The social media landscape is changing fast — with things becoming increasingly complex. And there's no avoiding it.
With the love for scrolling and swiping not going anywhere, anytime soon, social media is providing brands with opportunities to connect with audiences around the globe. The ongoing pandemic and emergent technologies are forcing marketers to continuously find and update their marketing strategies. At the same time, social media is becoming a key marketing channel that is enabling businesses to cut through the social media clutter and capture their audiences' attention. The unmet needs and shift in customer behaviors are becoming an important aspect for businesses to adopt social media practices to succeed.
While brands have been leveraging social media to market & advertise their products and services, the landscape has been experiencing major shifts in marketing practices. With traditional methods of social media analysis no longer working, businesses are turning to newer trends that are assisting them in uncovering new information quickly and helping them gain insights to drive their strategies.
Which social media trends will dominate the constantly changing marketing landscape? Let's find out.
Read more: Social Media Trends That Marketers MUST Follow in 2022
Social Media Trends to Watch Out for:
1. TikTok will dominate Social Media Space.
The pandemic gave rise to a new commonality among the younger generation: TikTok. The platform has witnessed undeniably fast growth. The term 'TikTok' saw a 61% surge in mentions during the beginning of 2021 and is considered the first non-Facebook app to reach 3 million global downloads.
Due to the platform's growing popularity, it's easy to assume that TikTok might be just a passing fad — but that is not the case.
TikTok offers unique opportunities to directly engage with the audience, and major brands are leveraging the app to reach a newer set of audiences.
The world's most downloaded app TikTok is becoming a leading choice for consumers desiring to use the humorous entertainment platform. Brands are waking up to this opportunity to capture the attraction of the audience and showcase their brand personality.
In 2022, TikTok will continue to be a top choice for brands as they explore to leverage the app's popularity to expand their brand's reach.
Will this create a ripple effect on the social media landscape, or will other platforms alter their features to stay relevant in the game?
2. Reaching new audiences will become a priority for businesses.
As per the data released by HubSpot's Blog Research team, in 2021, the primary goals of marketers while developing their brand's social media strategies were:
- Advertising products/services (35%)
- Increasing brand awareness (34%)
- Increasing revenue (34%)
However, these goals will experience a change in 2022.
In 2022, most marketers' primary goals will include:
- Increasing brand awareness/reaching new audiences (39%)
- Fostering loyal relationships with customers (33%)
- Improving customer service & retention (32%)
During the pandemic, most consumers shifted to an online-first purchasing experience.
As we head into 2022, brands are contemplating ways to reach new audience territories through social media to foster deeper relationships and offer enhanced customer service to ensure long-term customer loyalty. To increase their social media presence, brands are switching to staying active and consistent in their posting, leveraging trends & buzzy content, and investing in high-quality creative assets.
Additionally, to cultivate deeper relationships with their existing audiences, businesses will have to include new means to engage with their followers through interactive social media elements like polls, Q&As, and live videos.
3. Short-form Vertical Video is Here for the Long Run
Thanks to TikTok and Instagram Reels, Short-form vertical videos are enjoying their share of the limelight. Not only is video content an engaging form of marketing and an effective way to drive sales, but it's also a major growth hack for businesses.
Here are a few facts to prove the claim: -
- Videos on Instagram fetch more engagement than other forms
- Tweets with videos yield 10x more engagement
- Pinterest reported a 240% increase in organic video pins from 2020 to 2021
In 2021, brands and creators were using videos to connect with their audience on a deeper level. It is an excellent medium to spotlight products and raise awareness about causes the audience care about.
In 2022, even with upcoming new trends and creative content, short-form videos will likely retain their fame.
4. The Birth of Augmented Reality and New Digital Entities in the Metaverse
The rise of Augmented Reality (AR) and the Metaverse is likely to change the course of social media channels.
- Augmented Reality (AR)
AR has been around for years. It is becoming a common practice for businesses to use AR to enable consumers to test products before purchase.
AR is enabling consumers to test products before purchase, thus becoming an increasingly common phenomenon for brands to use. Reports have shown that AR can help improve the click-through rates to purchase by upwards of 33%. AR is proving effective for a business's bottom line, as well. In fact, the most personal way to reach the audience, AR is more effective at driving results when compared with other forms of marketing and advertising medium.
The engagement with AR has been exploding over the last two years. Over 200 million Snapchatters engage with augmented reality daily. Augmented reality is also becoming a consumers' preferred option when trying and shopping for products in 2022. The trend is definitely here to stay.
- Birth of New Digital Entities in the Metaverse
With new digital worlds, currencies, and social platforms being born and shaped in the Metaverse, this domain of marketing is experiencing growing traction. The advertising of nonfungible tokens and brand-building loyalty assets are becoming increasingly valuable due to their rising popularity. Still an uncharted territory, Metaverse is slowly becoming mainstream.
5. Influencer Marketing will Mature in 2022
The pandemic sped up the rise of an unfiltered or less scripted form of content along with everyday influencers — leading to a rise in micro-influencers and nano-influencers.
Many people based their trust in a brand due to influencers during the pandemic. Due to this reason, influencer marketing will establish itself as a strong component in social media strategies in 2022.
Influencer marketing is experiencing a continued rise due to platforms like TikTok, where brands have had a harder time establishing themselves. Owing to this reason, brands are partnering with influencers to connect with their audiences. This is also leading to an alignment between social media and e-commerce, thereby strengthening influencer partnerships and leading to an increase in businesses' sales.
2022 will experience the alignment of brands with influencers. This will include onboarding influencers with potentially engaged audiences, as well as influencers who specialize in niche topics.
How to Capitalize on Social Media Marketing Trends in 2022?
Now that we are aware of the most popular upcoming social media trends of 2022, let us now uncover some steps businesses will have to leverage to boost their social activity, attract a new consumer base, and build a larger following.
- Leverage short-form video content whenever possible
- Create relatable & relevant content
- Use a conversational tone
- Use design elements that provide snackable content
- Opt for quality over quantity.
Navigating the Social Media Landscape in 2022
Social media, today, has become an integral component of everyone's lives and routines. Considering the significance of social media in consumers' daily lives, marketers and businesses are flocking to social platforms to connect with their target audience.
The digital world is changing, and so is the landscape of social media. While the list of social media trends is non-exhaustive, staying updated with the changing is often be a task. As a business, the best thing is to continue to research trends, study consumer behaviors, and build stronger strategies to navigate the unprecedented online scenarios.
Offering a tailored social media experience to your audience has always been and will always be at the top of every trend. The compass of emerging trends will keep navigating the social media territory. Whether you decide to include them in your strategy or not, it is good to stay abreast with the changes in the industry.
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