Top 12 Social Media Trends in 2022 You Should Know
Social media is in a state of perpetual change. Social channels constantly evolve and adapt their features based on user appeal and potential growth. This continuous flux also presents a great opportunity for marketers looking for new creative ways of reaching their audience. Following up and coming social media trends that are expected to dominate this year, is key for a successful marketing strategy.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Social media usage is on the rise and steadily growing. With over 4.65 billion active users, which is a boost of 7.5% compared to the number of users reported the previous year. That means 58.7% of the world population is active on social media. The pandemic that started in 2020 is without a doubt responsible at least in part for the huge number of social media users. The data confirms it, as people find themselves spending more time on their preferred social channels.
This sounds great, right? More users means being able to target a bigger market share. However, it also means increased competition as all the effort is concentrated on a number of high-performing social media channels. Which can quickly translate to content saturation, user engagement fatigue, and you going over budget. So let’s take a look at where to best focus your marketing efforts.
Social Media Trends to Watch Out For in 2022
Utilizing the following social trends is sure to help you stand out and increase your brand visibility, market reach and user engagement.
1. Live streaming
Twitch was among the first platforms to fully show the potential of live streaming, shortly followed by Youtube Live. Now live streaming as a feature is available on all the major social media apps like TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook. And it is a popular feature as well with 1 in 5 videos on Facebook being a live broadcast. So you might be wondering what’s the appeal.
Currently, live streaming presents a way to connect with others from a safe distance while maintaining the positive effects of social interaction. Also, it presents an opportunity for your marketing strategy. For example, you can hold a webinar or a platform showcase and directly engage with potential users. Another great idea is to host service tutorials as well as Q&A sessions or collaborate with partners to provide valuable content to a joint user base through a shared event. That’s why today video streaming development is one of the most popular directions among developers.
2. Short video & Instagram Reels
Speaking of video content, naturally, Youtube remains the leader in that area. Especially so, for 92% of marketers that tend to view it as a vital part of their marketing strategy. The video momentum has only increased as major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn improve their video capabilities to catch up with the growing popularity and new trends.
But an interesting trend has steadily grown with the rise of TikTok. Short-form videos have become something of a popular phenomenon with younger audiences. Generation Z is the driving demographic behind this trend, but others are following suit. And it is clear why short engaging videos are so widespread. They are easy to create and fairly inexpensive, which results in some great user-generated content.
Instagram took the step towards the shorter video format and introduced it to its platform in the form of Instagram Reels. Even though their key demographic differs, this type of video “microcontent” has seen a boost in popularity with them as well. And as the attention span shrinks from generation to generation, this content trend will only increase. Influencers for example use these short videos to promote partner products and services to their audiences.
3. Microinfluencers and their effectiveness
On the topic of influencer marketing, this trend is going to be even more important this year. As more and more users shop from home, your brand promotion strategy will be defined by partnering with influencers to their audience. Although influencer marketing is an effective social marketing strategy, it can be costly.
Due to the sudden spotlight on social media, the cost has increased and well-known influencers are asking for a high price when promoting a brand. In which case smaller businesses are cut off from an important market share. This is why reaching out to smaller influencers in your particular niche may be better.
As macroinfluencers have huge followings, they have difficulties engaging with their followers. Microinfluencers, on the other hand, have smaller audiences but a higher engagement rate. Plus they are cheaper to partner with. Collaborating with several smaller influencers that are more suited for your relevant market can have a better return on investment for your business. Read More…
