Up and down the country, social media managers are scratching their heads preparing for another year of content to fuel their social strategies.

In the past two years particularly, the way in which brands market their products or services has shifted to meet the continuing needs of customers. 

With a staggering 3.7 billion social media users recorded in 2021, it can be difficult to gauge exactly what type of content your consumers want to see. So, take a look at our top 5 social media content trends for 2022 that are set to change the game.

1. It’s all about TikTok 

Image source: www.influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-ads

It’s no secret that TikTok soared to success during the pandemic. Due to its rapid growth, your brand cannot afford to ignore this platform’s potential. 

With an audience dominated by Millenials and Gen-Z, TikTok provides ample opportunities to connect with brands and produce content rich in creativity, innovation, and transparency. If you want your brand to outperform the competition, getting on board with this social media content trend for 2022 is a must.

With the popularity of TikTok continuing to rise incredibly fast, other social media platforms have followed suit with the ability to produce short form video content. For example, Instagram has introduced its Reels feature where content creators can share snippets of content to their followers in the hope it grabs the attention of the TikTok generation. Across TikTok, the trends come and go so rapidly, your brand must be on the ball. From fun dances, user-generated content, memes, and trending sounds and songs, there are so many ways your brand can use these to leverage your digital presence.

2. Consistency is key 

Image source: www.instagram.com/innocent

Brands are always seeking new ways to reach new potential audiences, and consistency is key.

This social media content trend for 2022 is anticipated to help brands reach new audiences through social media. The idea is to be as active as possible on your channels and produce consistent posts at least once a week, so your consumers are always seeing your content. Equally, how your brand looks and feels should remain consistent. Stick to the same house style of fonts, colour palette and tone of voice. This way, your brand will be at the forefront of their minds. 

It’s also important to leverage trends of the social landscape to show your customers that you’re on the ball, and integrate high-quality photography to establish your brand as professional and desirable to others. 

3. Try before you buy with augmented reality 

Image source: www.corporate.homedepot.com

Augmented reality (AR) has sparked interest and engagement since the technology was first introduced, and it’s now a social media trend for 2022 that is set to soar. 

AR has been proven to improve click-through rates to purchases up to 33% which is why many brands have integrated this technology into their social media strategies. 

Today, consumers prefer to test products out before committing to a purchase. A great example includes Home Depot who released its Project Colour app whereby consumers could test out different paint colours in their home, taking into account objects, lighting and shadows. 

Another brand to jump on the AR craze is beauty brand, Sephora. They understood the struggle for those unable to find the right shade of foundation or lipstick when ordering online. Through the intelligent technology of the Virtual Artist, users are able to test out the makeup visually to see what each product looks like on their face. 

There are so many ways to integrate AR into your brand marketing strategy. More often than not, your customers will want to try your product before they buy. So, put yourself in the shoes of your customers and ask – how would I like to sample this product?

4. Align influencer marketing to your brand 

Image source: www.central.gymshark.com

Influencer marketing has been a consistent trend that becomes increasingly popular year on year. 

With many consumers putting their trust into influencers over a brand, this is a social media content trend for 2022 that needs to be in your strategy. As the year goes on, the combination of social media and e-commerce will strengthen and in turn, increase sales of your product or service. 

A great example of a brand that excels in influencer marketing is Gymshark. Since the beginning of the business venture, Gymshark has been partnered with several influencers and they continue to do so when promoting their brand. Recently, they collaborated with Instagram fitness influencers and identical twins, Kathryn & Kendra (also known as KK Fit) to launch a new gym wear range. KK Fit were then centre stage of the campaign and promoted the new range on her social media to their 1.1 million followers.

It’s crucial to align influencer marketing to your brand and ethos. To really enhance your social media strategy, invest in influencers with more engaged audiences to ensure they are relevant to your brand. Take a look at your business, can you think of any potential industry-focused micro-influencers that could represent you? 

5. Incorporate ‘snackable’ content into your strategy

Image source: @bmw on TikTok

With TikTok content, Stories features across the main social channels, and the introduction of Reels to Instagram, consumers are craving short form content, now called ‘snackable.’ 

This social media content trend for 2022 tailors to Millenials and Gen-Z who are said to have a progressively short social attention span. In order to break through the noise and capture the attention of those continually scrolling, creating innovative, engaging, and easily digestible content in a ‘snackable’ format will help educate users of your brand in just a matter of seconds. 

For example, BMW’s creative team uses cutting-edge camera techniques, behind-the-scenes content, memes, as well as showcasing car features in bite-sized format. By using social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to their advantage, they create a less serious profile for their customers, enabling them to connect on a deeper level while simultaneously promoting their products and services. 

That’s our top trends in a nutshell. If you need help with your social media strategy, you’re not sure where to start with your 2022 plan, or you simply don’t have the time, we can help.