when marketing a small business in the year ahead.

3. Embracing Video Marketing

Video has grown into a driving force for digital marketing, and this trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. In fact, according to research, videos will account for nearly 82% of consumer internet traffic by 2021.

Live and branded videos are two of the most popular trends in video marketing at the moment, and people are continuing to find new and interesting ways to engage their audience with video content.

The beauty of using live video is that it’s interactive and allows the audience to be part of the conversation by calling in or leaving a comment that can be answered during the live session. It’s estimated that by 2021, live video will account for 13% of all video traffic, which makes it an excellent strategy for businesses that are constantly thinking outside of the box.

Contrary to popular belief, creating an explainer, how-to, or product description video does not cost you an arm and a leg. All you have to do is invest in a good camera and microphone, or you can even use your smartphone. Rather than spending large amounts of money on expensive editing tools, you can use apps that are powerful enough to create a professional-looking video.

To generate more search traffic for your website, remember to make it well-thought-out, contain informational content, and address a defined problem that your ideal customer is facing.

Optimizing the video on YouTube with relevant keywords will increase the chances of your video getting more views. And, pay extra attention to the video’s title — it should sound unique and engaging. For example, “Learn how to tie a bow tie” does not sound as good as “Learn how to tie the perfect bow tie.”

While there may be many videos on a similar subject matter, the idea is to make your content stand out from the rest.

4. Creating Novel Content

The content that you put out will act as currency for your marketing strategies. While creating the usual blogs and articles is good for generating traffic, simply writing content that informs your audience just won’t do. More and more businesses are learning the importance of engaging with their audience. In fact, many successful brands are already using content that engages their audience along with content that educates.

One type of content that is growing in popularity is novel content. This is the content that is put alongside the conventional content of blogs, articles, ebooks, and videos. Similar to videos, creating content that engages your audience is also possible via polls, quizzes, and contests, where the audience gets to vote or share their opinions on a particular subject. Try to keep this content relevant to your business.

Expiring content, which seems to have been inspired by the Snapchat model, is also continuing to gain popularity amongst the younger crowd. Expiring content remains on your website or social media for a certain amount of time before being removed. This creates a sense of urgency that can encourage viewers to take action. To entice your audience while using expiring content, you can include a discount code that’s displayed for a limited amount of time before being removed.

5. Recognizing the Difference Between Marketing and Branding

Those who are investing in online marketing need to understand the difference between marketing and branding. While these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, their meanings are very different.

When it comes to the consumer, your brand is not going to be the product or service you provide, but rather the logo, website design, and the message across all platforms that you send to your customers. In other words, branding is how the audience will perceive your business.

On the other hand, digital marketing uses tactics that are designed to reinforce your branding efforts. This means that your marketing efforts should enhance your brand’s message and not have the opposite effect. However, this is where many small businesses fall flat, as they use marketing campaigns that focus more on their product or service instead of building interest and nurturing a community on social media platforms.

Blatantly promoting your product or services on social media will not help you create a community of loyal followers. In fact, it may actually have a negative impact on your brand’s overall appeal to your audience.

6. Making Good Use of Local Services Ads (LSAs)

LSAs, or local services ads, are similar to Google Ads, but are very different when it comes to their effectiveness in promoting your products or services. In short, LSAs are pay-per-lead ads that have now begun popping up at the top of Google search results. Initially released in 2017, LSAs are slowly gaining ground and rolling out to small markets as well.

Example of Google local services ad

Currently, LSAs seem to focus for home service providers, such as electricians, locksmiths, painters, house cleaning, and plumbers. If you provide any of these services, it’s time you used LSAs to increase your reach. However, there is little doubt that their use is going to spread to other businesses as well.

Unlike Google Ads, you don’t have to pay for clicks, but rather for leads that are relevant to your business.

Here’s how Local Services Ads work:

  • You get to set a weekly budget that is based on the average amount of leads you expect to receive.
  • Leads can be disputed if you think they are irrelevant or not useful. If successful, the leads are credited back to you later.
  • While you might end up spending more than your average weekly budget on LSAs, the model makes it unlikely that you spend more money each month, which is going to be the average budget in a week that’s multiplied by the average amount of weeks in any given month. Setting up your LSAs is also relatively easy and does not come with a steep learning curve.

If you have patience, using LSAs could be useful in generating leads, however, if you are a startup or small business on a shoestring budget, then testing the waters of LSAs might not be for you right now.

7. Being Smart with SEO

Some people say that SEO is dead. We beg to differ. In fact, search engine optimization is more important than ever when it comes to getting your website indexed on Google. While SEO trends continue to change, one area that Google seems to be focusing on is differentiating between search and intent.

For instance, using terms such as “web design Miami” could display web design companies while “web design company in Miami” could start displaying job boards.

Google places snippet example in search

This means that to succeed with your SEO strategy, you need to segment queries that you want to rank for and make competitor analysis a big part of your SEO strategy.

If we’ve learned anything from the past, it’s that when it comes to online marketing, the proven methods of marketing are still around, and keeping your marketing strategy simple really does work.

Tried and tested methods of digital marketing provide small businesses with a guideline of what strategy should be used to improve your digital marketing results. But that being said, these formulas are not written in stone, which means you need to keep on tweaking your digital marketing strategy to get the best ROI.