Popular social media trends in 2022
Social media might have started as a way to keep in touch with distant family and friends, but it has quickly become so much more than that. These days, brands have to keep track of the various social media marketing trends that arise. If you have a brand, this is absolutely essential to your marketing strategy. The dynamic nature of social media means that it is changing constantly. If you’re looking to build a brand, you must be aware of the social media trends that keep popping up. To make things a bit easier, we at iTrobes have put together a list for you.
8 social media trends that you cannot ignore in 2022
Influencer marketing
As you probably know, influencers are individuals who have the power to dictate what other people decide to buy. How can they help you? Well, you can collaborate with them! These days, influencers are expected to do much more than just pose with a product. In exchange for giving them visibility, you can ask the influencers you collaborate with to create quality content for your brand.
Social commerce
Ever before the pandemic began, e-commerce has been immensely popular. People prefer the convenience of ordering products online. Why not make it even easier for them? Since social media is where buyers spend most of their time, it makes the most sense to bring their shopping experience directly to them. Redirecting them to another webpage is an unnecessary extra step that you can get rid of. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and even Pinterest allow you to make a purchase without having to go to another website. This is definitely a feature of social media that you should be looking to include in your digital marketing strategy.
Memes
Memes are one of the most entertaining social media trends that have come along in 2022. They have become an irreplaceable part of online discourse. They are often used to drive a point home in the most easily digestible way. Creating your own memes and posting them on social media can really help you to build relationships with your customers. This is especially true if your customer base consists mostly of millennials and those younger than them. Memes are a great way to keep your brand “fun” while also being taken seriously.
Story content
Snapchat may have been the first, but virtually every social media platform now has some version of the “story” feature. Whatever you post here vanishes in 24 hours. This ephemeral content might seem like a bad idea, but it can actually help you with engagement. You can use this feature to give your customers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in your organization, helping your brand to be seen as more informal and personal. The story feature also lets you use tools like quizzes and polls that let customers interact with your content directly.
AR and VR
It is only recently that AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) have made their way into our everyday lives, but they have already become important social media tools. They are a great way to deliver exciting and engaging content to your customer base. A great example of AR is the filters that you can put on photos. Using these filters can help make your brand seem more personable. You can even be creative and make some of your own! If your products are wearable, you can also use AR to let customers try on products before buying them. For an immersive VR experience, you and your customers would need a dedicated VR headset, which may increase your social media marketing cost.
Live videos
These days, social media platforms have made it extremely simple and cheap to live stream videos. You can interact with your customers and followers in real-time, and know their immediate reactions to what you have to say. Live videos are especially good for making important announcements that may otherwise get buried in your followers’ social media feed. Platforms like Instagram also allow you to collaborate with other users. Using this feature, you can have live conversations with celebrities and brand ambassadors whose thoughts your customer base will be interested to hear.
Short-form videos
How often have you found yourself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, watching one reel after another? Short-form videos are one of the most important social media trends in 2022. You have undoubtedly heard of TikTok, which has more than a billion users worldwide. Unfortunately, if you’re in the Indian subcontinent, you cannot use this vastly popular social media platform. Instagram’s reels have become an alternative, and are an excellent way to generate bite-sized content that is easy to consume.
Audio spaces
This is one of the social media trends that has become popular only recently. Audio spaces are similar to live videos but are – as the name suggests – restricted only to audio. They first became popular in 2020, with the app Clubhouse. When it was created, it was available exclusively to high-profile individuals, but as time has passed it has been opened up to the public. Twitter soon followed with Twitter Spaces, where creators can launch a “Space”, and pick 10 other speakers. These speakers can be changed based on who wants to speak and who wants to leave. As a brand, you can launch an audio space and ten of your followers can have a real-time conversation with you. Audio spaces are also a great way to reach those who are often on the move or even those who are visually impaired.
If you find it overwhelming to keep track of all the social media trends that keep popping up, you can turn to companies that specialize in social media marketing.
Social media trends are incredibly dynamic, and it is often easier to outsource your social media marketing to specialists. They can help you decide which platforms are best for you, and also help you with your content strategy. iTrobes is one such company that uses a dedicated social media marketing team to make sure your brand is engaging and has a consistent image across a wide variety of social platforms.
Reach out to us today to find out how we can help you!
