2022 Social Media Trend Predictions
Guest post by Becca Booker of Homemade Social
New year, new trends. Social media is a constantly evolving industry and in order to put our best foot forward year over year, it’s important to spend time not only diving into past analytics and trends but also gaining foresight on where social media is headed.
Read on for the top three trends we expect to see in the digital space in 2022!
Short Form Video
In 2022, video content will remain king. With TikTok and Instagram ranking as some of the most downloaded apps in the app store, it’s no question why brands should consider jumping on the bandwagon.
Tiktok and Instagram Reels will not only continue to take off this year, but we can also expect to see the lifespan of trends shorten as new trends are produced at a rapid rate.
TikToks and Reels aren’t the only form of video content we expect to see reign on top this year. While static memes will continue to prompt engagement in 2022, we expect to see memes and video merge into video memes! Here’s an example of a video meme for inspiration.
The commonality we find between all three of these content types is ultimately their relatability. In 2022, brands will be challenged to better appeal to consumers by perhaps loosening strict brand guidelines and showing more of their human side.
Influencer Marketing
To keep up the rise of influencer marketing, Instagram shared in a recent blog post that “in the coming months, [they’ll] begin testing a native affiliate tool that will allow creators to discover new products available on checkout, share them with their followers and earn commissions for the purchases they drive — all within the Instagram app.”
Because of this, it’s no question whether or not we can expect to see a spike in influencer marketing efforts in 2022.
Especially with the rise of video features and platforms like TikTok, now more than ever brands are in need of creators that are willing to be the face of their brand and take the wheel when it comes to tapping into niche audiences through engaging content.
With so many niche communities, TikTok creators will be a sought-after commodity this year in the influencer marketing world.
Engagement Opportunities
This past year, Instagram has come out with countless engagement stickers on stories and even recently released the ability to reply to comments with a Reel.
Additionally, Instagram has now enabled brands to create event reminders that followers can turn on notifications for.
We don’t see the rolling out of engaging features like this slowing down anytime soon.
Why is this good news?
The more a user engages with your content, the more it signals to the Instagram algorithm that your content is resonating with them. As a result, the algorithm will show your content to that person in higher priority in the scroll, and possibly even push it to more people as well. Meaning, the more opportunity we have to spark engagement with our audience, the better.
We know what you’re thinking: what about the three new feed types (Home, Following, and Favorites) that Instagram plans to roll out by mid-2022? Wouldn’t this change the algorithm? Yes and no!
This algorithm would remain relevant for users that choose to scroll through the Home feed AND all users when browsing through Stories.
We hope this blog post was insightful for you in discovering a few 2022 social media trend predictions!
For more tips on how to navigate these trends, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for social media freebies, tips, and more!
xx- The Homies of Homemade Social
Photo credit: Rachel Smak
Becca Booker - Northern-California made, Becca received a double-major in Marketing and Journalism from Barrett, The Honors College at ASU and now lives under the sun in Phoenix, Arizona. Shortly after graduating, Becca created her business and quickly became a respected entrepreneur in the valley.
Dubbed the “modern social media queen” by AZ Foothills, Becca is revolutionizing the social media game and inspiring brands to use innovative tactics to grow their social media. She also is a loving dog mom of Jojo the Heeler mix (why yes, her dog has an Instagram), and can be found with a Venti Iced Soy Matcha Latte in hand at almost all times.