6 Big Business Trends in 2022

2022 is approaching quickly, and it’s clear that some exciting trends in technology, sales enablement, social media, and marketing are on the horizon. Let’s take a look.  

Sales Enablement

HubSpot Leads the CRM Game 

Our partner, HubSpot, crosses the $1B threshold in 2022, but its ecosystem is even bigger and continues to grow even faster.

In conjunction with HubSpot’s inbound philosophy that values thought leadership and client delight above all else, HubSpot’s growth is a result of the increase in cloud-based computing.   

Consider that in 2011, 2% of worldwide IT spending was on cloud-based software; now, it’s 14% and is projected to increase to 22% by 2024.

Cloud software sales will increase by 70% in 2024—up from 32% in 2019 (HubSpot).

And that just makes room for increased HubSpot delight over the next year. Huzzah!

Social Media

Let’s See It

2022 projections for social media hover around video as the overwhelming preference for users.

82% of all online content will consist of video in 2022, and social media will lead the charge. 

We can all thank TikTok for this shift. The 100% video-based platform was downloaded over 315 million times in the first quarter of 2020 alone.

It surpassed Instagram in 2021 with 1 billion active users in the first quarter, and it just continues to grow in popularity. 

As a result of this trend, the influencer and micro-influencer market increases 20% to $15B.

Marketing 

To Have a Partner, BE a Partner

Marketing in the near future will be the alignment of PR, thought leadership, and SEO. 

In other words, to increase traffic in the digital world in 2022, it will be increasingly important to be visible, credible, and speak with authority with your content.

This will manifest itself through a deepening of partnerships that really mean something.    

For instance: 

1. Marketing firms will begin to take ownership in what partner companies do and say—not just work for them, and
2. They will increasingly build partnerships with and sponsor nonprofit organizations that serve causes they believe in.  

Brands—and the marketing firms that promote them—will stand up strong for social issues they care about and take real responsibility for what they do, say, and create in the world. 

AI

Next up is the widespread use of artificial intelligence. Specifically for marketing, this involves the use of advancements in AI technology for influencer identification and performance influencer marketing.  

Powered by AI that is able to assess millions of influencer videos, marketers will be able to pay only for conversions and sales which will—wait for it—guarantee ROI.  

Events Go Hybrid

Tools that were developed as a result of the pandemic will give us even more options for event engagement. 

Hybrid events will become more available as an option in 2022 so that those who want to attend events large and small can do so and share those experiences with those who prefer to engage digitally. 

Platforms that create digital and hybrid events and increase audience engagement and connection will gather more followers and customers, making it possible for everyone around the world. 

Cookie Diet Ends

Due to the dissolution of the third-party cookie slated by Google for 2023, it will become increasingly important for marketers to wean themselves from using targeted ads. 

In the place of it, marketers will need to utilize interactive content like surveys and polls to gather the attention of online users—and track engagement through CRM tools like HubSpot.

And that brings us right back to where we began: HubSpot! We're not only a HubSpot Platinum Solution Partner, we're HubSpot onboarding and service experts.

Need help selecting the right CRM for your organization or looking to get more out of your existing HubSpot system? We’ve got your back. Let's talk about it.