Social media has rapidly become a ubiquitous phenomenon within modern society and understandably so. For most people, it’s now an integral part of their daily lives, while businesses with the aim of boosting sales and growth can’t afford to ignore the immense power embedded in social media marketing.
With an average use of social media running into about 2 hours and 27 minutes daily by more than half of the world’s population, organizations across the globe constantly seek out new ways to outdo the competition with a bunch of social media marketing strategies using videos, social listening, customer services, and lots more.
Considering today’s remarkable digital overload, being able to stay on top of social media marketing trends can spell the difference between a failing business and a thriving one. In this article, we’ll be looking at the top 7 social media marketing trends in 2022.
1. The Tik Tok Wonder
With a billion active monthly users, the Tik Tok phenomenon is obviously here to stay. Organizations with the aim of connecting with the younger generations simply can’t afford to overlook this powerful social platform as an incredible percentage of its users are Gen Z and millennial folks.
On the Tik Tok platform, businesses can reach out to the younger generations using short-form advertisement videos, which must be captivating as well as compelling to generate the needed traffic. The platform also offers ads and business profile tools that you can take advantage of.
2. The Rise of Video Content
In modern times, the enormous power of video content is there for all to see. Research carried out by Cisco shows that approximately 82% of global consumer Internet traffic is video content. Due to the overload of content on the Internet as well as the short attention span of most Internet users, short-form video content such as those on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok are now the in-thing. According to HootSuite, the length of a social media video should not exceed a minute.
Organizations also engage their target audience via the use of live streaming. Videos can be made to do the following:
- Tell a story;
- Promote an event;
- Demonstrate a product;
- Pass a message across to the consumers.
It all depends on the need of the business. Each video has its strengths and weaknesses, so make sure you do your research first. For example, an explainer video is a great way to introduce your brand or product in a fun and engaging way.
There are different types of explainer videos to choose from, like animated explainer videos or motion graphics explainer videos that help brands explain their complex product in a simple way. However, a live-action video might be a better option if you’re looking to showcase your products in action. The key is to identify the goal of your video and choose the type that best fits that goal.
3. The Social Commerce Dominance
Buying and selling products and services on social media is now more or less a norm within modern society. Many individuals and businesses are making huge sales off social media as social networks are now rapidly transiting into retail platforms featuring shopfronts as well as shoppable posts. Moreover, use an online invoice generator to ensure you save the information of your transactions so you can track the sales you made off social media.
Steve Rose, Vice President at MoneyTransfers says “For successful social media marketing, businesses should aim toward putting forward their most popular items rather than a full storefront when getting started. This will help create as few clicks as possible and a positive shopping experience for the consumer.”
Using social media for eCommerce is a great way to get your brand out there without having to invest too much money from the beginning. Many entrepreneurs do this alongside a ‘dropshipping to wholesaling’ method taught by the eCommerce Accelerator by SaleHoo, where you learn how to build a sustainable eCommerce business by first dropshipping and then finding the right suppliers to wholesale and really build your brand.
4. Augmented Reality Promise
Social media make use of a range of technologies so as to offer more engagement to its users. Two good examples of these technologies are:
- Virtual reality (VR);
- Augmented reality (AR).
While the integration of virtual reality with social media is still at an infant stage, augmented reality has already been adopted by some of the social media powerhouses such as Instagram, Tik Tok as well as Snapchat. For instance, Snapchat users can benefit from the platform’s incorporation of AR in its photo filters and give themselves various appearance alterations such as appearing to wear sunglasses, turning into animals, and more.
Andrew Priobrazhenskyi, CEO of DiscountReactor says “It’s important to note that the use of augmented reality can be very diverse. Apart from photo filters, augmented reality can also be used to try out products before they’re actually purchased or used. For instance, users can determine whether or not a piece of furniture fits a room to help them make a more informed purchase decision.”
5. Influencer Marketing Gains More Recognition
There are a lot of ways to make money on social media and a great example is influencer marketing. This has been around for quite some time and signs are it isn’t going away anytime soon. You’ll discover a lot of influencers on social media helping to promote brands.
According to several studies, an incredibly high number of marketers found influencer marketing to be a very effective option, not only for brands to market their products or services but also to promote customer engagement as well as loyalty.
6. The Social Media & Customer Service Love Affair
The need for people to be able to reach out to companies directly birthed the use of social media as a platform for customer service. This didn’t happen overnight; it rather grew gradually and now the love affair seems to only wax stronger. Customers can do the following:
- Reach out directly;
- Ask questions;
- Make complaints;
- Meet quick responses from companies.
According to several studies, customers generally have a positive view of companies who respond to requests, questions, or complaints via social media. To provide quick responses, many companies invest in chatbots and create a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page or a customer service knowledge base.
7. The Global Acceptance of Social Listening
A company that refuses to listen to the consumer world is doomed to fail. Through the incorporation of social listening tools such as Aischedul, HootSuite, Clarabridge, HubSpot, and Lately, businesses can obtain data and insights from social media about the consumer world.
Mark Valderrama, Founder & CEO, Aquarium Store Depot says “A company that carries out social listening is able to understand the consumer perception of brands, the impact made by their campaigns, as well as other insights showcasing what the consumer truly wants and their needs.”
