Social media marketing trends and predictions for 2022

Are you mulling over your social media strategy for the year ahead? Want to learn about the key trends likely to affect how potential customers use social media?

Here’s a quick summary:

• Social media emerges as a shopping platform
• Proliferation of short-form video content
• Social media becomes part of daily life
• Facebook remains on top (for now)
• Shorter attention spans result in more bite-sized content
• More augmented reality options

Trend 1. Social commerce

Social commerce is all about buying and selling products or services within a social media platform. It allows users to complete their entire purchase on social media, without having to leave the platform.

During the pandemic, the use of social media increased. And so has social commerce. A 2021 report states that there was a 25.2% increase in social commerce buyers in the U.S. in 2020. And the report predicts an additional growth of 12.9% by the end of 2021, and 6.3% in 2022.

Trend 2. Short-form social media videos

Online video platforms are already dominating the social media landscape. Back in 2020, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts were introduced to compete with TikTok. And just a few months ago, the Head of Instagram openly stated that Instagram will no longer be a photo-sharing app, but will focus instead on videos.

Trend 3: As Social Commerce Continues Its Ascent, So Will Customer Service

Social commerce features will continue to roll out to keep up with how people shop for goods and services. Customers have become accustomed to initiating a purchase online — be it curbside pickup of groceries or scheduling an appointment — but now want fast responses to customer service needs as well. Social media channels dedicated to customer service have long existed. The pandemic has only accelerated adoption of these channels.

Trend 4: The Rise of the Creative Influencers

The proliferation of creative tools have allowed for a new kind of influencer to take shape: the Creators. Creators differ slightly from traditional influencers, who rely on experiencing the world around them, by producing original materials using these tools. The pandemic has changed what influences are valuable on the go. As a result, creators have gained a sizable follower count in a world with limited gathering options during the pandemic.