2022 Digital and Print Trends

Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "2022 Digital and Print Trends", introduces the latest projections for digital and print. As you can imagine, technological advances continue to emerge as we leap into the new year with new tech offerings across the board. In addition, these developments reflect the evolution of consumer behavior habits, coupled with tech ideas that improve people's lives. At this very moment, however, the pandemic has once again shifted into high gear, disrupting all aspects of life. Every sector, from a to z, including leisure, education, travel, and others, is being forced to adapt to more effective strategies and policies to manage the rapid expanse of Omicron, the latest COVID-19 mutation. Both the general public and business leaders need to keep a sharp eye on the day-to-day developments on the horizon.

Before we get into the new trends, we contend it is essential to understand the volatility issues that could be forthcoming and prepare best and worst-case scenarios to avoid being blindsided by any potential fallout. News reports are changing by the hour. It is also critical to understand that the virus mutates every 15 days, according to a study conducted by Bedford Labs in early 2020. That said, make sure your organization remains up to date with cases, hospitalizations, and CDC, and general safety and health guidelines.

Our Quote of the Day: "The world moves fast. Business moves fast. Digital media moves extremely fast. It is far too easy to allow ourselves to be constantly blown from one trend to the next." — Shawn Amos

2022 Social Media Trends
The most important question regarding social media trends is which social media trends are most likely to change the game in 2022? Which channels will provide better engagement? Will TikTok outpace Instagram? Will podcasts rise to a higher level of trust? Will it be required that brands host a live audio chat regularly? We looked at several trend providers for this review and chose to extract data from the Hootsuite Social Trends 2022 Report this week.

TikTok Rises to the Top
From all indications and given its recent rise in usage and popularity, TikTok is forecast to rise to the top spot as the most consequential social network channel for marketing. In retrospect, Instagram held the top spot in most social marketers' purview during the past several years.  And yes, Instagram enjoyed the fastest growth rates. It demonstrated the highest ROI status, albeit with caveats depending on the industry, and at one point was known as an excellent place to hang out, although not anymore.

TikTok's growth by September 2021 exceeded the 1 billion user mark. While TikTok is currently the 4th most popular social media network after Instagram, new data tells a different story.

For example, Instagram's monthly active user base experienced a 6% growth rate in 2020. Between 2018 and 2020, TikTok grew its base by 1,157%  Google reported that between 9/21/2020 and 9/21/2021, TikTok overwhelmingly dominated Instagram's short-form video content. If all of this sounds familiar, you're right. Advertisers exhibited similar behavior when Instagram first appeared on the market. They were generally reluctant to promote and market on the pictorial platform.

However, consumers and, more importantly, advertisers caught on in due time. A similar response appears to be underway with TikTok. Advertisers who were once reluctant to embrace TikTok are taking a look, and based on the platform's growth rate, now may be a good time to try the short-form video-sharing app. It's always better to take the early train versus waiting to find out if a fully booked train has a seat available.

More Dollars for Smaller Networks
An exciting surprise regarding social media trends from the report points to consumers being more receptive towards advertising and marketing on smaller channels such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest instead of investing in the more prominent social media vehicles.

• Kantar commissioned a study backed by TikTok and discovered that consumers ranked TikTok ads at a higher inspirational and enjoyable level than ads on competing platforms.
• Snapchat commissioned a Nielson study which found that Snapchat ads performed at a higher reach over TV ads and provided greater awareness, including purchasing intent.
• A Pinterest Business study revealed that Pinterest ads performed higher in ROI, including cheaper conversion rates over ads on competitive social networks.
• Google Search Trends also points to increased search demand over the last couple of years for ads placed on these networks. FYI: TikTok is leading the charge. As a result, we highly recommend reviewing ad spending on all social media channels.

Shoppers Expect to Purchase Directly on Social Media
Social shopping from home or other destinations will continue to drive the e-commerce explosion. The change in consumer behavior is not going away. However, now digital shopping has morphed into social media commerce. However, while this social media purchase boom is underway, it is unclear whether it will be effective for B2B marketing and sales strategies. Generally, the B2B sales process operates over a more extended period. However, the technological advancements may not take long to provide a B2B sales solution embedded in the social media construct.

Before the pandemic, 81% of shoppers were already comfortable using social media to find new brands and research those products. Most businesses recognize the benefits of providing users with the ability to purchase and checkout within a single app. It makes more sense from a convenience perspective and certainly delivers a better CX experience. Besides, web development teaches us to reduce or eliminate any unnecessary clicks on the road to the purchasing destination. Research has shown that extraneous steps are responsible for breaking the progress chain in the conversion funnel. Any actions or clicks that can be eliminated should be, as the progress chain on a mobile device is critical and cart abandonment rates are exceptionally high.

Long Form is Over Except On YouTube
Vidyard, a hosting software organization, recently reported that 60% of all videos published in 2020 on the web were under 2 minutes in duration. For a more comprehensive look at video length distribution data, Vidyard assembled the following data points:

• 37.3%: Videos from 0 - 60 sec
• 23.0%: Videos from 61 to 120 sec
• 16.2%: Videos from 121 - 240 sec
• 9.9%: Videos from 241 - 600 sec
• 3.1%: Videos from 601 - 1200 sec
• 10.5%: Videos from 1201+ sec

It would be best to view the above video lengths from a reasonably reliable satellite perspective.

The rise and success of Reels and TikTok short-from comes on the heels of Stories successes, a short-form video format, which enjoyed a fast user increase between 2018 to 2020. The Hootsuite report indicates that not all social networks succeed with short-form video distribution. Throughout 2021, Twitter and LinkedIn failed to garnish respectable numbers despite their efforts. As a result, both Twitter and LinkedIn video goals are resting in the RIP bin of failed attempts. Hootsuite's 2022 Social Media Trends survey also demonstrates that businesses are more apt to prefer short-form over long-form video.


The State of Print on Business in 2022
As a result of the pandemic, small and medium-sized businesses rapidly grow as people ditch the corporate promise to pursue entrepreneurial goals. As a result, the print market can grow at 13% annually, while the digital market will rise at 15% per annum. Due to an increased demand for labeling, the print industry cultivated a continuing growth competition race.


Communication and Order Security
Online shoppers or those looking to communicate via a form demand security when engaging with a brand's website. These shoppers also want to know with confidence that their contact information, including shipping addresses and phone numbers, are fully protected and remains confidential.

76% of shoppers look for the HTTPS connection from any website they visit, which is their primary way to check if a website is secure. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that your brand's website is current with state-of-the-art security software and safeguards.


Instant Quote and Automation
Customers and prospects now have the mindset that they should have shorter wait times when shopping and requesting a quote. A recommended solution is to remove the time-sensitive friction pain by adding automated or instant quote technology to your website or social media channel.

Customers and prospects who can ascertain their expenditures will bypass speaking with a sales associate. The chatbot process is quicker and more efficient, reducing business costs and resources. Furthermore, 67% of customers seek self-service solutions over speaking to a sales representative. This area could be a game-changer, especially for B2B sales organizations. Other than that, the instant quote approach would be to incorporate a chat box that supports speaking by phone.


New Print Tech that Makes the Process Quicker
According to 77% of C-Suite executives surveyed, their organization's technology architecture is rapidly emerging as a critical component to its overall success. In short, technological advances provide an increase when it comes to convenience. The printing industry is also part of that technical mix. Newer printing technology ensures that the printing process will become faster and easier, leading to greater efficiencies. Notable examples benefiting from newer print technologies include:

• 3D printing,
• high-speed digital/data printing on-demand,
• other hybrid printing processes, and
• software integration innovations for both the design and printing processes

Design Trends are Becoming Modernized
Nearly all, 97% of organizations believe that design capabilities are the strong suit for their success. The print industry, in particular, is vitally dependent on how graphics play a central role in the process. Our world is now rooted in visual communication and stimulation. As a result, the saturation of immersive, stunning, and eye-catching, colorful graphics is also shifting to a minimalistic approach to differentiate the product offerings when competing for eyeballs.

Consumers typically spend just a few seconds visually connecting with a product or brand. Organizations competing in this industry must remain cognizant of emerging design trends to remain competitive.

Newer printing technology ensures that the printing process will become faster and easier, which means more efficient. Notable examples benefiting from unique print technology include 3D printing, high-speed digital/data printing on-demand, other hybrid printing processes, and software integration innovations for both the design and printing processes.

Increasing Personalization
If a brand understands the customers' personal needs, concerns, and pain points, 70% of consumers state that influences the loyalty aspect. The challenge is to match the service or solution with the customer. The best way to get the customer the right product fit is by adding personalization solutions coupled with increasing service offerings. In addition, increasing personalization will help grow your customer base by appealing to more prospects looking for similar solutions.

Personalization is the game-changer, whether it's promoting limited edition product lines or personalized sales. In the customer's eyes, it's all about perceived product value, especially within the printing industry, and personalization elevates the user experience to an elite CX level.


Printers are Automating Personalization
Over the past several years, leading print organizations have been implementing new software and hardware technology designed to provide printers with an automation tool for personalization campaigns. Automation helps to enable campaigns to run more efficiently. This automation tool is beneficial for running direct mail campaigns for local markets and is frequently employed to garner high response rates from targeted prospects. Further, documents can be automatically personalized for each consumer based on data points known such as name, previous purchase habits, income level, and other pertinent data. Another critical point is that those same data points can be automated for design considerations and can be included in design services, providing customers with a plug-and-play option backed with standard design templates offered by the printer.

The Net-Net
As the new year begins with a record-setting amount of COVID cases, the challenges will be forthcoming, and marketers and brands will need to assess and reassess as conditions on the ground dictate. That said, these digital and print trends offer a competitive starting point. Besides, a mix of digital and print will ensure that most of the target market is reached, especially the work-from-home workforce. The combination will also provide a more seamless approach to customer personalization. Naturally, there are many more trends to dig through. However, we implore you to contemplate exploring these updated digital and prints trends for 2022 as you navigate and plan your marketing strategies for 2022. Thanks for reading "2022 Digital and Print Trends!"

Let's talk about integrated business solutions and how they can move your messages forward, help grow your business, change behavior, and improve the customer experience. Let us show you how to improve your document processes to optimize your workflow, reduce costs, and maximize your organization's printing, letter shop, and mailing capabilities. Dove Direct has an official USPS certified bureau located within our offices to save you time and money. We can even create a demo file for you. For more information, call Carla Eubanks at 404-629-0122 or email Carla at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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