When it comes to building your brand’s 2022 marketing strategy, reaching your target audience via social media will likely take center stage. But with social platforms constantly evolving, what might have worked in the past may not bring you the same results this time around. These four trending strategies will help you master the art of marketing on social media and crush your goals for this year.
1. Social Commerce
When your brand advertised a product or service on social media in the past, you would have included a link to take viewers to your website where they could then make a purchase. But an online shopping revolution has taken hold over the past couple of years, and these days, more and more consumers are electing to make purchases directly on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.
In 2020 alone, the U.S. saw about 79 million social buyers who spent close to $27 billion. By 2025, it is projected that around 108 million social buyers in the U.S. will spend $79.6 billion, which will account for a little over 5 percent of the nation’s e-commerce retail sales, according to Statista.
How to Harness It: If your brand isn’t selling on social media already, now is the time to jump in the game. Start by setting up shops on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok with curated products. These platforms all have designated shopping tabs that make it easy for consumers to make purchases. Don’t forget to tailor your posts and ads specifically to each platform—in other words, no “one size fits all” approach here, because although your featured products might be the same, what defines a successful post on TikTok is vastly different from what engages an audience on Facebook.
2. Short-Form Video
From the explosion of TikTok to the incorporation of Reels on Facebook and Instagram, it’s clear that short-form video is here to stay. These quick (usually 60 seconds or less) yet engaging videos gained traction with the advent of TikTok a couple years back, and as we move into 2022, they have continued to take over other social spaces, including Facebook, Instagram and even Pinterest.
How to Harness It: When creating these videos for your brand, you’ll want to keep a few best practices in mind.
Keep it Short— You’ll need to keep your videos to under a minute if you want to hold your audience’s attention.
Quiet, Please—Most people watch short-form videos on their phones with the volume muted, so be sure your video makes sense if the audio isn’t playing. Use simple captions and visuals to get your point across.
Take an Authentic Approach— The more relatable your videos are, the more your audience will engage. So, get real with your content by harnessing influencers, taking part in a fun video trend (extra points if your CEO shows off some killer dance moves!), or throwing in some relatable humor.
Create with Your Platform in Mind—One size doesn’t necessarily fit all, so be selective with where you choose to post your videos. If you do cross-post, don’t forget to edit out any social media watermarks (looking at you, TikTok).
3. Building Connections with Customer Service
One of the most important social media marketing trends that brands like yours should take seriously is the focus on creating deeper connections with your audience. These days, social media users expect companies to make the extra effort to cultivate real relationships with their customer base.
How to Harness It: Just as with online shopping, consumers would now rather use social media as a customer service channel instead of picking up the phone or sending an email. You can create a great customer service experience on these platforms by:
Personalizing Interactions. An authentic, personalized customer service response goes a long way, so be sure to provide one whenever you can on social media. Not only will it make your customers feel good, it will also help solidify your brand voice.
Training A Social Service Team. Create a team of dedicated social media customer service representatives and teach them how to respond to common consumer queries on social media. Remember that these responses should be an extension of your brand voice since they will be there for all to see.
Utilize Direct Messaging. Oftentimes, consumer queries are best dealt with offline, so use direct messaging to provide a prompt and personalized response, whether it’s through a real customer service rep or via a chatbot.
4. Advertising on Smaller Networks
Gone are the days when Facebook reigned king for social media marketing. Recent studies have shown that brands who invest ad dollars in smaller networks like TikTok, Snapchat and Pinterest are seeing significant results. While ads on Facebook and Instagram are often in danger of getting lost in the crowd—or, rather, in the feed—brands have the opportunity to stand out in a big way on less saturated platforms.
How to Harness It: If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a hundred times—create with your platform in mind. The reason why brands see success on smaller social networks is because they run with the opportunity to create ads that mesh well with the tone of a specific social media site. In other words, an ad featuring some trending dance moves will do well on TikTok, while a visually appealing image will really stand out on Pinterest or Instagram.
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The landscape of social media marketing changes fast, so when trends like these emerge, it’s best to incorporate them into your plans. Whether you choose to try one of the trends above or all four, always remember to do so authentically, and with the larger goal of establishing a deeper relationship with your consumers. Doing so is certain to help engage your audience, amplify your voice and bring your brand to the next level.