The biggest social media trends to watch out for this year

It often feels like we are being constantly bombarded by fresh social media trends, especially at the start of a new year. The speed at which social media moves inevitably means that change is always just around the corner. If you’re keen to optimise the resources that you dedicate to social media then no doubt you want to make the most of this year’s social trends without getting lost in the overwhelming number of options available. So, these are our tips on the biggest social media trends to watch out for this year.

Instagram hands over to TikTok

You may have become used to Instagram as the go to channel for social marketing but this year it’s going to be TikTok that matters. Last September TikTok grew beyond the one billion users mark – given that it had just 689 million users in January last year, that’s a huge rate of growth, and one worth noticing. Between 2018 and 2020, TikTok growth hit 1,157% – compare that to Instagram, which was 6% in 2020. If you want to get started with TikTok but you’re feeling a bit intimidated then do it slowly. Get an account handle for your brand and start using the platform so that it feels familiar.

Social media purchasing becomes an expectation

It’s no longer just about offering social shopping as an option but ensuring this is available to customers who now see it as a must have. Forecasters predict that the social shopping market is going to be worth $80 billion by 2025. Even before the pandemic, 81% of shoppers were using social media to discover new brands and being able to buy directly from that research is a logical next step.

Video is still vital – but only if it’s short

Other than on YouTube, the trend for social media video this year is towards much shorter excerpts. When IGTV first arrived it looked like long form video was going to be the way forward but today that’s been sidelined and we are seeing much more drive towards short-form moving image content. This isn’t just about any old short form video content though – it needs to be engaging and entertaining if it’s going to work.

It’s essential to get to grips with social media ads

Organic reach has been declining for some time on social media – for example, today, on Facebook the average organic reach for a post is 5.2%. That means that only around 5% of your followers actually see your posts. The way to overcome this is to learn the most effective ways to boost your posts with social media ads. If you want to embrace this then experiment with promoting your top posts to see if you can reach more people or consider investing in a social advertising platform.

2022 is going to be another big year for social media and these are some of the trends that are most likely to define the landscape going forward. To find out how Iconic Digital can help you with your social media channels in 2022, get in touch today, call us on 020 7100 0726. Find out more about our Social Media Marketing Agency in London.