8 Social Media Marketing Trends for Brands in 2022

In the past year, we have summarized the news updates of various social media platforms for you, and provided a lot of industry information and case studies on overseas marketing for overseas brands.

In these articles, we have mentioned that in today's society, relying on social media to simultaneously develop online and offline marketing is the only way for brands to go. The growing popularity of social media will also bring about some changes in marketing focus.

In recent years, the transformation of social media has mainly focused on new platform features, new content, and new themes. These constantly updated features can not only adapt to changes in user habits, but also rely on the collected user behavior to analyze whether the purpose of accurate advertising delivery has been achieved. However, with the pandemic and changes in work patterns, user behaviors and habits on social media platforms have also undergone tremendous changes due to factors such as isolation and working from home. Marketers need to prepare for 2022.

In today’s article, SocialBook will combine last year’s industry dynamics and collated data to analyze one by one - the industry trends and business forecasts that brands should pay attention to when operating social media in 2022.

Short videos will continue to lead the content format of social media

Since 2017, TikTok has begun to flourish in overseas markets as an independent form of Douyin, and marketing budgets in European and American markets have also begun to shift towards videos and online live broadcasts on the platform. Compared with the domestic Douyin recommendation model that roughly categorizes content based on user preferences, TikTok overseas integrates a more complex user group. It further divides different races and cultures based on user preferences and habits, and does a better job in user segmentation. Therefore, the advertising potential hidden behind this is more significant.

According to statistics, the number of TikTok's global users reached 1 billion in 2021. In 2022, whether it is TikTok continuing to occupy the top spot in the short video field with an overwhelming momentum, or Instagram launching Reels to promote user engagement, and then to Facebook launching Watch Party, based on the existing data, we expect that short videos will still be the most important link in the marketing promotion industry chain in 2022.

The booming development of social media platforms represented by short video apps and the remarkable achievements of related brands have further verified that in today's user-segmented business model, user purchasing power and online marketing are inextricably linked. Major brands should continue to invest in marketing in the short video field, which will not only help to convey the brand image and the latest information in a timely manner, but also maintain user participation in related topics and increase brand exposure and coverage.

The combination of e-commerce and social media is a major trend

If you frequently browse Instagram, you will find that more and more brands like to place advertisements on its Stories feature. In addition, brands also like to attach purchase links on the display page, and users can be directed to the official website by swiping up.

When refreshing content, users are often attracted by various pleasing pictures and can't help but click on the link to enter the purchase page, thus developing the habit of shopping on social media platforms. The success of Instagram Checkout and Facebook Shops proves that users prefer to complete their purchase directly on the same page when they see a promotion they are interested in, rather than opening a separate web page to pay.

The proportion of one-off promotional content has decreased

The development of social media in recent years has forced many brands to start operating their own official accounts. However, the content posted by most of these accounts is simply copied and pasted, and the implication of hard advertising is also very obvious. Users who are tired of being bombarded with information often ignore and scroll away when they see such content. This is what we usually call "one-time advertising."

Promotional content without characteristics and brand genes will only lower user favorability, and what brands need to do is to avoid empty slogan-style promotion and boring copy and paste. Here we can learn from Durex, a veteran in the advertising copywriting industry. The tweets they publish are very consistent with the brand characteristics and product features in terms of content, timing and pictures, and can create a connection between the product and the target users, causing resonance. The high shareability and participation promotes secondary dissemination and sharing by users.

Social hot topics and marketing are more deeply tied together

It is no longer a new thing to achieve marketing goals by taking advantage of social hot spots. The brand's stance and voice can show the brand's attitude towards a certain hot topic, which can greatly affect users' favorability towards the brand. Just like the donation made by Erke to the Henan flood before, which triggered widespread discussion and support from "tap water" fans, it can be said to be a representative win-win event.

In 2022, the development of social media and the improvement of its functions will further promote people's attention and discussion of social hot spots. Every statement made by a brand may bring positive effects to itself, but it may also be repeatedly criticized. Therefore, every time you release content to catch the trend, you should conduct multiple reviews and, if necessary, ask a third party to review it to avoid public relations crises.

Promotional content is more humane

As mentioned above, in addition to gradually reducing the proportion of one-time hard advertisements in promotional content, we must also focus on developing humanized "effective promotion". When creating, editing and publishing promotional copy and promotion, we must start from the perspective of user experience and find entry points from consumer pain points. This kind of personalized content customization is the strength of influencer marketing. Influencer bloggers convey the different aspects of a product to users in different ways, which not only narrows the distance between the brand and users, but also makes the sharing more credible. SocialBook's numerous cooperation cases also prove the reliability of influencer marketing. Finding a professional intermediary to contact the influencer who best matches the brand's products can significantly reduce advertising costs.

Social media platforms will be treated more like search engines

I don’t know when it started, but when I encounter a problem or want to learn more about a product, my first reaction is not to go to Baidu or Google, but to read reviews on Xiaohongshu or YouTube. The sharing nature of social media determines that it can largely assume some of the functions of search engines, and compared with the official results of search engines, social media content with subjective comments often makes people feel more authentic and reliable.

In the coming year, users will continue to discover new brands, products and services through social media platforms. Whether it is a new internet-famous restaurant or a recently popular clothing brand, it can become popular in this way.

The boundaries between fans and influencers are becoming more blurred

Influencer marketing will continue to be the main force in social media advertising in recent years, but with the emergence of influencer reviews, brands must now take their fans and users seriously, because they also play a role in the influencer's sharing to a large extent. Fans express their likes and dislikes of a given product through comments, discussions, and individual posts. They are often considered "indirect influencers" because many users judge the authenticity of a tweet through their comments and messages.

Brands also usually establish a positive brand image and enhance their credibility by publishing customer reviews. The phenomenon of customers becoming spokespersons is gradually becoming the norm. Users are no longer passive consumers of content and products. They are beginning to have greater say and have considerable influence in promoting brands.

Don’t forget a clear brand purpose

In the traditional business model, users only focus on what the brand provides - products or services. However, with the advancement of social media and the further development of public opinion, users have begun to pay attention to the values ​​behind the brand and whether the brand purpose is in line with contemporary mainstream values. Take the artificial meat industry, which became popular last year, as an example. From vegetarian brands to organic brands, each brand has begun to emphasize its contribution to the environment and the value it creates for society while providing products. A positive brand purpose can, in turn, enhance user stickiness and drive the direction of public opinion. To achieve this, it is also necessary to convey the slogan to users through appropriate publicity methods.

Author: SocialBook Global Influencer Marketing

Source: Quanmeipai (ID: quanmeipai)