Discover how you can stand out in the crowded startup scene in 2022.

Most startups want to achieve the same marketing goal: stand out from their competitors.

It’s a good goal to have. Without standing out, you’ll find it hard to find new investors and partners, let alone sell your products or services.

One way you can stand out is by adopting new marketing trends before your competitors to do same.

This article will help you do so. I’ll outline the 4 marketing trends that startups should adopt if they want to grow. Which one seems the most suitable for your startup?

1) AR And VR For A Real-World Experience Of Your Product

• Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive 3D version of the physical world achieved through visuals, sounds, and other sensory stimuli delivered through technology.
• Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated environment within a headset in which users can interact with 3D objects.

The difference between the two is subtle but important.

Let’s start by defining what AR and VR are:

AR is based on the real, physical world in which users can add computer-generated elements. For example, AR allows you to add a 3D model of a sofa to your (existing) living room.

On the other hand, VR creates an entirely synthesized world. All the elements inside that world are generated with technology.

How AR and VR Are Used For Marketing Purposes

Currently, AR and VR are used in two essential ways in marketing:

• User-product interactions: AR and VR allow users to see and interact with “real-world” objects in real time without leaving their homes. For example, customers can hold, use, or view a product from different angles as if they were interacting with it in the physical world.
• Gathering consumer data: AR and VR can also provide valuable consumer data. For example, they allow you to track where users are looking when experiencing your ad.

Real-World Example: IKEA’s Place App

IKEA’s AR-based Place app lets users virtually place 3D models in their own space.

That way, users can see how IKEA’s products would fit their space without having to spend any money beforehand — or even bother measuring their space.

The app has proved to be beneficial to both customers and the company.

Customers can make an informed buying decision, while IKEA has cut down on returns and increased customer satisfaction.

2) NFTs For Various Marketing Goals (And An Increase In Revenue)

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital tokens similar to cryptocurrencies. Much like Bitcoin or Ethereum, NFTs can be owned and traded. For more details, check out my article on NFTs.

How NFTs Are Used For Marketing Purposes

While NFTs can help brands reach various marketing goals, here’s a list of the most common ways in which they’re currently used:

• Building brand loyalty (i.e., turning an audience into a community gathered around crypto and NFTs)
• Boosting brand image (e.g., raising money for a good cause)
• Boosting brand awareness (e.g., releasing a free collection of NFTs)

On top of using NFTs to reach their marketing goals, many brands are using them as an additional revenue stream.

Devoted customers now want to own and pay for NFTs created by their favorite startups.

Real-World Example: MCNFTs

In 2021, McDonald’s has re-released its beloved McRib food line for a limited time.

To promote this, they released an NFT collection (MCNFTs) which users could earn by retweeting the brand’s invitation to visit its restaurants.

21,000 people did so within just a few hours of the restaurant’s announcement.

You can imagine how much of an impact that had on creating a buzz and boosting the franchise’s sales.

3) Short (Video) Content For Maximum Engagement

In recent years, users started gravitating towards short content at the expense of its long-form equivalent.

While this is true for any type of content, I’ll mainly focus on videos since they’re predicted to become the leading source of web content in 2022.

But defining what’s considered short-form and what’s considered long-form isn’t easy.

There’s no universal agreement on that topic. But I’ll give you a rough estimate.

According to HubSpot, a video that’s up to 2 minutes and 30 seconds in length is considered short-form.

So, I suggest using that estimate as a rule of thumb when creating your future videos.

How Short (Video) Content Is Used For Marketing Purposes

You can use videos for virtually all marketing purposes.

Here are some of the main ways in which brands are leveraging them right now:

• Influencer ads
• Explainer videos
• Brand challenges
• Past event highlights
• Behind-the-scenes videos
• Product and event teasers
• User-generated content (UGC)

Real-World Example: Chipotle

Chipotle is extremely active on TikTok. But instead of creating videos from scratch, the company reposts user-generated content.

For example, consider the latest video reposted by Chipotle’s official TikTok account.

4) Wider Distribution For Maximum Results

Creating new content day in and day out while maintaining quality is challenging — especially when you’re a startup.

You probably don’t have the budget to create as much content as your better-funded competitors.

On top of that, creating a ton of content almost inevitably dilutes its quality.

So, instead of putting all your effort into creating new content, focus on distributing the content you already have.

How Distribution Is Used For Marketing Purposes

Brands are repurposing one piece of content into other formats that can be distributed through additional channels.

For example, they turn a single blog post into:

• A video
• A podcast
• An e-book
• A newsletter
• A guest post
• An infographic
• A press release
• A paid social ad
• A social media post
• An answer on Q&A platforms (e.g., Quora)

Real-World Example: Jeff Goins

Distribution can require even less of your time if you play your cards right.

As an example, consider how Jeff Goins went from 0 to 20,000 subscribers on Medium in just 6 months.

He reached this massive success by simply copying and pasting the existing content from his blog onto Medium. That’s it — zero adjustments done.

Goins simultaneously grew his readership on Medium and his blog using this tactic. He was able to reach a wider audience than his new website could ever do on its own.

One Thing At A Time

You might be tempted to jump on all of these trends at once. But I suggest you implement them into your strategy one by one.

Choose a tactic that makes the most sense for your startup.

If you need a recommendation, I suggest you focus on distribution.

Based on my experience, that’s what brings the best results to most startups with limited resources.