With the new year upon us, we wanted to take the time to start predicting what will be trendy this year on Social Media and how you can use these predictions to get ahead. As a business owner, it can be exhausting to stay on top of trends in the social space–if you are not on top of it daily you can quite literally blink and miss a world trend. In today’s blog we’re not talking about TikTok dances or soundbites, or Instagram themes of the day but instead overarching trends that you want to be aware of as a business owner.
Here are three predictions for 2022 social media trends from the Hubspot trends report that business owners should be aware of.
-
There will be a TikTok Takeover.
This prediction is not a surprise for us. We’ve watched TikTok climb the ranks of social platforms since 2020 and knew only time would prove its strength.
TikTok is breaking download records, becoming the first non-Facebook app to reach 3-BILLION global downloads (Hubspot 2022 Trend Report).
The secret sauce to TikTok’s success is two-fold. For one, our attention span for digital content is getting shorter. These short-form videos are the perfect length to capture us and urge us to continue scrolling. Secondly, TikTok is driven by consumer content. Just recently the app evolved into a space where paid advertisements are allowed, but the platform still primarily consists of content creators partnering with brands in different ways to organically promote them.
But how can you tap into this market as a small business owner?
TikTok is known for creating success for niche communities and creators. With a small business, you likely have a very particular product or service that could generate great success on this app when positioned correctly. Just like any other social media platform, content that is on-brand and created with strategy will likely thrive.
Before you even think of what content you’d push to this platform, ensure you have a complete understanding of your brand & its purpose. Having this baseline knowledge will act as a resource for content creation and will ensure everything you post is on-brand.
-
No More Cookies & Ads
This trend prediction is slightly more complicated than the rise of TikTok as it requires some knowledge of how cookies work to improve your digital advertising.
As of now, cookies are used to collect data on consumers at practically every touchpoint on the internet. Advertisers then use this data to target a very specific demographic with their advertisements.
This could all change as Google works to phase out cookie tracking by 2023 (Hubspot 2022 Trend Report).
The collection of this data is an absolute goldmine for advertisers, and losing it will require some strategic analysis and rethinking of the advertising game.
What does this mean for you?
As a business owner, you need to have a robust digital marketing strategy (or hire an agency to strategize for you) that utilizes more than just paid advertising.
You need to strategically use all social platforms, including Google, to create an organic and long-lasting connection to your consumers. Focus your efforts on creating a brand that people resonate with rather than a plan for extreme targeting.
-
Brand Inclusivity will be Critical.
Consumers are heavily focused on buying from brands that align with their core values. If your brand makes empty promises or is pride/green washing without year-long action or commitment to said cause then you could be on the wrong side of a PR attack and decline in sales.
Brands need to thoroughly analyze their actions, deeds, and culture to stay on top in 2022. (Hubspot 2022 Trends Report).
What does this mean for you?
Before determining your marketing and social media strategy, you need to clearly understand your brand’s purpose, voice, & heart. Branding goes much deeper than just aesthetics. You need to understand what your mission is (beyond selling your product or service), who your target audience is and how you plan to reach and communicate to them.
You need to be clear about who you are and what your brand represents – and then stick to it.
Conclusion…
No business, regardless of size is excused from these trends. Consumers want small to large corporations to align with their social identities. It’s integral to start your 2022 planning with these trends in mind and understanding/determining how they impact your business and how you can get ahead of them. The power of social media for businesses is only increasing, so if 2021 was a year of improvement for your business on the social front, let 2022 be your adoption of social media with open arms and great enthusiasm. Social media works and it’s not too late to have it work for you!
If you’d like to learn more about social media and how it could benefit your business I would suggest reaching out to a digital agency to learn more. Working with a digital marketing agency, like Third Eye Insights, can be extremely helpful because you can outsource the digital aspect of your brands to experts and continue doing what you do best–running your business and caring for your clients. You’re the expert on your business; we’re the expert on marketing your business. Contact me today to learn more about Third Eye Insights.
And if you want to read the other 2022 Trend predictions from Hubspot not mentioned in this article please click here.