Is it just us, or did 2021 go by really fast?

Although it\'s hard to believe this year is almost complete, digital professionals the world over have begun to discuss what will happen during the next one—and we\'re no exception.

Here are some of the top 5 B2C digital marketing trends to watch out for in 2022.

1. Prioritizing Privacy

Privacy should be your primary concern heading into 2022.

In 2021 alone, Google and Facebook have already made stark changes to their ad policies in an effort to protect vulnerable users and strike negligent marketers at the same time.

Whether it\'s personal or professional, we can expect both consumers and corporations to make similar protections well into 2022. Be sure to keep up with new updates, adjust ads, posts, and targeting accordingly, and continue experimenting with new ways to attract customers.

2. Upholding User Experiences

Although SEO is no joke, user experience (UX) is starting to take more of a priority.

Personalization is the future. As search algorithms become more contextual and conversational, digital marketers will need to spend less time focused on embedding relevant keywords into content and more time tailor-making (i.e., writing and designing) content that fits their target audiences like a glove.

The more you hone your site for actual humans in 2022, the more clicks and conversions you\'ll probably have.

3. Supporting Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing has been on the rise for the last several years and isn\'t going to stop in 2022.

Many experts anticipate various forms of SMM to take off next year. Short-form videos, seen on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube, bring in major ROI. Second only to influencer marketing, which is already a multibillion-dollar industry that isn\'t slowing down, many marketers see short-form videos as THE marketing tool to literally watch and utilize in 2022.

Social platforms in general have seen a significant influx in new accounts (especially LinkedIn). Older platforms are also planning to update their feeds and social commerce capabilities while new, more streamlined platforms will make their competitive debut.

The bottom line? If businesses aren\'t already investing in social, they should really get on that.

4. Appreciating Artificial Intelligence

2022 is shaping up to be a big year for AI.

The VR and AR hype is expected to continue well into next year, whether on a personal or professional level. With VR/AR revenue projected to go from an 8 billion to nearly 12 billion dollar industry by 2023, it\'s best to learn everything we can about the metaverse before it\'s too late.

On a subtler level, machine learning in search and elsewhere will steadily advance. While it\'s difficult to predict exactly which features will take the lead in 2022, many marketers have bet on audio searches, personalized search engines, language tools, virtual assistants, chatbots, and more.

5. Remaining Responsible

Businesses will be held digitally accountable more than ever in 2022.

Building brand awareness and a customer base online heavily depends on how much trust consumers have. Because of this, we need to keep as many eyeballs on our digital media (and how that media portrays, positions, and performs itself) as we can.

Brands also need to wake up and stay woke when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and even sustainability, as these factors all strongly play into a user\'s concept of and their loyalty to brands.

The least you need to know? Trust takes time to establish, but putting in the effort to be transparent, authentic, and self-aware will go a long way—well beyond 2022.

About the author: Perfect Search ™ is a results-driven company committed to building custom strategies for our clients. We exist to elevate businesses and represent the best client satisfaction, service, and team.