So, your brand is in some way, shape or form active on social media, right? Well, as are 91.9% of companies worldwide.
For one thing, social media usage is higher than ever before and is set to continue rising across the board. With new features and platforms emerging, it’s expected that more and more people will continue to jump onboard.
What does this mean for 2022? Well, if you’re wanting to stay ahead of the curb, you’re going to need to know what social media trends are going to be prevalent going forward.
Let’s start with a few don’ts on social media here in South Africa:
What not to do on social media in 2022
- Don’t sound too salesy.
- Don’t post insensitive content.
- Don’t ignore the proof-reading process.
- Don’t buy followers. Ever. Just don’t do it.
- Don’t ignore posts – always respond, period.
- Don’t overuse slang and don’t be too casual.
- Don’t rely solely on organic, evergreen content.
- Don’t bombard your audience with excessive posting.
- Don’t get angry when you receive negative comments.
- Don’t make posts all about you. Most customers don’t care about you, but care about what your brand can do for them
Now that we have a firm grasping of the things that should stay as far away as possible from your social media marketing strategy, let’s take a look at some of the social media trends we can expect to see take form in 2022.
2022 will see:
- Influencer marketing will continue to evolve.
- Responsible and ethical operations will take center stage.
- Algorithm understanding will be more valuable than ever.
- Personalised and personable experience will drive engagement.
- Social media advertising will continue to remain as important as ever.
- Social marketers will need to master creation and analysis of ephemeral content.
- The metaverse will influence social media and the way that people interact with one another.
- Content marketing will grow from strength to strength. Better articles, punchier content and more relevant information will dominate.
- TikTok will play a huge role when it comes to effectively reaching your target audience. TikTok has built up a huge following and will continue to do so in 2022.
- Short-form social media videos will be the future. If you want your brand to reach a high volume of people, incorporate social media video marketing into your strategy.
Staying aware of these social media trends as well as the competitive landscape is your key to building stronger relationships with your target audiences. As a social marketer, know these like the back of your hand and you’ll start earning your audience’s trust in a way that will keep them coming back for more.
