The nature of social media is dynamic. The platforms’ original function as simple social spaces for exchanging status updates has long since passed. In today’s Internet-driven economy, social media marketing is an integral aspect of any successful online strategy.
Marketers have to stay on their toes because of the constant evolution of social media platforms and the habits of its consumers. While it may seem like there is never a break in the social media action, each new trend is a fresh chance to try something new and strengthen your connections to your audience.
The Number One Tending: Quick-Time Movies Keep Soaring
Videos seen online continue to rise in importance as a part of the marketing mix. Internet video traffic is expected to account for 82% of all consumer Internet traffic by 2022, up from 73% in 2017.
As a result, we see that people are increasingly motivated to watch short-form video content, particularly after the advent of platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Users of social media platforms typically have a short attention span, which explains the success of these kinds of films.
Whether it’s a dancing video, lesson, motion graphics, or tale, a short-form video is considerably easier to consume and lessens the commitment a viewer may feel when pushing play. It’s no surprise they can waste so much time watching clips.
Including a short video to your social media marketing strategy is a certain method to boost your brand’s visibility and audience reach this year.
The second development is the simplification of social shopping.
As modern consumers want a seamless and instantaneous buying experience, social commerce will become easier to navigate. In other words, the many social media sites at our fingertips will function as an indispensable online shopping centre.
These mind-blowing statistics illustrate the meteoric rise of social commerce:
- Ninety-five percent of U.S. businesses now use social media as an e-commerce platform.
- It is projected that social commerce in the United States would reach roughly $80 billion by 2025, which would represent slightly more than 5 percent of the country’s retail e-commerce sales.
- Sixty percent of Gen Zers use Instagram to learn about new companies and goods.
- Thus, modern social media marketers should prioritise platforms that make it easy for consumers to research and buy things online, such as Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shops.
Thirdly, there has been an uptick in story-based content.
Every piece of viral material has a tale to tell, as you may have noticed. Because of the skillful use of language, it appeals to the sentiments of social media users and encourages them to spread the word to their friends, family, and followers. Because of this, anything that tries too hard to market will no longer be successful since it will turn off potential customers.
What really gets people interested in a company is not only the products they sell, but the stories they tell. And a narrative that touches people deeply stays with them.
The analysis found that over ninety-two percent of respondents prefer commercials that convey a message through narrative. And if the tale is engaging and authentic enough, 55% of them will buy.
Using a tale as a means of communicating your message has been shown to enhance both brand recognition and the likelihood of that message going viral on social media.
The success of Nike is illustrative. This well-known sports company builds its social media ads around gripping narratives. Check out one of the company’s motivational commercials posted on YouTube:
Fourteenth Development: Faster Communication Methods for Customer Service
There was a time when customers had to contact the company by email or phone anytime they had a query about a product they were considering purchasing.
More than 82% of customers want an instant response from businesses on marketing or sales queries in today’s fast-paced environment. For this reason, an increasing number of people are turning to social media in need of immediate assistance.
Nevertheless, certain social networking sites let you submit pre-written responses, so you may respond to the nicest inquiries in a flash without getting too exhausted.
This simple and easy method has the potential to leave a good impression on your target audience. In addition, 71% of satisfied consumers who interact positively with a business on social media are inclined to promote that brand to their friends and family.
Snapshot from the Starbucks Loves You Twitter
With this fifth trend, brands are becoming friendlier and more relaxed.
Users of all ages tend to be younger than 30. In 2021, around eighty percent of US millennials will use social media many times each day.
It’s obvious that advertisers shouldn’t try to reach everyone who watches TV or travels on the highway, but rather should tailor their brand messaging to the tastes of individuals who are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, inquisitive, and selective. Making millennials and Gen Zers at ease around your brand is a certain method to win them over.
One of the reasons why youthful social media users desire to communicate with a company is because of its informal, welcoming tone. It’s time for marketers to ditch the uncomfortable, impersonal, and faceless comments in favour of more engaging, user-generated content.
Whether it’s through direct messaging, caption emojis, jokes, or stickers on Instagram Stories, businesses can connect with millennials by making themselves seem more personable and fun.
Snapshot from Wendy’s Instagram account
Create a plan for your social media marketing in 2022.
It’s been fascinating to observe the ways in which the aforementioned developments have come together to propel social media innovation beyond its original purpose of connecting friends and family. Social media, which already has more than 4.6 billion users, is a convenient and inexpensive way for businesses to connect with consumers.
