What to Expect from Social Media in 2022

Social media has quickly become an integral part of our society, connecting people and businesses from across the globe to one another. 

A company’s social media presence is vital to maximizing its reachable audience and increasing brand recognition. However, simply having a social media presence is not enough to stand out. Businesses must understand current trends and be strategic with their profiles and posts.

TikTok Rising

TikTok, although a relatively new platform, has skyrocketed in popularity. Currently, there are over 1 billion monthly active users engaging with this video-sharing platform, with the average user opening the app 8 times per day. Businesses can engage with TikTok users by doing the following:

Participate in Trends: TikTok trends, usually involving popular songs or dances, can be used to increase audience viewership. Recreating trending videos increases the odds of your company’s video appearing on more For You Pages and searches.

Be Humorous: Many TikTok users use the platform as a fun form of expression. You can humanize your business by creating amusing content, and many organizations utilize the comment section to show humor and support for other brands. Rather than excessively promoting a product or service to viewers, your business can gain attention and engagement through humor on TikTok.

Advertising Outside of the Facebook and Instagram Monopoly

While all social media platforms can be beneficial for advertising, businesses that focus on less saturated platforms see better results. Instagram and Facebook, both very popular for businesses and consumers alike, include many advertisements, which can become repetitive and make users feel overwhelmed by information. Instead, businesses should consider these other platforms for their marketing strategies:

TikTok: A study conducted by Kantar showed that users find advertisements on TikTok the most attention-grabbing and enjoyable compared to other platforms. Users also feel that TikTok advertisements are less disruptive and more impactful than other formats.

Snapchat: Nielsen’s benchmarking database showed that Snapchat advertisements on average generate double the return on investment when compared to other social and digital platforms. Snapchat has a younger user base, so a company with a younger target audience could see effective advertising results on this platform.

Twitch: Twitch offers partnership opportunities, where brands can pay an influencer on the app to promote a product or run an advertisement for them. Companies can use this to their advantage by working with users whose audience base is most similar to their own. An example of this could be an influencer streaming an unboxing haul or product review.

Authenticity and Transparency

Now more than ever, people want to understand companies’ values and backstories, not just what they produce. To place trust in a company, people want to grasp the company’s culture and values, and many consumers head straight to companies’ social media accounts to discover these answers. An increase in authenticity and transparency will aid in customer loyalty and trust in the company. This can be done in the following ways:

Focus more on the people and less on the product: Utilizing social media story options or live features allows for companies to be more human on their accounts. Using the live feature, companies can answer questions from customers or further explain a product in a less formal setting. Stories on social media can also be used to show the company culture, such as sharing a fun office lunch event or celebrating a staff member’s birthday.

Open Dialogue: Companies communicate their core values and stances to humanize themselves and build trust with consumers. Today, consumers are more open to a company that addresses its clean or ethical business practices, takes action during social or political issues, admits their mistakes, and shares personal company goals over a company that stays silent. Using social media is an effective way to communicate with your audience and join pivotal discussions promoting awareness or action.

Implementing these trends into your business will not only increase your brand recognition and sales but will also establish solid client relationships built on trust. For more marketing tips and strategies, check out our other content here.