Social Media Trends to Watch in 2022
It’s no secret...the landscape of social media is changing, and marketers will have to, too.
We’ve mostly seen changes and testing with Instagram. But what will social media “success” look like in 2022? How will brands, businesses, and creators have to change with the times and social algorithms?
Below is a breakdown of 2022 social media trends based on research and recent happenings in the space:
1. History Repeats Itself: Long-Form Content is Back
Long-Form video content was the trend until TikTok was born and only allowed for 15-second videos. Then Instagram launched Reels, which, for some, allowed for only 15 seconds whereas other users had access to 30-second videos. Then TikTok expanded to allowing 60-second videos. TikTok now allows for 3-minute videos, and Instagram offers 60-second Reels.
Long-form video content has come full circle in about 2 years, and each platform you can think of is launching their own version of long-form video posting/streaming.
Yes. Including LinkedIn.
What does this mean if you manage your own social media?
Show up! Show up on Instagram Stories, post videos, post reels, utilize trending audio, go behind the scenes of your life, be honest, be transparent, share your ups, share your downs. As long as you’re staying authentic and consistent, you’re golden.
**Disco Social Tip: if you’ve been invited by Instagram to participate in Reels Bonuses or Reels Badges, sign up - don’t wait! You can make money creating Reels. Stay tuned for a full blog on the topic!
What does this mean for social media managers?
Your clients will HAVE to be more involved. It’ll be a requirement for them, or someone on their team, to show their face on their individual and/or brand platforms. This also means your job may be a bit more time consuming. Creating videos with clients, then editing those videos, will definitely take more time than you’re used to.
Don’t be afraid to charge more - the benefits (some monetary and some non-monetary) will be outstanding if you’re doing it right!
2. Focus on Video Content…For EVERYTHING
You may have noticed that your static posts may not be getting as much engagement anymore. If you’re interested in increasing your Instagram engagement and followers, Reels is what you need to be doing. Video content is also proven to be the top feature for Pinterest and TikTok (obviously), and probably soon to be the #1 type of content for Facebook and LinkedIn.
Whether you’re posting on Instagram Stories or Feed, video content is key! Don’t forget to make use of other engaging features Instagram offers: Story stickers, geo tagging, hashtags, and more.
3. The Triple Threat: Consistency, Quality, and your X-Factor
There’s a misconception that being a content creator/influencer is vapid or easy. The truth is, even if content looks silly, odds are, it’s taken someone quite a while to create their content. If you’re putting effort in, creating an Instagram Reel can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours (think about makeup artists - part of creating their reel is taking probably 2 hours just to put on their makeup for the final result).
Consistency
There’s no such thing as just posting “here and there.” In order to see Instagram success, especially with Reels, you must be posting at least 3 times per week, with a happy maximum being 5 times per week. Some people will suggest posting every day. We don’t recommend this. Have you noticed some content popping up on your feed, saying it was posted 2 days ago? This is because the shelf-life of Instagram is 48 hours. Your content can continue to attract engagement for up to 48 hours, and if you post every day, you’ve got 2-3 pieces of content competing with each other.
Remember, Instagram feed posts & Instagram Reels have their own algorithm. So you definitely can post a static feed post one day & a Reel the next. They shouldn’t compete with each other but sometimes that’s not guaranteed
Quality
Low-quality content will get you nowhere. Avoid photos that are fuzzy or pixelated and horizontal images (your content should be vertical: 1350x1080); and avoid lagging, poorly edited videos. If you’re serious about growing and improving your social media presence, it might be wise to invest in a high-quality camera (and YES, that can just mean upgrading your phone!).
Best Phone Cameras (in order from best to lowest quality)
iPhone 13 Pro / Pro Max - there aren’t too many changes with the newest iPhone, but the camera, for photo and video, is excellent
iPhone 12 Pro / Pro Max - if you aren’t eligible for an upgrade or want to pay as little as possible, the iPhone 12 is still a great phone camera and does have amazing photo and video quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra - rumor has it, this has an outstanding camera zoom - something that iPhone still hasn’t quite mastered. Many had previously complained that Samsung didn’t deliver on their high-quality camera promise for the S20, but we’ve heard that the S21 is worth every penny.
Google Pixel 6 Pro - while this is definitely a good camera, the battery life is average. So if you’re someone that’s always on your phone, especially for work, this may not be the best upgrade for you.
For more details and full reviews, check out the full list HERE.
Best Cameras (in order from best to lowest quality)
Sony A7iii - it’s no surprise that the highest-rated camera would cost you an arm and a leg. Actually it’ll cost you about $2,000. But if you’re determined to make blogging or content creation your career, or at least a serious side-hustle, it might be worth the investment.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III - priced at around $1,500
Sony a6400 - priced at around $1,400
Fujifilm X-T30 - priced at around $800
There are plenty of other quality and cost-effective cameras out there, these are simply the ones that we know of that come recommended by influencers we trust. Don’t be afraid to reach out to some of your favorite influencers to ask what they use!
Your X-Factor
While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, what will make you stand out is your individuality! Be a unique content creator. As we mentioned above, as long as you’re staying authentic and consistent, you’re golden.
4. Customer Connection
“Isolation” has been an unfortunate theme over the last 2 years and plenty of brands and businesses stepped up their customer service efforts - some even changed policies to be more flexible!
When it came to social media, most businesses - especially small businesses - tried to maintain some normalcy when it came to purchasing/booking experiences. Now, that struggle to evolve during unprecedented times is the new norm and it’s hard to see it going back. Welcome to the new customer service via social media trends.
Companies were able to amp up their connection with their customers through:
User-generated content
Responding to comments
Being more transparent and having empathy
User-Generated Content
Follain is a great example of a business that re-shares their customer’s content (user-generated content). This reinforces that connection that brands build with their audience, by asking their customers to tag them in their photos to be featured on their page. For example, Follain encourages customers to use their hashtag #livefollain and gives credit to the original poster.
Responding to Comments
Given that one method of shopping and customer service was temporarily eliminated (in-person), companies tried to enhance their other methods of communication. Soon enough, it became a normal practice for businesses to handle customer service conversations, questions, returns/exchanges, and issues through social media comments and direct messenger.
Take Warby Parker for example!
Being More Transparent and Having Empathy
Companies immediately took to social media to provide updates about their business, especially within the early days of the pandemic. Many adjusted their hours of business, their methods of customer service, and even permanently adjusted the way they operate and their policies. Some even handled product/business issues publicly in the comments!
Most companies started to use the phrase, “we’re in this together,” and, for the first time, selling didn’t quite feel like selling. There didn’t quite feel like a “higher ground” when it came to the customer vs. the company. We were (and honestly, most still are) ALL struggling.
Companies began to feel the appreciation from consumers and, so far, have made transparency a key element to customer service moving forward.
5. Networking
While in-person events are taking place, on-and-off, it’s more possible than ever to network digitally. Take a look at some of the most popular avenues to connect with other professionals:
Audio rooms
LinkedIn
Facebook groups
Zoom events
Eventbrite
Audio Rooms
The short-lived, invite-only platform was Clubhouse. It still exists and many people still utilize it, but it’s not as hyped up as it was when it launched in April 2020. It’s basically an audio-only social media platform, described as a way to “discover millions of rooms, filled with fascinating and unexpected conversations.”
People will host not only “interesting conversations,” but also seminars and coaching sessions, many with the hopes of gaining new clients or business. There’s no doubt this has worked and is definitely an avenue to explore.
This is a no-brainer platform that’s been around for a while. However, LinkedIn continues to make effective updates to improve your time and success on the platform (however you define success for YOU) and, word on the street is, even bigger updates will be coming - thinking Spaces for Twitter…but on LinkedIn. What do we think?!
LinkedIn is also starting to focus on video content & creator sub-platform, but we’ll do another blog about that later.
Facebook Groups & Audio Rooms
This is also somewhat of a no-brainer platform, but it’s not just Facebook Groups that are a great way to connect with other professionals. Facebook is rolling out Audio Rooms (similar to Clubhouse). This is currently only available to select people right now, but be checking your Facebook App on your phone to see what it’ll be available to you.
You’ll be able to monetize your rooms, raise money, invite speakers, and schedule an audio room event. How cool!
If you have Audio Rooms, definitely get ahead of the game and check it out now! Here’s everything you need to know on how to get started.
✶ Let’s Chit Chat ✶
Social media is always changing. The great thing about these trends is that you’re not required to start from scratch! Keeping up with social media trends allows for your brand to simply evolve over time and allow more freedom with the way you interact with your audience.
It’s definitely work to keep up with trends and changes. That’s why Disco Social is here! If you need help with your social media, feel free to get in touch with Malena for a free consultation!
