Here’s the new roundup on Social Media Marketing Strategies 2022. What experts have to predict about the upcoming strategies should be to leverage social media platforms.
Can you believe it’s nearly 2022 already?
It’s crazy to look back and see how the pandemic changed (and is still changing) digital marketing. One of the biggest news to come out recently is the evolving metaverse. The work from home shift and growth of e-commerce are all factors to consider with the social media space.
2020 and 2021 were the years that have made us use digital platforms the most, of course, thank Covid-19.
Some insights from Kevin Miller For 2022 and beyond, using social media to build brand trust will become even more important. Anytime a brand engages with its customers and target audience, it creates an opportunity to deepen its relationship with those customers. Social media is one of the most cost-effective ways that brands can connect with their customers.
Study by Social Habit
A study by The Social Habit found that;
- 23% of Facebook users check their account more than five times per day
- 8% of users check their Facebook account more than Eleven times per day
- And, 48% of Facebook users check their account at least once a day
Let’s see what can be Social Media Marketing Strategies 2022 as per the experts.
Influencer Marketing Continue to Grow
David Northup CEO of InShapeMD said, “If the pandemic taught us anything, it is to embrace the digital world! Businesses that had a strong IT department and had a good grasp on technology were quick to shift their dealings online. That being said, I believe that most businesses will completely shift their marketing campaigns online, using Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram!”
He added that One major trend that we have seen this year is the rise of social media influencers, which is now even more effective than celebrity endorsements.
This is because these people have direct contact with their followers and can help be community leaders and spread good word of mouth. He thinks this will continue in the next year as well! Companies can choose to collaborate with these influencers and send PR Packages to garner more followers for their brands.
Influencer marketing is already reshaping social media marketing strategies. A vast majority of consumers base their purchasing decisions on influencers. They typically operate in a more narrow niche, making it easier to target the appropriate demographic for your products or services. Working with micro-influencers also provides access to a more significant number of committed followers.
Brandon Chopp, Digital Marketer at INTO THE AM explains with an example, “We’ve amassed over 260K followers on our INTO THE AM Instagram page and we like to use influencers as part of our digital marketing strategy.” It’s important that you know about Instagram Privacy Settings and Instagram hacks for marketing your pages.
Steps how to use influencer marketing explained by Brandon Chopp;
- Their target audience includes fashion-oriented people who attend music festivals and enjoy electronic dance music. We engage in influencer marketing in a variety of ways.
- Find popular accounts that meet our criteria for selection, and start a conversation to gauge whether or not it’s a good fit. Oftentimes, send one of our products to an influencer for free. In exchange for an honest review that is posted to their blog or social media followers.
- This leads to a ton of sales and new followers. For them, the most important element of an influencer package aside from cultural fit is the overall reach of their blog or social media accounts.
- Measure return on investment based on the number of new followers received. The number of impressions received, how much referral traffic they got. Of course – how many sales come as a result of the campaign.
- The beauty of using social media and influencer marketing to generate sales is that they can be utilized in just about every industry, whether you’re selling a physical product or a service.
Social Shopping Evolution
During the COVID crisis, social selling became so popular that many social networks expanded on their in-platform shopping tools to help businesses sell items online directly from their social pages. Preksha Jain SEO Specialist for Marketresearch.biz had written that they have Facebook Marketplace (different from Facebook Shops), Instagram Shoppable Posts, and Pinterest Buyable Pins, to name a few. Along with social media stores focus on your online store optimization as well. That can bring a great amount of traffic using holiday sales.
Learn how to upload photos and videos on Pinterest.
Short Videos
Melanie Bedwell, eCommerce Manager for OLIPOP believes that in 2022, companies should be focusing on producing short-form video content. Instagram stories, YouTube Shorts, and even TikTok are great channels to connect with your target audience. It raises brand awareness and allows you to interact and uniquely engage with your customers. We’re becoming a more virtual world, and short-form videos allow businesses to bridge the divide and connect on a more personal level.
Below is the study from the infinite dial.
The above chart shows the overall percentage of the younger population using different social media platforms in 2021.
Live Stream Selling Products will Rock The World
Billy Chan from DroneLast focuses more on live streaming. She says live streams will continue to be an integral part of social media marketing strategies 2022. These live streams are becoming increasingly popular as they allow consumers to get a behind-the-scenes look at an event or product. The trend towards influencer marketing is not going to slow down anytime soon. Big brands will continue to build credibility as authentic influencers in the eyes of their customers.
To monetize the traffic generated by live streams, most brands and influencers will follow the example that is already a big success in China – selling in live streams. Big brands partner with influencers and sell products during live shows. This is already one of the biggest industries in China, bringing in billions of dollars a year.
Yuvi Alpert, Founder, CEO of Noémie explains that the pandemic forced many companies to use live streaming methods to bring their brand to their audience. Yet what started as a temporary fix, now looks to become more of a permanent fixture on the promotions scene. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media outlets were utilized for Q & A sessions, tutorials, and infomercials, which proved to be quite successful. Facebook also gives an option to crate a Facebook Room to join people together.
These live streams not only served as a way to introduce products and services but as a new form of interactive engagement, allowing viewers to get involved personally. With the advent of INBOUND, an additional layer of engagement was added, providing access to experts for those who may have not been able to join the live feed. The learning curve for live streams provided by the pandemic created a more sophisticated marketing apparatus for future use.
AR & AI as a Social Media Marketing Strategies
Over the last five years, searches for “social media AR” have increased by 81%. Although the Augmented Reality (AR) market is still in its early stages, it is expected to grow in the following years. The AR market is currently valued at $3.5 billion and is projected to be worth approx $18 billion in 2023.
One of the fastest-growing trends in social media is the use and integration of AI chatbots and for good reason.
Robyn Hughes, Marketing Manager at Leatherback media Social media is a fast-paced environment, and many of your audience expects a certain speed of customer service since brands are now at their fingertips. Chatbots allow you, as a business, to instantly respond to a multitude of different messages from your audience, including FAQs, links to certain web pages with certain search terms, or a link through to a human, if their problem or needs can’t be solved by the chatbot.
We expect these social media marketing strategies to continue growing rapidly in 2022, so your business should start utilizing this now!
You May Need to Get Political
Brands are beginning to enter uncharted waters with their political stances. Due to the increasing polarization in the world, you might need to speak up on some political and social issues on the internet. However, make sure you put some thought in before making any sensitive commentary. Says Elice Max, Co-Owner and Marketing Director EMUCoupon,
Build a Relationship, Not a Brand
Young buyers expect brands they buy from to be real and have a true relationship with them. David Farkas the founder and CEO of theupperranks.com suggest that establishing a true connection with your young audience.
Show them, for example, how your business is making a difference in the community, no matter how small. Are your products sourced and manufactured in an environmentally and socially responsible manner? To stimulate people’s interest and develop a connection, it’s also a good idea to relate your story about how you got started.
Connect with your audience, be human! Do you know how company sites send you identical messages when you follow them on Twitter? “Hey, thanks for sticking with us!” Or “Please take a look at our site!” no one even bats an eye. But now brands are turning heads by personalizing these conversations! They are replying uniquely to questions and interacting with their customers with humor.
It’s a game-changer!
Prioritizing Social Responsibilities
Prioritizing social responsibility will be the biggest marketing trend of 2022!
– Sean Chaudhary, social media specialist of Alchemy Leads
He says “Over the past couple of years there has been an increase in companies focusing more on their social responsibility when it comes to marketing. I feel in 2022, we are going to see an even bigger increase in this and even more companies prioritizing this as their main form of marketing over other strategies.”
There are many global issues that companies can take a stand on, and we are seeing this more and more.
Whether it be the environment, helping those who are impoverished or homeless, or even helping animals in shelters, etc.
There are causes that many businesses are siding with and either making donations based on sales or showing their social responsibility by integrating the impact of these causes into their business model by creating more sustainable products, for example.
A lot of the population, but especially younger generations, are concerned about the well-being of our planet and the people that inhabit it. Therefore having a company culture that reflects their views will increase the chances of them using your product or services. They are also more vocal about their beliefs and will be more inclined to share your site or social media with others, therefore increasing your audience.
Another Content Specialist, Kristen Klepac Green Flag Digital says that “In 2022, the relationships between brands and student-athletes will transform the way businesses connect with younger, college-aged audiences and largely move to a social space. “
She is explaining it with the case study that they have published to uncover just how lucrative this landscape may be for basketball athletes, specifically. The study found that the 25 basketball players with the most followers averaged about 500K followers apiece.
Personalized Experiences Drive Engagement
Emir Basic, Co-founder of Pricelisto believes that the more appropriate ways for social media marketing strategies are to make sure that you are sharing the right content at the right time. This may be by using different platforms for different demographics. Or, it may involve targeting your audience with customized offers according to their needs.
Other marketing tactics you could use on social media include interactive contests and polls, live events, and advertisements with videos.
You could let your customers ask for recommendations and post their opinions about things you offer. This way, the process of making decisions becomes much easier and straightforward for your customers. It might be a little more time-consuming than other strategies, though, since it is not automatic. Yet, many businesses will find that this strategy works best to build their brand of trust and loyalty.
Conversational Marketing
Conversational marketing has been a part of social media for several years, however, moving into 2022 there will be more changes in the types of content. This is what Adelle Archer, Co-Founder & CEO of Eterneva says about conversational marketing.
Previously, this marketing focused on product promotions and sales. Yet narrative content, such as blogs and other long-form promotions, have moved the needle towards a more informational style.
Instead of pushing hard sales, conversational marketing will center around education and personal engagement. Helping people understand a product, identifying and empathizing with their needs, and connecting with consumers on a personal level, will be substituted for traditional types of advertising. As businesses continue to look to connect with their target audience, conversational marketing will be trending well into the new year.
Pay to Play Dominates The Social Platforms
Sharon Geltner, Founder of National Net Needs News Day asks “My biggest social media marketing prediction for 2022 is calculating how much more it will cost to promote clients, because of the increasing dominance of pay to play. Then the question is, how much will the market bear? “
She has to say that the next year could well be the tipping point when paid exposure is far more accessible than earned media.
In 2022, social media marketing professionals must decide whether to incorporate promotional fees into the monthly retainer or list them a la carte. These include paying for a client’s appearance on a podcast, website, or television.
The variety of pay-to-play arrangements are infinite.
Television buys can mean anything from purchasing time on a legacy broadcasting station in a single city to buying a guest video on a PR firm’s in-house channel. This goes way beyond buying posts on influencers’ Instagrams, although it’s part of the same dynamic.
Either way, social media marketers will have to educate clients about this increasingly dominant way of getting attention. They will have to discuss mass audiences versus niche. Digital publicists must remember that it’s easier than ever for clients to leave agencies and produce their media with ease, such as using the convenient Facebook podcast feature.
The craze for TikTok has not gone yet
Based on 2021, short videos continue to be huge since brands try to compete with TikTok. Janice Wald, blogger at Mostly Blogging thinks that TikTok will continue to grow. Marketers will turn to TikTok based on Duolingo’s success on the platform.
Facebook will try harder to market to Gen Z as they embrace the new “Meta” brand. Online shopping continues to boom on social media sites. AI allows people to see how they look in clothes through Virtual Reality. AI continues to evolve as it develops tone and personality which helps voice search grow. That’s what you can expect in 2022.
Of course, TikTok is just the giant – growing so much over the past couple of years. It is having such an influence on trends and every company should consider setting up a TikTok.
– Sharon van Donkelaar, CMO at Expand.
Consistency & Authenticity
These two methods work best for Jonathan Zacharias, the Founder of GR0. The best social media marketing strategies for small businesses in 2022 is simple: post often and be unafraid of unveiling the curtain. Specifically, many businesses believe that purchasing followers, paying for influencers, and/or showcasing the highest quality content imaginable is the key to social media growth. However, that could not be further from the truth; rather, the social media performance is about;
- Consistency and
- Authenticity
He explains the way simply how to be consistent,
post consistently
→ Choose 2-3 days per week
→ post
→ carve out a specific time
→ repeat these times + dates every week.
The more consistent you are, the better you will improve on the algorithms of social media platforms.
Secondly, be genuine. Long gone are the days wherein high-priced photoshoots are mandates of content success. Show behind-the-scenes content, be unafraid to capture DIY imagery + videos, and–more than anything else–show your authentic self.
With consistency and authenticity, you will not only improve your social media performance but also gain a loyal community that will support you no matter what.
Rise of Company and Brand-specific Crypto Ventures
With the recent popularity of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens or NFT’s, our social media marketing prediction for 2022 will be the rise of the company and brand-specific crypto ventures. Specifically, We believe that more-and-more companies will produce and release their own NFT’s for public consumption.
NFT’s are non-interchangeable tokens that are stored on a digital wallet. We believe that only the tip of the potential for NFT’s has been reached and see multiple companies offering brand-specific NFT’s which will entitle holders to discounts, loyalty rewards, and exclusive releases.
“The current segment of NFT users skews younger, a segment of the population that has historically been difficult to reach and market to. By creating a digital token, both large and small companies can reach this group, providing unique offerings and incentives which traditional marketing methods have failed to accomplish.” Says Steven Duncan founder of Ball Are Life.
Leverage Audio social platforms
Corey Walters the Founder and CEO of Here think that Audio social platforms will continue to expand in 2022. Podcasts and audiobooks have been a major trend since the beginning of the pandemic, and the increase in users is no surprise.
Social apps like Clubhouse allow consumers to directly interact with leaders and experts in a niche market, which creates more of a personalized experience for the listener and the leader. Users can also build relationships with other subscribers that feel like the listener is attending a panel – only virtually. People are looking for an experience, and audio platforms can give them just that.
Finally
These were some strategies for Social Media Marketing you can use in 2022. So many things have changed with the year but the thing that will never change is consistency. Whatever you do and which so ever techniques you use just make sure you’re consistent at your work.
You can check this guide on White Label Social Media Marketing.
