Social media marketing is still set to grow this 2022. Webinars became regular events. Online messengers became meeting rooms at work. But what is most important is that platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube became the go-to resources to discover a brand, product, or service.
According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, there are around 3.96 billion social media users today. That is more than half of the world’s population. The top global social media platforms, as noted by a social media agency Hong Kong, are the following:
- TikTok
- Snapchat
But a video marketing agency Hong Kong highlights the importance of brands and businesses never underestimating the power of YouTube.
Last year, social media networks cemented a lot of changes. This led to many marketers refocusing their social media strategies. As social media will continue to be an important part of the marketing approach, here are the top 5 social media trends in 2022. These can better guide brands and businesses with their marketing plans.
Customer Support
Today, customer support is very important. Responding to customer inquiries can help brands and businesses build strong relationships with modern consumers. The expectations of customers continue to increase, and only the best brands and businesses can keep up with them.
Microsoft has recorded that customer support drives brand loyalty to 96% of consumers. Around 60% of customers value the support of a brand or business more than the price of a product. This makes companies with excellent customer support grow their revenue by 4% to 8%.
In social media, 80% of financial services offer dedicated Twitter customer support. As they respond to 8x more tweets, they get 10x more mentions. At Facebook, millions of companies connect with their audiences via Messenger support.
Influencer Marketing
Influencers can be categorized according to their number of followers:
- Nano Influencers have 1000 to 10,000 followers.
- Micro-Influencers have 10,000 to 100,000 followers.
- Macro Influencers have 100,000 to 1,000,000 followers.
- Mega Influencers have more than 1,000,000 followers.
One of the top 5 social media trends in 2022 is the rise of micro-influencers. Brands and businesses favored them because of their affordability and higher engagement rates.
An average engagement rate benchmark of 2021 from the Influencer Marketing Hub shows that micro-influencers have the highest engagement rates on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. As the number of followers increases, the engagement rate decreases.
Live Streaming
Live streaming is significantly rising as one of the top 5 social media trends in 2022. This is because of technology. Many social media networks have reinforced live shopping with new capabilities for viewers to easily complete the buying process of products and services. In fact, Facebook’s daily watch time for live broadcast quadrupled last year.
Live shopping has risen because it gives sellers the ability to showcase their products and their features. During the process, they can interact with buyers to facilitate making a purchase in real-time. They have successfully managed entertainment, shopping, and socializing in one go.
Paid Advertising
Paid advertising I also called paid social media. It means brands and businesses paying Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc., to have their content shared with a specific target audience. It can be designing a unique advertisement or boosting organic content. Social media users do not only increase the time they spend online. But they also get accustomed to online shopping.
Forbes forecasted paid advertising to continue its bull run as one of the top 5 social media trends in 2022. Brands and businesses will allow 51% of their digital spending to paid advertising on Facebook and Google. They will also look to maximize social media analytics from paid advertising to drive better business results.
Social Media Shopping
During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, social commerce boom. Social commerce means using social media as an online shopping platform. Facebook and Instagram launched digital storefronts called “Shops.” In fact, 73.7% of total ad spending on these platforms during the last quarter of 2020 went to storefront feeds.
This year the revenue for social media shopping is estimated to reach $492 billion globally. From product discovery to making a purchase, modern consumers find it more convenient to shop online. Social media platforms have become a part of our daily lives. That is why they reshape how people buy and sell.