Social Media Trends 2022
I guess we can finally admit that social media is part of life and businesses can’t afford to ignore it. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at how the experts are predicting we should be using social platforms in 2022.
Augmented Reality has been trending for a couple of years now and one of the areas it is seeing rapid growth is in shopping experiences on social media. Consumers appear to be favouring trying products before buying using AR to allow them to see what an outfit looks like on them or to try different colours on an item. Instagram has AR makeover experiences. This way of shopping is a big hit with younger audiences. If they are your target audience AR may well be something you can’t afford to ignore.
Once outfits or other products have been adjusted and virtually tried on, buyers are beginning to expect to be able to buy directly on social media. Social commerce is our next trend to be aware of. Last year TikTok introduced shopping directly in app and YouTube began testing the same sort of feature. It is expected that Generation Z and Millennial social media users will account for 62% of global social commerce spending by 2025. Social commerce is all about creating a seamless experience for customers from finding a product through to buying with a click and having follow up support.
Gartner’s are predicting that 60% of all customer service requests will be made on digital channels by 2023 because it is seen as faster and more convenient.
Which social media platforms are expected to dominate in 2022?
TikTok is expected to continue its rise. Again it is seen as the place for brands to reach those millennials and Gen Z. Perhaps a surprise entry here is Pinterest. It captured an audience when the world was in lockdown and continues to gain in popularity, as does Linkedin which is a platform we here at NovaLoca are certainly seeing gains in. Finally it is thought that Twitter and Instagram will become more important to B2B businesses.
What should we be posting on social media?
It appears short-form content and vertical video will continue to be the most popular way to present information etc. Memes and Gifs are also still going to be a great way to get a light hearted message across because they are perfect for mobile users on the go.
It’s also wise to not post without having a social listening strategy in place, the use of which is predicted to increase as competition between brands rises. The good news is there are a few free social listening tools you can use to find out what your customers are talking about. These include: TweetDeck, Google Alerts and News, and Twitter Advanced Search.
If you want to ensure the content you are putting out is going to appeal to your target audience you may want to consider collaborating with a creator. Creators produce content for money. They produce videos, articles, images or audio. They are another hot trend with many platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube setting up ‘creator funds’ to attract talent. Creators can work with a brand to help promote their services and products using their talent and knowledge of what content will work best to generate more business.
Do you agree with these predictions? Let us know in the comments below.
