6 Social Media Trends For 2022 (And How To Use Them)

Social media marketing is changing the nature of conversations between brands and their customers. It’s not just a matter of keeping up with the times anymore — if you want your brand to survive, you need to be at the forefront of social innovation. But how do you stay on top of trends and deliver the right tone of voice to your audience?

Today, brands need to be human on social media more than ever. Empathy is the strongest form of marketing, and today’s customers demand it. Brands shouldn’t just be about products — they should be about the causes and people that matter to them. Social media is more than just a technology platform. In the hands of a masterful marketer, it can transform into one of the most powerful tools available to connect deeply with audiences.

Stay ahead of the curve. Keep innovating and stay creative. With new trends in social media emerging each year, staying updated is crucial to success. Here are six social media trends that will be popular in 2022.

#GivingTuesday

Many companies miss the boat by not taking part in this global day of giving. As it has come to be known, Giving Tuesday is a great way to give back to your community and engage your customers with a charity that you believe in, or even start a company-wide charitable endeavor! It’s also a great opportunity to show off your brand’s culture and personality.

Social impact campaigns are more potent than ever and rapidly gain consumers and businesses alike. Be one of the first to join the trend of socially conscious companies. Social change is a hot topic that can keep your business visible, relevant, and in the limelight year-round.

Be Authentic 

The notion of perfection has been a central theme in marketing since the dawn of time. The corporate adage, “fake it ’til you make it,” has become a cultural trope, and consumers are more skeptical than ever. They know when someone is up to something. That’s why your content and advertising must be honest and transparent. People are sick of seeing “perfection.” It’s fake, out of touch, and lacks interest.

Show your audience what you’re like. Let them into the real world — even if that means sharing the real you. Maybe you’ve got your hands full, or perhaps you’ve had a terrible day. Maybe something just isn’t working out. The more a brand shares, the more relatable it becomes. The more relatable it becomes, the more people want to do business with it. Show your audience who you really are.

Social Media as a Customer Service Tool 

Social marketing will be about relationship-building, one customer at a time in the near future. It’s been tough for marketers, who have had to measure success with organic engagement and paid content — all the while building a following from scratch. We’ve already seen a shift in social influencer marketing, with brands opting for micro-influencers over celebrities. In the next 5-10 years, I think a bigger shift will come.

Today, brands have thousands of employees and thousands of social followers, but those numbers will shift in the next decade. In 2022, I think the opportunity for brands will be to return to an old-fashioned way of marketing: customer service. That’s how many brands originally built their followership back in the day. And it worked.

The Rise of Social Commerce

It’s no secret that consumers love social media. One of the advantages of social media is its ability to make shopping simple and accessible. This year, we will see more brands using shoppable features on all platforms. With shop buttons, live streams, ads, and influencers, the social sale will be front and center in any savvy social strategy.

Social commerce is the newest trend in the modern era of e-commerce. It’s changing the way we shop, and it can happen right on our phones! It’s a virtual mall that allows you to buy products within seconds. Social media is a place where you can browse, find inspiration, and purchase items with just a few clicks. It’s an exciting new realm in online shopping, and it’s revolutionizing the way we shop:

In just one year, I believe that social media commerce will become even more popular than today. Each platform competes in the social commerce space to make it the best for both consumers and brands.

LinkedIn Creator Mode Takes Center Stage

LinkedIn offers a new way to encourage professionals and businesses to share more content. In 2021, they launched Creator Mode as a resource for anyone looking to post original content and amplify their messaging. I predict that in 2022, the platform will become a more valuable place for video marketing content. It has a great ROI and provides an optimal opportunity for creative, engaging advertising.

LinkedIn is about to launch a short-form video for its Creator Mode, an in-app tool that allows you to make professional videos for your business and product marketing. Like Instagram Reels, the new feature will give you the tools necessary to create high-quality images, upload them directly to LinkedIn, and share them on your page.

Genuine Storytelling: YouTube Marketing’s Greatest Secret

In today’s marketing climate, businesses need to be more effective communicators. Marketing is becoming more human and sometimes even vulnerable in order to get people to trust a brand. Content creators aren’t focusing on brainy ads or clever slogans — instead, they’re telling stories and posting about their interests and passions for their audience to recognize.

Pair storytelling with videos, and you have the future of content marketing. YouTube has been working hard to portray videos as a main form of content, and a new feature is helping brands take advantage of its popularity: stories. With YouTube stories, you can create a mini-episode that’s drawn from your existing content and share it in a snackable format with followers. The feature is available for accounts with 10,000 or more followers. If you aren’t quite there yet, be sure to put this on your list of To-Do’s once you achieve that goal. 

So What Did We Learn?

1. Giving Tuesday: Social impact campaigns are more powerful than ever and are rapidly gaining the attention of consumers and businesses alike. Be one of the first to join the trend of socially conscious companies. 
   
2. Be Authentic: Show your audience what you’re really like. Let them into the real world — even if that means sharing the real you.
   
3. Social Media As Customer Service: In the near future, social marketing will be about relationship-building, one customer at a time.
   
4. The Rise of Social Media: This year, we will see more brands using shoppable features on all platforms.
   
5. LinkedIn Creator Mode Takes Center Stage: LinkedIn is about to launch a short-form video for its Creator Mode, an in-app tool that allows you to make professional videos for your business and product marketing.
   
6. Storytelling: YouTube’s Greatest Secret – Pair storytelling with videos, and you have the future of content marketing. 

Do you want to take your social game to the next level? Schedule a consultation with us, and we’ll help you tailor a social media strategy. We want to do all the heavy lifting — and we know you’re busy — so that you can watch your connections and conversion skyrocket.

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