As we enter 2022, it’s important to understand that both change and opportunities lie ahead for marketers this year. We encourage you to lean into the newest technologies, platforms and creative concepts to up your programs; here are four key trends to watch.

Relationship Building Is More Important Than Ever

As the number of full-time staffers at media outlets continues to dwindle, the relationships that PR professionals foster with those who remain are more valuable than ever before. In addition, contributed articles – from thought leadership pieces to op-eds – are growing in demand, especially in non-traditional outlets which continue to gain prominence. This has been advantageous for PR professionals and their clients, leading to more success at getting articles placed in both local and national outlets. Likewise, overtaxed journalists rely on their PR counterparts to bring them new leads and fresh angles on current events.

We predict this trend will not only continue but evolve in ways that might compel PR professionals to explore new channels in pursuit of media opportunities, including expanding outreach to social media channels like Twitter and LinkedIn as critical crowdsourcing tools.

Marketing Will Continue to Become Content-Focused, and More Will Be Sponsored

Marketing strategies in 2022 will continue to rely heavily on the creation and distribution of content. As the media landscape becomes more fragmented, marketers must find inventive, dynamic ways to break through the noise. While still important, traditional marketing tactics alone won’t be enough to accomplish this, as consumers have learned to tune out content that seems too much like clickbait or is patently self-serving.

To engage skeptical consumers, marketers must pique their interest with content that’s aligned with their personal beliefs, hobbies or values, potentially tapping into native advertising. Whether in the form of social media posts or advertorials, utilizing this sort of sponsored content has become routine as data analytics has evolved into crucial tools of comprehensive marketing strategies.

Expect First-Party Data to Become More Precise and More Prevalent

The proliferation of first-party data has made it possible for marketers to target consumers based on a synthesized slew of characteristics and online tendencies, from age and location to political affiliation and shopping habits. Access to this type of data increases the likelihood of engagement with your target audience, especially if the content is developed with their specific  preferences in mind.

What’s more, first-party data can often reveal how users are engaging with content on different platforms. Marketers should incorporate these insights into digital strategies to optimize reach and engagement. The prevalence of first-party data, however, will not upend the need for trend monitoring. While this sort of personalization isn’t anything new to savvy marketers, its precision and reliability is rapidly improving, and we expect it to become ubiquitous in the months and years to come.

The Dawn of the Metaverse Creates a New Marketing Terrain

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Andrew Kiguel, Chief Executive Officer of Tokens.com, said that purchasing real estate in the Metaverse is like “buying land in Manhattan 250 years ago as the city [was] being built.” If true, a whole new universe is opening up to savvy marketing and PR professionals to expand their programs to incorporate virtual and augmented reality applications. Beyond vying for media placements and buying ad space, PR and marketing professionals will also soon be creating holistic simulated environments to reach and engage their target audiences.

However, to be successful on this new frontier, trailblazers will have to be creative, nimble, and perceptive of trends, technologies and applications as they develop.

WCG is constantly monitoring the cutting-edge trends that are transforming our industries. To learn more about how we can leverage marketing and PR innovations to support your organization, please contact us at hello@wilksgrp.com.