The social media landscape is constantly shifting, with new trends emerging and old ones fading away. Keeping up with all these changes can be challenging for businesses looking to establish or maintain a strong presence on social media.
Whether you manage your company’s social media presence personally or hire an agency to do it for you, it’s important to have an idea of what’s coming in the next year so you can plan accordingly.
New social media platforms are being launched almost every day. Keeping track can be difficult, so it’s important to know what is trending currently. The world of social media changes rapidly, but there are some trends that stick around for longer than others.
If you’re launching a new social media platform or updating your existing one, it’s useful to know which trends are here to stay. After all, staying on top of the latest social media trends will help your business remain relevant and not fall behind the competition.
Let’s take a look at the top social media trends you need to know about.
Video is the king
Video is the king of social media. It’s been the most popular social media trend for a long time, and it’s not going away anytime soon. Video has been shown to increase conversion rates by 80%, and 70% of people would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. If you’re not already incorporating video into your social media strategy, you need to start now.
There are several different types of video content you can use on social media.
- Product walkthroughs
- Walk your audience through the features and benefits of your product.
- How-to guides
- Walk your audience through how to do something, like how to use a product or how to complete a difficult task.
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Give your audience a glimpse into your business by showing how things work on the inside.
- Humorous or educational videos
- Make your content more interesting by adding a bit of humor or education to it.
Live video is the new hot thing
People love live video, and brands are starting to take advantage of that. Live video has increased in popularity since it was introduced to social media, and now more than ever, brands are looking to incorporate live video into their strategies.
Live video is perfect for engaging your audience, and it makes it easy to respond to comments and questions. Live video also makes it easy for your audience to connect with each other. Live video is also a great way to drive traffic to an event or launch.
Voice assistants are taking over
Voice assistants have exploded in popularity over the last few years, and now they’re taking over social media. Social networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and even Instagram are making it easy for users to interact with their friends and family using only their voice.
This means that you can now easily interact with friends and family without having to type out long, drawn-out messages on your phone or computer. Voice assistants are also a great way to interact with your customers, and they’re only going to become more popular and integrated over the next few years.
GIFs will be all the rage
GIFs have been around for some time now, and they’re still going strong. GIFs are such a fun way to interact with your customers, and they can also be used to drive traffic to your website or blog.
GIFs are particularly useful for promoting products and events. GIFs are also a good option for longer posts that you’d otherwise have to break up into multiple paragraphs.
Brands will get more social
As social media continues to grow and evolve, it’ll become more and more important for businesses to be part of the conversation. Businesses need to be more social than ever before as social media continues to expand and evolve. More and more businesses will be taking advantage of Instagram Stories, WhatsApp, and live videos.
Many brands have started to take advantage of Instagram Shopping, and it will only become more important to do so in the coming years. Facebook will have a smaller role in business marketing, and other social networks will become more important for driving traffic, generating leads, and converting sales.
Facebook won’t be the top dog any longer
Facebook is still an incredibly important social media channel, but it won’t be top dog for much longer. As social media expands, other networks will become more important, and Facebook will become less significant.
Many businesses have neglected other social media channels in favor of focusing on Facebook. Now is the time to start branching out and getting more involved on other social networks.
The Millennial generation will lead the way
The Millennial generation has become the most prolific social media users, and they will continue to lead the way in the coming years. The Millennial generation is the first to grow up with social media, and they’ve become extremely comfortable with it. The younger generation has taken to social media with gusto, and they’ve made it their own.
The Millennial generation is more likely to use newer and less popular social media channels, and they’re also more likely to use social media as part of their daily lives. This includes everything from shopping to dating.
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There’ll be an even bigger emphasis on Content Marketing
If you’re not already incorporating content marketing into your social media strategy, now is the time to start. Content marketing will become even more important as the years go by. There’s a good chance that Facebook, Instagram, and other social media channels will put more restrictions on businesses.
In fact, there have already been reports that Facebook is cracking down on businesses, making it more difficult for brands to engage with their audience. With a focus on content marketing, brands can engage with their audience regardless of any restrictions Facebook places on businesses.
Voice-Based Platforms
Voice-based social media platforms such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri are growing in popularity. According to a report by eMarketer, 42% of social media users are interested in using voice-based social media platforms, so it’s safe to say that this trend has staying power.
Additionally, social media platforms such as Amazon’s Alexa have already seen significant adoption. This trend will likely continue to grow in the future. Voice-based social media platforms are quickly becoming the norm, and any social media strategy needs to account for this. Voice-based users expect a very different type of social media experience. If you are launching a new social media platform or updating an established one, it’s worth considering incorporating a voice-based solution.
Real-Time Communication
Real-time communication is a trend that has been growing steadily since the advent of chat apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat, and Facebook Messenger. Real-time communication is a feature that allows users to interact with businesses and brands in real-time. This can come in the form of live chat, instant messaging, or another type of real-time communication.
Real-time communication is hugely popular thanks to the rise of eCommerce. More and more people are purchasing products online, and real-time communication is playing a big role in this. Consumers want to be able to ask questions about products, track their orders, and more. This is driven by the fact that many people are purchasing products on the go. They might want to purchase a new pair of shoes while on the bus but don’t want to take the time to go to a brick-and-mortar store.
Instagram Marketing
Instagram’s rising popularity has led many to question whether this platform is still worth investing in. After all, many brands are struggling to gain traction on Instagram.
However, while it’s true that Instagram doesn’t offer the same kind of return on investment as it used to, it’s still very much worth investing in. Instagram is a powerful marketing tool, and its latest trends prove that it’s here to stay. For example, the ability to add GIFs and polls to posts is something that many brands have been taking advantage of. This trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Another trend worth noting is the fact that Instagram is becoming more integrated with Facebook. This means that you’ll soon be able to use Facebook’s robust ad manager to create ads for Instagram.
AI Presence
Artificial intelligence is becoming a bigger part of our daily lives as time goes on.
It has become increasingly common in social media, and it’s now making its way into messaging apps.
Artificial intelligence is used every day in devices like your smartphone, calculator, video games, automobile, bank, and home. Sometimes it’s clear what AI is doing, as when you ask Siri for directions to the closest gas station. Sometimes it’s less evident, as when you use your credit card to make an unusual transaction but your bank doesn’t send you a fraudster notice. AI is pervasive and significantly transforming our daily lives.
We’ve seen chat apps like Facebook Messenger adding AI-powered chatbots. Now, social media platforms are following suit. Instagram and Snapchat recently added the ability to ask questions to their in-app search features. This is a big development that is likely to stick around for a while.
It’s worth keeping an eye on this trend and incorporating it into your social media strategy when the time is right.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is still a relatively new technology. Recently, virtual reality has gained a lot of popularity. Virtual reality technology has been effectively employed for a variety of purposes. To create fun games for people, virtual reality techniques are widely employed. Virtually real platforms enable individuals to participate in activities that they would otherwise be unable to do.
The first VR headsets were released just a few years ago. However, VR is growing in popularity at a rapid rate. Samsung recently estimated that 50 million people have used VR, with that number expected to double.
Many uses of practically actual technology may be found in business and industry. The technology allows for the construction of new prototypes and products with the aid of simulation. The construction of vehicles, ships, airplanes, and other machinery is made possible by the use of CAD, CAM, and other engineering and math procedures, all of which fall within the category of virtual reality.
VR is also growing in popularity among social media users. eMarketer estimates that 36% of social media users are interested in VR. This is a significant rise from just a couple of years ago. The popularity of VR isn’t expected to slow down anytime soon. Technology is continuing to improve as well as become cheaper. This means that VR is likely to become more mainstream within the next few years.
These are some social media trends that we expect to see in 2022, and why they matter for businesses and brands.
Conclusion
Social media is a great way to engage with your audience, increase visibility, and drive traffic to your website or blog. However, the most important thing to remember is that social media is meant to be social. You are not managing a media channel; you are communicating with people, sharing content, and building relationships. If you keep those things in mind, you will be much more successful on social media.
Currently, the networking world is changing at an unprecedented pace. With social media platforms continuing to grow in popularity and usage, it’s important that you stay informed about upcoming trends and new technologies.
Social media has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a niche platform only accessible through chat rooms. In today’s digital landscape, users can access social media platforms through their mobile devices or desktop computers.
With so many different options on the market, it might be difficult to keep up with all of these changes. However, staying updated on social media trends can help you capitalize on this opportunity and position your business as an expert in this field.