Social media continues to grow, reaching 4.48 billion users worldwide in 2021. It’s why so many see it now as an integral part of people’s lives and daily routines.
Given the importance of social media in consumers’ lives, brands are not just wondering how they’ll engage with huge social media audiences next year. They’re also asking questions like what trends to expect in this ever-changing landscape.
Today, we’ll talk about the most interesting digital marketing trends likely to dominate this year. Going over these in advance can help you prepare your own social media strategies taking advantage of them.
1. TikTok will continue to grow.
While Instagram is likely to still be a favourite, it’s clear that TikTok is moving up in the ranks.
Short-form video content is becoming more popular in this era of short attention spans. That’s why TikTok is an ideal platform to use for B2C – it provides the exact sort of content most consumers prefer now.
The platform has also launched a number of tools that make marketing on it easier. These include ads and business profiles.
Ultimately, this is probably going to be the main platform for reaching millennials and Gen Z this year. To learn more about the platform’s marketing features and how it stacks up against Instagram, check out our article comparing the two.
2. Smaller networks will be on the rise.
While the big names like Facebook (Meta) and Instagram aren’t likely to go anywhere soon, other platforms are catching the attention of consumers and brands.
Platforms such as Pinterest and Snapchat seem to be getting a fair number of users lately. The same for Reddit, Twitch, and Discord.
We think investing in some of these smaller platforms may be a good way to diversify your social media presence this year. As they continue to grow, you can try to build your brand on them.
3. More brands will be investing in social commerce.
Brands have already been using social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to sell their products for some time now. But in 2022, this has become even easier with tools like Facebook Marketplace, Instagram listings, etc.
The integration most of these social commerce tools allow with organic platform content paves the way for a potentially frictionless shopping experience.
Before, leads had to switch from a social media post to an e-commerce website to actually shop for something seen on a platform. Now, they don’t even have to leave the platform. Fewer clicks, fewer hurdles to conversion.
This streamlined social media browsing and shopping experience can be hugely beneficial for businesses. And we’ve already seen that people truly do shop on social media. In the US alone, social commerce sales were at $26.97 billion in 2020 and are projected to double by 2025.
4. Social media will continue to cement itself as a channel for quick customer support.
Gone are the days when customers had to send an email to companies with questions about a product. Now, more and more of them are just sending those queries in via social media.
It’s likely because this is a fast-paced world and social media is all about speed. It represents a more direct way of reaching brands than waiting for them to notice the pile of messages in their inboxes.
Of course, this isn’t new. Quite a few companies have been using social media as a quick customer support channel for some time now.
If you haven’t already joined their ranks, it may be time to consider doing so. This is an excellent place for building your brand’s reputation, whether through the way you provide speedy service or the way you respond to public complaints.
It’s essentially a good place to make your brand look more casual and approachable. That can help you build a more loyal following.
5. User-generated content or UGC will continue to be popular.
Here’s another thing that’s not a new trend but expected to grow this year: brands leveraging user-generated content.
Again, more and more brands are realising that consumers want more relatable material. There’s a reason more of them trust influencers than traditional media nowadays: they want something personal and familiar.
UGC taps into that. It also allows you to piggy-back on your own audience’s reach by asking them to tag your brand whenever they post UGC, so you can share and react to it.
6. Personalisation will continue to be important.
Some might say that it’s difficult for brands to personalise their social media content for different consumer segments.
But a key aspect businesses are leveraging here is the delivery of social media ads. These actually allow a lot of content to be targeted and customised for the viewer.
There’s a slew of tools that social media platforms provide to this end now, actually. These include local targeting, location-based targeting, even interest-based and age-based targeting.
All of this allows you to provide a degree of personalisation to your social media ad content, as you can craft different versions for each demographic you’re aiming for.
7. Inclusion will be key.
Corporate social responsibility has been a hot topic for the past 2 years. Inclusive movements and advocacies have been given particular attention.
We think this trend is here to stay. Brands will need to continue emphasising their commitment to being inclusive in their activities to prove that they genuinely care about the topic.
Some ways to do this would be to try to be diverse in the models you choose for campaigns, get your company involved in charity or volunteer projects for the topic (and post about them), and be vocal in sharing and supporting posts from other users promoting inclusion.
8. Social listening should be incorporated into marketers’ toolkits.
Social media is a gold mine for data and insights that businesses can use to refine their social strategies. Fortunately, it’s now easier to access these insights with the many social listening tools available.
These range from HootSuite to BuzzSumo. Whichever one you choose, the premise is much the same: they can track things like conversations about your brand, mentions of your brand or competitors, and get an idea of what it is your customers actually want.
With the right signals, you can not only post better content but also get a deeper understanding of your audience’s motivations. You can learn which influencers might be best for you to work with and what campaign approaches are likeliest to succeed.
Get started on your own social media marketing now.
As you can see, 2022 will offer a lot of opportunities for savvy business owners and marketers on social media.
From strengthening relationships with customers to actually bringing in more conversions, there are many potential benefits from the year’s trends. That said, the best way to actually capitalise on them is to get started on your social media presence as soon as possible.
If you’re still not comfortable trying to do that by yourself, let us help. We can discuss what you might need and how we can help you achieve your goals.
Contact us for a chat for your digital marketing needs!
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