We’re heading towards an increasingly digital future: just a quick look back on 2021 is enough to convince us that this is the case. Over the past year, we’ve witnessed major digital developments, such as the rise of NFTs and the announcement of Meta, not to mention Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies hitting new all-time highs.
All this tells you is that you can’t go into 2022 without setting up a strong and solid digital marketing strategy. To help you do that, we’ve prepared a list of the top social media trends to look out for this year.
Increasing interest in VR/AR
Since human beings are essentially social creatures, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that the adoption of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR and AR) technologies has accelerated since the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Working from home, social distancing and curfews have led people to look for meaningful social interactions virtually.
You can expect a big jump in VR and AR adoption in 2022, as the buzz around concepts like the metaverse and Web 3.0 continues.
As a social media marketer, improving and enhancing customer experience through the use of VR and AR technologies is something you should begin to consider.
Don’t give up on organic engagement
Lets’ face it: having and maintaining an organic social media reach with zero effort is impossible. Without a well-thought-out strategy, without setting clear goals and knowing exactly how to reach them, you won’t be able to build a genuine online community.
If you’re expecting to maintain organic and genuine engagement, you have to provide the right type of content to the right audience. By looking closely at your numbers, reports and data, you will notice that certain content types and formats offer the highest engagement for your business. This will help you set a clearer strategy.
Increase your organic engagement by creating quality and useful content that your followers can appreciate, share, and interact with.
Your goal should be to build an engaged online community that interacts organically and consistently with your posts. Engage and create a bond with your followers, reply to their comments, and answer their questions. And don’t forget to research your audience! Social listening is key here, as it will help you determine which topics to share.
Bite-sized content is the new norm
You hear it all the time: our attention span is gradually decreasing. According to recent studies, human attention span has dropped by 25% since the year 2000 – from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.
What does this mean for you? It means that creating bite-sized content (articles of 600 words or videos shorter than 30 seconds) should be a key element in your marketing strategy.
Use formats that allow you to create snackable and digestible content that helps you get your message across quickly and efficiently. Infographics, short-form videos, and gifs are all great examples.
Choose social media platforms that are well-suited for bite-sized content, such as TikTok and Instagram reels.
TikTok will continue to grow in 2022
The hottest and most downloaded video-focused app of 2021 deserves more than just a rapid mention.
After dominating the social media space last year, TikTok is set to become huge in 2022.
With the increasing popularity of short-form video content, TikTok is expected to reach 1.5 billion monthly average users in 2022, surpassing Instagram.
The app is also on the way to set itself as a major competitor in the e-commerce business. Having already showcased its ability to inspire, influence, and set shopping trends, the developers decided to take it a step further by launching TikTok Shopping, a feature that allows users to shop directly on the platform. Hop on the trend, establish your presence and build a strong community before this feature is embedded; when it’s time, you’ll be able to hit the ground running.
If you haven’t yet included TikTok into your marketing strategy for 2022, you need to get in on the action!
Video content is the future
A study by Cisco shows that by 2022, 82% of all online content will be video content. Just look at the rise of TikTok, the launch of Instagram Videos in October 2021, or the introduction of Youtube Shorts.
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri even announced in 2021 that Instagram is no longer essentially a photo-sharing app: it is now moving more and more into video.
Keep in mind that short-form videos seem to offer even better media social engagement than long-form videos. Think TikTok and Instagram Reels!
Incorporate short-form videos into your strategy to stay relevant, enhance your social presence, and build stronger engagement with your audience.
In a fast-moving industry such as digital marketing, you need to keep up with the latest trends to stay ahead of your competitors. Keep in mind that optimization and a data-driven strategy are crucial: your decision to hop on a trend should always be based on reports and data analysis.
We hope these tips will help your digital media marketing efforts this year. Now, let’s get to work!
Aya Ashour is a digital marketing wizard with over 5 years of experience across the GCC and an unhealthy obsession with pineapples. Aya is the Social Media Director at Bruce Clay MENA.
Although she can’t ride a bike, Aya is seen by her colleagues as a mentor and a data-driven leader who works tirelessly to ensure that her clients reach their social goals.
Her main responsibilities include developing and maintaining strategic editorial plans, proposing project ideas, and keeping clients up to date with their brand’s progress. She is also responsible for conducting research to predict advertising trends and find the best strategies for reaching their ideal target audience.
She now oversees an impressive portfolio of clients, including McDonald’s KSA, Dubai Future Foundation, Talabat UAE, Canon Central and North Africa, LG gulf amongst others.
Aya is a dedicated project manager, and team player who thrives in a fast-paced work atmosphere and is ready to always take her work to the next level.
