Whether you are a start-up or an enterprise business, social media is undeniably a medium that makes any business successful. Now with the start of 2022, it is crucial to stay on top of the latest social media marketing trends and updates, in order to connect and engage with the audience in the most effective way possible.
Social selling or social commerce will go mainstream
Social media consumption has increased with all the lockdown mandates because of the pandemic, driving even more consumers to buy online. Social media platforms became an increasingly popular shopping outlet. This trend will continue in 2022, and this time, shoppers will want and EXPECT to use social media to purchase and perform other customer-related tasks.
Currently, Facebook is the top social commerce platform. Facebook is streamlining products and they will show customers based on their previous purchases. All without the use of advertising.
All trends however point to newer platforms such as Instagram or TikTok for e-commerce explosions, as fewer Gen-Z’s and Gen-X’s remain on Facebook every day. Similarly, these platforms are creating a far more simple and direct shopping experience, with TikTok, for example, partnering with Shopify to help marketers increase conversion rates and make purchases directly in the applications.
Influencer Marketing continues to evolve
With increased regulation and responsibility, brands are taking up influencer marketing and working with content creators into consideration. There is a rise of influencers on new platforms (most notably on TikTok), and the relationships that businesses have with them is changing. Following the pandemic, content creators and influencers have not only grown their audiences further but are now far more engaged than ever before.
Today, it is not enough to use a celebrity or a well-known person to promote your products. Consumers love having honest, personable, and educated individuals making recommendations based on actual experiences with the product. It is a key differentiator in determining whether they would trust a recommendation and purchase the said product or services.
For this reason, we are likely to see brands continuing to shift towards using micro and nano-influencers. Micro-influencers, in particular, are becoming more mainstream on social media. These are the social media users with a significant following and focus only on a specific niche. They offer a marketing outlet for businesses and is an easy way to connect with more of their customer base.
Short-Form video content
Bite-sized content is winning audiences’ hearts as it is engaging, conveys the information right, and leaves a significant impact. It is because the average engagement span has come down to 8 seconds. People do not want to watch minute-long videos to gather information, and it also explains the popularity of both TikTok and Instagram reels.
TikTok is a social media platform that is dedicated to short-form videos. According to Statista, TikTok has reached over 1 billion users as of September 2021.
Other platforms are also staying competitive like Instagram. The introduction of Instagram Reels allows users to create 15, 30 and 60-second videos and users are loving it, more than IGTV or stories.
Promote user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is already huge and it is about to become even more in-focus in the years to come. Businesses are increasingly incorporating UGC into their social media marketing strategies.
With actual user-generated content, the authenticity is immediately recognizable. While text-based online reviews can easily be faked, the same cannot be said for content created by the customer on their own social channels.
As things stand, a full 93% of today’s marketers agree that consumers place more trust in user-generated content than content created by the company itself. This applies to all types of UGC, from product reviews and peer recommendations to social media posts and brand-focused content.
User-generated content removes all doubt that your audience loves your brand — making potential customers much more likely to hop on your bandwagon.
More Augmented Reality (AR) options
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are both becoming a critical part of the overall social media user experience for consumers. AR and VR are expected to become more mainstream as mobile networks become stronger and faster.
While lenses, filters, stickers, and the like began as quirky little additions for social users, it’s now fairly common for brands to use them for promotional purposes. AR is something social media platforms are continuing to invest in majorly.
Facebook is planning to launch AR glasses. These glasses will work with Instagram, Oculus VR headsets, wristband controls for AR overlays.
Instagram will integrate AR glasses directly into the platform and display captured videos and images to the customers.
Social media, when used correctly can take businesses from the ground up to the sky. As all platforms are free to use, the marketing budget remains under control while the results can often be massive.
It is a time of significant change, in many respects with many people looking to evolve from the pre-COVID days and to build new opportunities again post-pandemic, these new updated trends will eventually open up to new unexplored potential and to facilitate business growth in 2022 and beyond.
Hashtaqs can help businesses navigate these changes and implement effective social media strategies that accelerates and drives business growth through our customised solutions to meet your branding needs.
Hashtaqs uplifts business through brand transformation and marketing advisory and implementation online and offline, internationalisation through business matching and community development.
Our consultancy work is supportable with the funding scheme of up to 80% for local SG businesses. Contact us for a consultation at +65 8868 1418 or email us at [email protected]. For more info, visit www.hashtaqs.com.