Here we are! That time of year when social media specialists think about their strategy for the next 12 months… If 2021 was eventful, with brands adapting to the post-pandemic context, Facebook scandals, the arrival of Clubhouse… 2022 promises to be just as intense with trends that combine inclusivity, the metaverse, monetization and decentralization.
Focus on the top 10 social media trends awaiting you next year!
1. Social media ads: the solution to survive the end of cookies
The end of cookies is scheduled for 2023! With internet users' personal data protection at the center of its concerns, Google wants to give up those "spy cookies." Worried this will affect your marketing campaigns? The solution might be in the social media advertising.
Why? Because social networks are very good at collecting information about their users.
These first-party data are then divided into thousands of targeting criteria that help you reach an audience similar to your current customers.
Even if companies like Apple limit tracking possibilities, you can still:
- Set up audiences with profiles similar to your prospects using targeting criteria
- Set up audiences with profiles similar to your Facebook and/or Instagram followers
- Target users who engage with your Facebook or Instagram content
- Launch of retargeting on your newsletter subscribers
- Re-engage visitors to your website who have accepted cookies
The marketing potential of social media ads remains very strong and could help you stand out in 2022!
2. More investment in "second-tier" platforms
That's what a study commissioned by TikTok reveals that consumers consider the platform ads very inspiring.
For its part, the ads on Snapchat generate greater purchase intent.
As for Pinterest, the social network offers a Higher ROI and lower conversion costs than other platforms.
What explains such performance compared to the giants Facebook, Instagram or even LinkedIn? Two things:
- The advertising clutter on other platforms tends to wear out internet users. These social networks are saturated with ads, to the point that users now know how to spot them… and ignore them.
- The more creative ad formats on TikTok, Pinterest and Snapchat allow brands to innovate by diversifying ad formats. Branded effects, sponsored hashtags, rich pins, deep links, geofencingThese ads offer refreshing options for businesses… and users! Users do not (yet) feel tired of these formats and engage with them more readily.
In 2022, try stepping outside the “traditional” social networks to expand your advertising strategy to these still less competitive platforms, whose success is growing day by day!
3. The decentralization of social networks
Covid changed socializing habits and relationships between consumers, as well as interactions with brands.
To that end, they encourage dialogue between their customers and with them by creating their own discussion spaces. A strategy that enables:
- Get closer to customers by adopting a more human approach
- Collect data to feed their strategies and improve their marketing campaigns
- Address the end of cookies by collecting data indirectly
- Improve the collection and resharing of user-generated content
Many brands are now launching their own internal social networks, as well as forums and chat tools. This technique fosters their audience's sense of belonging.
The online payment service Venmo is already following this trend. It has a platform that allows its users to chat and build relationships, with the goal that they use the service to pay for all their purchases as well as to send money to friends and family.
This community, outside traditional channels, gave a boost to its social media communication. Every Venmo tweet generates replies, mostly positive, and encourages exchanges between users.
In the example below, the service encourages its members to send $0.01 with a heart to their friends on World Compliment Day:
Result: the tweet generates 160 retweets and 1,174 likes. Many users confirm they played along, screenshots to prove it:
Proof that bringing your users together on internal platforms boosts engagement and also benefits the brand's other marketing channels.
4. Post-pandemic content formats
Since the repeated lockdowns, video and audio have been on the rise!
Even if the video is a trend continues, it should not be forgotten in 2022.
More interactive and engaging, audio first took off thanks to smart speakers, before developing further because of Clubhouse. Based exclusively on audio, this platform popularized the podcasting and encouraged other social networks to introduce new features.
For example, Twitter rolled out Spaces to host audio chat rooms. Facebook, for its part, wants to offer an ephemeral, live audio format. It’s likely that platforms like Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok will also ride the podcast wave. This trend will need to be watched in 2022!
The strengths of audio? It offers a new opportunity to build a community around your brand and to educate your customers on social networks.
5. Metaverses, the future of social networks
Metaverses are defined as parallel virtual worlds that combine social networks, video games and e-commerce. It became the buzzword at the end of 2021 thanks to Facebook's announcement:
Needless to say, 2022 is likely to give pride of place to this new technology! If your company already has virtual fitting rooms, organizes online meet-ups or uses filters for Augmented Reality, you will be able to easily offer your own "meta" universe and broadcast it on social networks.
Facebook will surely be a forerunner of many innovations in this field. You will therefore need to closely follow Mark Zuckerberg's announcements in the coming months…
6. The rise of Generation N
Generation N (Novel) is a psychographic group made up of hyper-connected customers and consumers who became digital adopters because of COVID-19.
Very important, this emerging customer segment is not solely focused on digital. It is defined by strong emotional markers such as stress, fear and the consequences of a global pandemic.
An Accenture report highlights the importance of emotion for these new types of consumers:
- 64% are afraid for their own health
- 82% are afraid for the health of others
- 64% worry about the impact on their job security
- 88% worry about the impact on the economy
To win over these "new consumers", you must introduce these emotions into your social media posts. However, be careful not to be too negative or alarmist, lest you drive away your prospects and customers.
Choose kindness and the nostalgia marketing, to inspire hope in your community.
7. Social media marketing guided by kindness
Following the emergence of trends like body positivity, Norway has adopted a law that requires influencers to explicitly disclose retouched images. Given the impact of social networks on users' mental health, this regulation could be expected to be adopted in other countries.
Far from being bad news, this regulation represents an opportunity to positively impact your followers. Many fashion and beauty brands have already adopted this trend (and not only in their influencer strategy!).
For example, lingerie and swimwear brand Princesse Tam Tam stopped retouching the photos it posts on social media. It also highlights its customers by letting them pose for the brand in a simple, natural way. A relevant way to get closer to its customers and show that it understands their needs:
You can also follow this trend by focusing on inclusivity. It is part of our marketing predictions for 2022 and it certainly has its place on social media!
For example, luxury brand Gucci was one of the pioneers of this trend: in 2020 it launched the “Unconventional Beauty” campaign, represented by a model with Down syndrome. A first for the luxury sector!
8. Smartphone video productions
Content formats like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts or TikTok videos work very well. Yet they don’t require professional equipment… Should this be seen as an opportunity for brands with a limited budget Yes, clearly!
These smartphone-made pieces of content have humanized companies’ communication. So if you haven’t taken the plunge yet, 2022 is the time to use these formats to show your brand from a different angle.
9. Facebook and Twitter in Patreon mode
Have you heard of Patreon Dedicated to content creators, the platform allows you to offer a monthly subscription to your fans. This lets creators be paid for their work.
It turns out Facebook announced "Subscriptions." A feature very similar to Patreon, where users subscribe to a creator. In exchange for a monthly payment, they join exclusive live streams, join a closed group, get access to exclusive content, or receive special discounts.
Twitter, for its part, announced a Tip Jar and the Super Follow feature. They will also allow creators to provide exclusive content in exchange for regular funding. The social network is even considering integrating payment via NFT.
What does this imply? Brands will be able to create a kind of fan club or academy. These tools will aim to offer unique discounts, invitations to private sales, and exclusive information to their community.
In the case of a B2B company, the academy can be used to offer training or unique educational content that will help customers better use the products/services sold.
10. Local social marketing
The pandemic revealed users more inclined to shop locally and buy from neighborhood stores.
In 2022, brands will need to adapt their strategies accordingly. Geographic localization criteria will be heavily used in ads and organic posts.
If you have stores or branches, make sure to work on the communication for each of them. Develop a local strategy tailored to each market to improve your sales. To do this, consider:
- Work on city- or region-specific hashtags
- Create pages for each store/branch
- Geotag posts
- Highlight your local partners
- Work with local influencers
Conclusion
Social media practices keep evolving. To stay one step ahead of the competition, anticipate these trends and refine your strategy now!
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