As we all know, the world of social media grows, expands and evolves at a rapid rate, making it easy to fall behind. As the year flies by, trends and updates come and go. Therefore, keeping a lookout and staying up to date on all things social can help ensure you don’t miss a trend or change that could benefit your social media growth. Here is what we think we can expect to see in the world of social media in 2022.
A filter-free feed
Candid, relaxed and spontaneous would be three words to describe many users’ feeds currently. Stemming from the global situation we are in, we have seen many people remove the filters and show a more realistic look into their lives. We have welcomed many unedited photos and videos to our feeds as well as more frequent uploads. Instagram, for example, is returning to its roots as more users are uploading whatever they want whenever they want, just like back before grid aesthetics and filters grew in popularity. In addition to this, we have seen photo dumps and users taking a photo to go directly online…who would have thought! With all of this in mind, the notion of realism is here and here to stay. We can expect to see even more real, down-to-earth content provided by users, big and small, so jump on this trend. Share what makes you smile and what speaks to your brand – don’t worry, we call all laugh together in years to come!
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing has well and truly grown to fame in the last few years. So, you may be wondering why this is something to watch out for in 2022. Just like many areas of social media, change is inevitable. Therefore, this year we can expect some big changes surrounding the ways large platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok manage influencers.
As 67% of brands use Instagram for influencer marketing, it is a given that Instagram is going to ensure their platforms thrive in this area. Things we can expect to see are deeper influencer insights, even more transparency surrounding paid partnerships, including insight into how much influencers make and potentially new platforms under the Meta brand that are aimed at influencer management. All of which totals to another wave of influencer marketing trends. Our prediction for the year ahead would be a stronger use of micro-influencers across the board. Smaller influencers allow for niche marketing, so we recommend keeping up to date on this front. Worried about keeping up? We can help! Send us a DM on Instagram if you want to learn more about our media relations management options.
Tik Tok growing even more….?!
As we know, Tik Tok has made a huge impact on the world of short-form video content. Since the creation of Tik Tok, we have seen short-form video content become the preferred content across multiple platforms. Starting with Reels on Instagram and Facebook to even more short-form video content on Pinterest, I think we can say that the majority of platforms are jumping on the video bandwagon to stay competitive with Tik Tok. As Tik Tok is ranked number 3 in the top social media platforms, under Facebook and Instagram and with the Insider Intelligence prediction that TikTok will reach 755.0 million monthly users in 2022, after seeing 59.8% growth in 2020, followed by 40.8% growth in 2021, it is fair to say Tik Tok may become the new social media ringleader in 2022.
Social media marketers
With the aforementioned growth on various social media platforms, the power of social media marketing is well known by businesses big and small. This is why we can expect to see more investments made in ads and social media management itself. Commonly, smaller-scale businesses run their own socials and upload from time to time. However, in order to stay competitive, many businesses are turning to social media experts to give their socials what they need. According to DemandSage, as of 2023, an estimated 4.9 billion people use social media across the world. Therefore the opportunities presented through social media marketing are simply too good to miss.
Check out our blog on social media advertising for more information.
Shopping on social media
Another area we can expect to see more of in 2022 is shopping on social media apps. Many platforms like Instagram are enabling both creators and influencers to share products and services with their audiences. Larger platforms are facilitating this notion by providing a seamless bridge from your feed to the checkout page. Therefore, if you’re easily tempted by pop-up sales ads, maybe hop off socials when you are in the spending mood!
As platforms learn more and more about individual users, such as their key demographics, likes, and interests, the ads being delivered are becoming extremely targeted. Therefore, more online shopping is coming our way.
Business BTS
Something we haven’t seen much of yet but will start to see this year is more behind-the-scenes content from businesses. For example, a small business owner, Elly, who owns Swim By Elly, shows BTS content of packing orders, designing her swimwear and even her gratitude for orders. As audience connection is more important than ever, businesses are doing whatever they can to show users that they are real people too. Due to this, businesses are being more open, relaxed and willing to share via socials. The professional façade is dripping away in many cases allowing for a realistic image – a common theme of 2022.
New tools and platforms
As mentioned previously, social media doesn’t stop growing…ever! Therefore, new platforms and tools are being created daily to keep up with demands. For example, as video content continues to grow, we can expect more tools to assist video production and editing, allowing businesses to keep up with trends. We can also expect more management platforms for creators and influencers. Specifically for income revenues and creator funds, external messaging systems allow better communication between brands and creators.
