Social media marketing trends for 2022 … in September? Yes – you heard us right! 2022 might be a few months away but strategies aren’t planned overnight and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. We’ve looked at some of the social media marketing trends from 2021 and what’s trending right now to come up with a useful guide to help you plan your content.
Here’s what we expect to see from content creators and brands in 2022…
Focus On Short Video Content
TikTok really proved a lot of brands wrong in 2020 as it became one of the leading platforms for social media growth. With more people stuck at home with nothing to do, many found themselves scrolling through their FYP. This trend continued throughout 2021 with the growth of Instagram Reels alongside it.
As we move into 2022, we expect short-form video content to be the main focus for many brands and creators. Yes, there is value in longer, educational content but these days, users want something short and digestible. If you’re hoping to capture the attention of your target audience and grow your brand, short-form content is the way to go next year.
Increased Augmented Reality Options
According to Social Media Today, searches for the keyword “social media AR” are up by 81% over the past 5 years. While some services have integrated augmented reality into their products – including Instagram, others have yet to explore what it has to offer.
Over the next year, we are predicting that augmented reality is set to become more mainstream. Users can already create their own filters on Instagram which is great for brands. If you aren’t clued up on the potential of augmented reality, now is the time to get learning.
Use of Bite-Sized Content
As we mentioned above, shorter, bite-sized content is king at the minute. However, this doesn’t just refer to video content – it also refers to posts and graphics used in social media marketing. We believe that in 2022, more brands are going to feed into the short attention span of social media users and avoid long-form content.
Yes, blogs are important for SEO but are they really read on social media? Users want bite-sized content that gives them the information that they need right away. We expect carousel information posts to remain strong in 2022 – replacing longer captions and blogs on social media.
However, it should be noted that LinkedIn has recently announced an expansion into long-form content with ‘articles for pages’ which goes against the trend. That being said, social media trends aren’t always mirrored on LinkedIn.
Use of User Generated Content
When big brands share user-generated content – it typically gets good engagement. Customers love to see their content shared on a large scale and this has benefits for both parties. With more users becoming ‘creators’ or ‘influencers’ in 2021, we are expecting a greater focus on user-generated content in 2022.
For brands, there are huge savings with this kind of content. You don’t need to pay a photographer, editor or a model! However, credit should always be given and influencers should be paid where relevant.
The creation of user-generated content can be built into campaigns and it’s certainly worth a try. We should still be creating on-brand, professional creative but this can be done alongside a user-focused strategy.
Not Sure Where To Start?
We’ve got tons of experience in taking social media marketing trends and turning them into effective strategies. We offer full marketing and social media management services that can be tailored for your business.
If you’d like to hear more – feel free to get in touch today. Click here to contact our team and we’ll be in touch soon!
