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According to the findings of the second edition of the study “Trends and challenges in marketing in 2022” conducted by the business consulting company Valoria in collaboration with the advertising agency Mind Shop, currently 79% of companies put in the first place in their concerns the efficient generation of the results, and 75% are challenged by the execution of omnichannel strategies.
“In 2021, most companies recalibrated their marketing efforts to the new economic context, but also to the transformations brought by the new way of working of marketing teams. The results did not take long to appear, through digitization and the constant use of data to make the necessary corrective decisions. In 2022, under the pressure of changes in supply chains, marketing managers need to focus on efficient delivery of results. Companies will also understand the importance of content for their current customers. It is known that acquiring new customers is five times more expensive than maintaining existing ones, and increasing the retention rates by only 5% can increase profits by 95% “, says Angela Călina, Executive Director of the advertising agency Mind Shop, co- author of the survey.
The challenges of marketing managers
Beyond the efficient generation of results (79%) and the execution of omnichannel strategies (75%), in 2022 marketing managers still have on the agenda of priority concerns the understanding of new customer buying preferences (72%), obtaining engagement on content (70% ) and the creation of content that best meets the needs of customers (63%).
It is essential for brands to know how their target audience approaches the content they offer. Understanding the intent and experience of the user is an emerging marketing trend that will be maintained in the long run. There are three types of user intentions that need to be considered when creating content: transaction / purchase, navigation, and information.
In the content strategy, companies must take into account the intention of the potential customer and what they want to do with the information provided, in order to create a positive experience. That is why other challenges mentioned by marketing managers include the integration of storytelling in sales (44%) and the implementation of multimedia marketing tactics (35%).
Trends of 2022 in marketing
According to research results, 86% of companies say that this year they focus on optimizing their online presence, 65% on content marketing that addresses customer needs, 52% will rely on advanced use of CRM platform functions in sales process management, 44% will do video marketing with an emphasis on measuring results, and 41% will specialize in managing micro-moments from the experience of current and potential customers.
Marketing in 2022 will be characterized by the effort of companies to execute their strategies flawlessly, with constant measurement of results and efficiency. Beyond the online experience offered to every potential buyer, they will struggle to get good conversion rates and will approach omnichannel marketing more courageously. The year 2022 will be marked by an intensification of the focus on efficiency, as the market brings more business opportunities, but B2B sales cycles are growing and B2C companies are facing challenges in customer retention.
The main types of marketing targeted in 2022
In the first place 61% of the responding companies put marketing on social networks, followed by the second place of 60% that focuses on content marketing and the third place of 47% that is based on influencer marketing.
Analyzing the data of each digital platform allows brands to understand how users end up on the company’s website and where they decide to end their sessions. This is why marketing managers need to focus on content marketing, and 76% say that this type of marketing helps increase awareness, 68% see a major contribution to increasing trust and credibility, 59% to educating demand, 47% for customer loyalty, and 41% for generating sales opportunities.
Manager and marketing team
Of the respondent companies, 53% say that the main role of the marketing manager is to generate business, by identifying opportunities, 47% say that it is the correct allocation of resources that the team has at its disposal, and 45% say that it is the fashion and leader for the people in his own team. The average number of members of the marketing team in 2022 is 4.4 full time employees, but most companies have a marketing department of 2.7 full time employees.
On the other hand, the training of the members of the marketing team is done with relatively small budgets, 43% of the companies saying that they have allocated an average annual budget under 200 EUR/employee in the last two years. However, the research results show that 14% allocated budgets of over 1000 EUR/employee for the training of the members of the marketing team.
Marketing budgets in 2022
The research results show that 4% of companies have annual marketing budgets of over 1,000,000 EUR, 3% have budgets of 500,000 EUR-1,000,000 EUR, 9% of 250,000 EUR-500,000 EUR, and 6% of 100,000 EUR-250,000 EUR, and 27 % from 10,000 EUR to 100,000 EUR. On the other hand, 37% of respondent companies in 2022, compared to 32% in 2021 say they have marketing budgets of less than 5,000 EUR, and 11% this year compared to 4% last year say they have budgets of 5,000 EUR-10,000 EUR. Another aspect identified in the responses of marketing managers is that with the intensive digitization of marketing and sales processes, companies have allocated slightly larger budgets to generate sales, but also for specific platforms that allow them to measure results.
“Marketing has gained its central role and is increasingly in the attention of management teams. As digitization, automation and artificial intelligence contribute to all aspects of the marketing team’s work, the approach of marketing managers needs to become more strategic. It is essential that they think strategically in order to focus on what really determines the growth of the business, in conditions of operational excellence “, says Elena Badea, Managing Director of the consulting company Valoria, co-author of the survey.
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