Social media has evolved over the past few years. It is no longer just a place to share vacation photos with friends, but it is now a powerful tool in digital marketing. Effectively using these platforms is essential in building brand awareness and increasing your audience. More and more big companies are shifting their focus from traditional marketing to social media marketing. Here are some trends that are going to dominate in 2022.

Tik Tok

Since the start of the pandemic, Tik Tok has grown at an exponential rate and now sits on top as being one of the most popular social media platforms with over 1 billion monthly active users. Many people were skeptical about the platform and thought it was just a fad that would only be dominated by young teens. However, the platform has broken into a more mature audience and established itself as an effective marketing tool.

Tik Tok has allowed brands to get away from their more traditional social media marketing tactics and show a more raw and real side of their brand. Many businesses have gained a large audience by showing behind the scenes of their company for example.

Instagram Reels

Following the popularity of Tik Tok, Instagram came out with a feature that mimics the video-sharing platform. Instagram’s reels have the potential to be a key tool for marketing success. Videos on Instagram are receiving more engagement than pictures. They offer a unique way to showcase your business.

When creating video content it is important to note that many consumers have a shortened attention span, so it is best to keep your content under 30 seconds. Consumers are also more drawn to content that does not feel like a typical ad, they want to be entertained with less staged and more authentic content.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing will continue to grow in 2022. Utilizing influencers in your social media strategy will help expand your audience and generate growth. It is important to find an influencer that aligns with your brand and has an established audience of their own.

That’s not to say that effective influencers must have hundreds of thousands of followers. We have seen a big increase in “micro-influencers” that have less of a following but stand out in niche markets.

Social Commerce

Social media platforms are making it easy to shop for products without ever leaving their app. Many users were already using social media as their main source for product discovery, so it makes sense to leverage that by creating a native space on social platforms to complete a purchase. We’ve seen this with Instagram’s Shoppable Stories, where you can click on a product’s sticker to purchase it without leaving the app. Utilizing tools like this along with influencer marketing can generate more sales with a broader audience.