Currently, social networks are one of the main marketing and sales tools for companies. These channels bring the public closer to their idols or favorite brands on a more personal level. Knowing the trends in social networks for the coming months can help you get the most out of such a valuable medium . Keep reading!
How is our current relationship with social networks?
The Digital 2021 study carried out jointly by We Are Social and Hootsuite shows that the number of Internet users has grown by 7.3% this year compared to the 2020 figure. This means that approximately 60% of People all over the world now have access to the Internet .
This increase has been reflected in social networks. The number of users of this type of media has reached the figure of 1,200 million people. Do you know what this means?
- 53% of the world population is registered in at least one of them.
- Today there are 490 million more users on networks than were registered in 2020 .
The study shows the average time that users worldwide spend on social networks, being 2 hours and 25 minutes a day on average.
The Internet users most detached from them are found in some of the countries with the highest per capita income on the planet such as Japan (with 51 minutes), and in developed markets such as Germany (with 1 hour and 24 minutes) and Spain (with 1 hour and 54 minutes). minutes ). Despite this, this time represents a significant proportion of the time we spend awake and away from work each day.
So, taking into account the presence that social networks have among the population, it is very likely that you can also find your target audience on them. Therefore, identifying where to meet buyer personas and when to do so will be essential for success.
Social networks that will dominate in 2022
Before looking at the trends in social networks for the next year, we are going to briefly review the main social media that you should keep in mind for your marketing strategy. I recommend you start by evaluating these six:
- Facebook . For now Facebook remains the most popular platform globally for people and marketers, with 2.2 billion monthly active users. Although other social networks are rising strongly, by market share Facebook continues to be considered the most relevant. So, especially for advertising campaigns, it is a great candidate to consider.
- Instagram . It is the platform most used by influencers worldwide and will continue to trend thanks to its image and video format, especially with Reels. In addition, it should be noted that, at the level of engagement with users, higher figures are achieved on this network than on Facebook.
- TikTok . Looking ahead to 2022, TikTok is presented as the preferred social network thanks to having increased the number of users across the planet. In fact, the short video platform is the fastest growing social network since its launch in 2016 .
- Twitch . This streaming platform has managed to demonstrate its importance within the internet community. Its particular characteristics make it one of the options to take into account to carry out new marketing strategies . Its effectiveness lies in the fact that it allows showing a wide diversity of content that helps to show a closer side. The result is a better connection between influencer and user.
- Twitter . Twitter has adapted very well to new trends with its latest updates. His plans for the future include new functions, such as monetization (even with Bitcoins), creation of audio content, financial, technical and marketing support…
- LinkedIn. Also, if your company is B2B, you should not forget the potential of LinkedIn as the main professional social network.
13 social media trends to watch out for in 2022
Now yes, let’s see what are these 13 trends for social networks that you are interested in taking into account for your marketing strategy in the coming months:
1. Boost sales on social networks
The integration of ecommerce with social networks is the order of the day. The objective is to make the purchase process much easier and simpler, so that customers do not need to leave social platforms to purchase their favorite products or services .
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest are working to make it possible to buy from the posts themselves. The process is simple:
- A publication is made from the online store in networks.
- Certain products are labeled.
- Users access the content and, if they want to buy, they only have to click.
In this way it is possible for the followers to carry out the transaction without having to navigate outside the application.
Even, to go further, I also advise you to take into account in-stream purchases: Sales through live broadcasts were a success in 2021 on large social platforms such as Facebook.
Large social platforms offer influencers tools so they can sell during their live broadcasts , which is driving this trend.
If you want more information regarding this trend and the rest of them, you may be interested in attending the event that will take place next Thursday, December 16: The Future of Social Media. A global, online and free event, organized by the IEBS Business school, which will bring together leading experts from the world of social networks.
2. Marketing de influencers / microinfluencers
Influencers are great allies of brands to carry out digital marketing campaigns. In fact, Talkwalker’s Social Media Trends 2022 study shows that “69% of marketers plan to spend more money on Instagram influencers compared to any other market.”
Without going any further, investment in marketing with influencers exceeded 100 million euros in 2019 , a figure that continues to grow and that places this strategy as a trend that will continue beyond 2022.
Through influencers, a business can target a broader and more appropriate audience, as long as the brand ensures that its vision and values align with those of the chosen influencer.
In addition, these types of strategies do not need large influencers, quite the opposite. The trend is to focus on micro -influencers (1,000 to 100,000 followers ). Having a small but dedicated audience can be more beneficial to your marketing goals than having a large but disconnected audience.
3. Video marketing / short clips
In 2022, 80% of global internet traffic will come from downloading and viewing audiovisual content. It is one of the most effective channels to inform, educate and entertain customers >.
Videomarketing is not only limited to producing content for platforms like YouTube, but its power can be harnessed through other communication channels to encourage interaction. It is one of the trends in social networks for the coming months and it will not be difficult for you to adopt.
For example, a simple live stream on Twitch or Instagram can drive traffic, audience, and engagement .
You may especially be interested in focusing on clips or short videos . These have been the dominant contents during 2021, and in 2022 that dominance will be reaffirmed. You can look for inspiration for your content on TikTok or Instagram Reels.
4. More concise content
Although there are more and more users on social networks, the reality is that interest in their content is reduced. It is logical if we take into account that the attention span of an average person only lasts 8 seconds .
For this reason, the different social media platforms are more committed to promoting more concise content. If you want to apply this trend, I recommend opting for short-form videos and ephemeral content.
5. User Generated Content
User generated content (UGC) is a powerful tool that gives you 3 important advantages:
- Promote brand image
- Improve the SEO of your website
- Improve user experience
For all these reasons, it is one of the clear trends in social networks for 2022 . This type of content implies that customers create quality content for the brand. Customers value these types of interactions, which help reinforce social proof before investing in the purchase of a product or service.
What can you ask them to contribute? You have many options, from reviews to posts, using a certain hashtag, to product unboxing videos…
Did you know that brands that increase their UGC content by about 20% lead to a 90% increase in customer return through their website? UGC viewing increases your interest by 81%.
6. Online inbound advertising
The future of digital advertising involves exposing users only to hyper-relevant ads using segmented audiences . Therefore, in order to reach new leads and convert them into customers, your company’s marketers need to fully understand how their customers behave online. Only then can they intelligently use that information to shape personalized and targeted advertising .
This is how you will reach the right customers, in the right way and at the right time, boosting the results of digital advertising.
7. Metaversos
Emulating the real world as if it were a video game is, of all the trends for 2022, the most disruptive. That is probably why it is currently on everyone’s lips and has once again put Mark Zuckerberg in the spotlight.
The CEO of Facebook has not stopped talking about creating a virtual metaverse and his idea of turning users into avatars that participate in a metaverse of the company . Hence the name change that he has given to the company: Meta.
It is not an issue limited to the realm of social media. Video game brands as popular as Fornite took advantage of the pandemic to create virtual interactions that simulated a metaverse as video game events. A current example of a metaverse is “Decentraland”, the decentralized virtual world with its own cryptocurrency , which even has a large virtual real estate market within it.
8. Augmented reality and virtual reality
Virtual and augmented reality allow for an immersive experience that engages with deep, internal feelings of the consumer. It is precisely these that your brand should encourage if you want to achieve a good approach to it. This is the direction today’s social media trends are headed : delivering deep, personalized, and meaningful experiences for consumers.
In fact, virtual reality and augmented reality have a projected market of up to $75 billion in revenue by 2023.
Some of the applications that you can incorporate into your network accounts have to do with:
- product presentation
- Virtual tours
- interactive models
If you are interested in this trend, do not delay in adopting it, since it is an option that will surely become more and more common.
On the other hand, a great utility that we give to this technology and to which your users are already very accustomed are the filters . For example, Instagram has intensified the use of virtual reality within its platform through filters. Did you know that there is already the option for users to create their own? Maybe this novelty inspires some of your next actions.
9. Audio on social networks
We are also familiar with the interaction through audio, but it is worth noting its irruption in social networks . If you’re looking for a good example, you’ll find it on any podcast.
Facebook’s ClubHouse (a voice-based social interaction platform) or even the new Twitter “spaces” (which allow users to create groups of live conversations) could become your brand’s best allies on these types of channels .
10. Decentralization of social networks
Even if you know what the concept of decentralization implies, so fashionable lately, you will surely be surprised by its possibilities in the field of social media .
This term refers to the idea that there is a social platform that does not have a centralized administration in a single person, but that users are in charge of managing their own platform . Had it occurred to you to give them this competition?
11. Community development
Many companies approach social media the wrong way in hopes of staying in the market. But presenteeism doesn’t work on social channels. Brands need to be more strategic and develop content designed around the consumer.
Do you want to establish loyal and engaged communities? If this is your goal, you should remember that social networks allow you to create very powerful communities outside of the brands themselves, so strengthening them will continue to be a priority .
Social communities can come together and grow, often very quickly, and if you have the right message and intent, your brand will be able to access them.
12. Elimination of cookies
The fact that Google works to eliminate cookie tracking has a big effect on the future of advertising and how this trend can be derived in social networks. Therefore, if your strategy is based on the use of cookies, consider using other strategies.
The use of inbound marketing is undoubtedly a great option to mitigate this measure.
13. New entries: Reddit and Discord
If you haven’t heard of Discord yet, you soon will. Known as the “Slack of video games”, it is a chat application for gamers that was born as a Reddit subforum. Discord is a clear example of trends with the large amount of content on Reddit, which can give rise to different applications. This is a phenomenon very similar to what happened with Craigslist and Airbnb a few years ago.
As you have seen, the main trends in social networks that 2022 has in store for us allow you great maneuverability . Surely you have already found several that fit well with your marketing plan and your objectives.
Keep in mind that these are live trends, so many of them are transforming and will continue to grow, while in the case of others it is still not entirely clear how they will be integrated into our daily lives.
In any case, the important thing is to keep them in mind and analyze which of them you can incorporate to enhance your strategy. Always based on your audience, your goals and the resources available.
