Imagine a day without social media. For many people, that would be nearly impossible! Social media has grown to become an integral part of our everyday lives. It’s where communities gather, discuss what’s important to them, and share their lives.
In the social media world, trends can pop up and disappear at a lightning-fast pace. A popular meme format might be all over your timeline, but then it’s old news and eye-roll worthy 72 hours later. Think about how quickly the Will Smith slap meme, the MARTA bus meme, or the oh-so-popular Harlem Shake videos disappeared.
While some social media trends can be incredibly fleeting, the ones discussed in this article are not minor blips on the radar. These trends are significant shifts our team has seen as we manage social media accounts and interact with customers on various channels.
Knowing these will help you engage your audience, create an impactful social media strategy, and enjoy trackable progress toward your business goals.
Here are three significant trends we’ve been watching develop in 2022.
Trend #1: Short-Form Video is Here to Stay
A few years ago, long-from videos were all the rage on social media, and many believed it was the next big thing. This belief was based on Facebook’s rollout of “Facebook Watch” and Instagram’s “IGTV,” which was intended to prioritize longer videos in its algorithm and serve this lengthy video content to users.
But now that TikTok has stormed the scene (especially with younger audiences), short-form videos are taking over timelines and winning engagement battles. According to a Sprout Social study with Vidyard, 60% of all videos posted on the Internet in 2020 were less than 2 minutes long.
In response, other social media channels are creating their own similar format catering to short-form videos. YouTube launched “YouTube Shorts” and Instagram launched “Reels” to keep up with the new trend.
As a business, your social media efforts are best served by creating engaging, snack-sized bites of video content instead of unveiling lengthy video series with in-depth content.
Trend #2: Influencer & Digital Creator Marketing
Social media influencers have been around for a while and are now gaining even more momentum with some big-name companies. Influencers are social media personalities with large followings, many with hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of loyal fans. Digital influencers aim to convince their audience to purchase a product or take action for a cause.
Brands recognize the value of influencer marketing and are beginning to financially invest in creators and influencers the same way they would invest in traditional social media ads.
We’ve seen brands begin to invest financially in big and small influencers. For example – you may have a digital content creator in your local market with a significant following. If the audience you want to target also engages with that content creator, it would make sense for your brand to reach out and offer payment for partnerships. Some influencers or creators charge per post, and others may charge by the hour or project.
Trend #3: Customers Message You Questions Instead of Calling
You’re likely missing out on valuable leads and customers if you aren’t staying on top of your social media inboxes.
People have become more apt to handle questions online rather than picking up the phone. Think about it – how often do you call a friend to confirm details for your afternoon on the town? You’d rather send a quick text. Customers behave the same way. It’s much easier (and less stressful for introverts) to shoot a business a short message on social media and ask about:
- Product selection
- Operating hours
- Menus
- Special product requests
- Events
Because of this reliance on social media messaging, it’d be wise to help your customer service team brush up on social media messaging etiquette. In the same way you’d train a team member to be tactful and professional on the telephone, you need to train them to use the same skills through social media messages.
How M&R Marketing Can Help Your Business
If you want to optimize your social media performance and stay on top of the latest trends, our digital marketing experts can help. M&R Marketing can assist you in setting up your social media business profiles, implementing social media strategies, and creating fresh and relevant content for your Facebook page, Instagram account, and more.
Get in touch with one of our account managers and get started! Call us at 478-621-4491 or send us an email at hey@mandr-group.com.