Still not certain on what the social media scene is looking like for next year? Take a look at these four 2022 social media trends you should try in your marketing strategy:
1. Shopping is now Social
Facebook jumped into the eCommerce pool back in 2020 with Facebook and Instagram shops. Companies could sell products without the user having to leave the app to visit a third-party website.
In 2022, Facebook is taking this even further with more shoppable posts, product alerts, and streamlined payment processes. Keep an eye out as Facebook will slowly roll out new elements to shopping throughout the next year on both Facebook and Instagram.
One of these elements includes live shopping. Remember the Home Shopping Network? Take that concept and bring it to social. Pinterest is jumping into the game with the launch of Pinterest TV, a series of live shopping episodes hosted by creators. Viewers can purchase exclusively discounted products from certain brands. This category is expected to grow to $25 billion by the end of 2022.
TikTok is close behind to hop on the shopping bandwagon with their new LIVE shopping feature where brands can connect with users in real-time to share dynamic links to products. As of late 2021, they have been working with online merchants to test a full-service shopping solution where they manage everything from shipping to fulfillment.
Keep an eye out for each platform to develop new shopping functions over the next year. It’s bound to happen as e-commerce continues to grow!
2. Say goodbye to long videos!
Our attention spans are shorter than ever at just eight seconds long. (This is one second shorter than a goldfish… humbling, right?) That being said, people are no longer willing to watch videos that are several minutes long.
Bite-sized content is key for 2022. Thanks to TikTok exploding at the beginning of 2020, and Instagram dropping reels right after, short-form videos are the new trend on social. People can consume and share this form of content faster than ever.
This is the perfect opportunity for your brand to play around with popular trends. Short-form videos have a longer shelf life, giving them even more potential to shine even WEEKS after being posted!
3. More UGC, please!
More and more, brands are incorporating content into their social media strategies that come from their audience. This is called “user-generated content” Studies show that businesses who incorporate user-generated content into their strategy have a 20% increase in return visitors. There was also a 90% increase in time spent on their websites.
Take a look at Hilton Grand Vacation’s usage of UGC. Their Instagram feed features images like the one below. A previous customer posted it on their account with #MyHGV. Not only is it free content, but coming across a customer’s post about their stay inspires potential customers to book a trip. Seeing others enjoy their experience drives the potential customer to think, “Wow, I can’t wait to have as much fun as they are!”
Using this kind of content keeps it real with your audience. They are seeing authentic photos that go beyond an advertisement. This will build trust in your relationship as they go through the marketing funnel.
4. More AR: Are you ready?
The social media trends of 2022 are revving up as mobile networks get faster. Augmented Reality is going to continue to grow. By the end of the year, AR is projected to generate over $70 billion.
Snapchat has been the leader in AR tools for a very long time. Of course, Instagram was quick to follow its path in 2017. Users could begin creating their own filters in 2019.
Facebook is working to become a leader in AR as it will use Instagram to connect users. This will also extend to non-fungible tokens (NFT’s) and digital avatars. In the popularity of cryptocurrency, NFT’s are a way to buy and sell digital artwork. People buy this digital artwork for thousands, even millions of dollars just to display it on their social profiles. These can be expected to be integrated into the Instagram experience over the next year. Taking a stab at AR is another path you can take in your social plan for 2022. Not to mention it’s a fun way for your audience to be exposed to your brand!
AR allows these pieces of digital art to be visualized in the environment or on yourself. It’s a new form of revenue stream for artists. Shawn Mendes recently used this technology to launch virtual versions of his most notable accessories for fans to use on their avatars (for a cost, of course).
Good news for 2022, social media marketers… social media is here to stay! Social media is a part of our daily lives. In 2021, the average person spent 145 minutes a day on social media. It’s only going up from here! Not only is the time spent on each platform increasing, but the number of users will continue to rise as well.
Just because social media is growing doesn’t mean your brand has to be on all platforms. Find where your audience is at and excel there. 2022 social media trends leave lots of opportunities for a new strategy! What trend are you going to consider trying for yours this year? Head over to our socials and let us know!
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