Top 5 Social Media Trends in 2022

Over the years, social media has grown exponentially and has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives. While this growth has led to successful marketing across platforms, it has also spurred an increase in content production, generating an excess of content. Because of the massive amount of content now available, it has become increasingly challenging to stand out online and reach your target audience. Here are the latest social media trends to keep your marketing on track:

#1 TikTok: Social Media’s Game Changer

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In recent years, TikTok has exploded and become one of the most popular social media platforms to date. In 2021, TikTok reached 1 billion active monthly users and that is only the beginning. Just last year the social media platform grew a staggering 45%⁽¹⁾ compared to the previous year.

With those statistics, it is a no-brainer to consider TikTok to reach a larger audience, especially if your brand caters to a younger demographic. With 47% of users being aged 10-29, there is a huge opportunity to appeal to younger audiences. However, there is still a large percentage of users over the age of 30⁽²⁾, so there is a potential to reach an audience with more buying power if you implement a strategic marketing plan.

According to a recent article by Influencer Marketing Hub, this popular social media platform is considered “one of the main platforms that brands can use to reach millennials and Gen Z.”

If you are thinking about jumping on board the TikTok train but aren’t sure where to begin, look no further. At AMP3 PR we work with businesses to attract new customers, expand their audience, promote products, and generate brand awareness through TikTok influencer partnerships and paid media campaigns.

#2 Social Media Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is certainly not a new trend. But is important to understand this quickly evolving social media marketing technique before deciding to implement this strategy.

As one of the top Influencer Marketing Agencies in New York City, our team matches clients with the social influencers who help to bring their products and services to life in an authentic and engaging way. Depending on the budget and client needs we choose trusted macro, micro, and/or celebrity influencers to partner with our clients.

The Influencer marketing industry is set to increase to $16.4 billion in 2022 as brands begin to focus their efforts on social commerce.⁽⁴⁾ As a result, it has become increasingly common for businesses to set budgets for influencer marketing due to the considerable results it has garnered.

Brands have discovered that influencer marketing is also a much cheaper alternative compared to the cost of creating a paid advertisement campaign. While macro-influencers and celebrities have been known to make big impacts, micro-influencers have become exceptional assets for brands for their high content engagement at a lower cost.

#3 The Opportunity of Social Media Commerce

Now more than ever businesses are utilizing social commerce. This means that businesses are giving their social media audience the opportunity to not only engage with the content associated with their products/services but also give users the opportunity to purchase products through their social media networking sites.

Research indicates that 73% of businesses are already participating in social commerce and is expected to increase to 79% in the next three 3 years.⁽⁵⁾

Social commerce is an excellent tool for both large and small businesses. In fact, smaller businesses relied on social storefronts to create revenue during the height of the pandemic. While implementing social storefronts helped many small businesses stay afloat, they have quickly become permanent and necessary additions to almost every business.

Pro Tip: When creating an online storefront on social media we recommend the check-out experience be available instantly in-app, rather than being directed to a website. This allows more instantaneous purchases and removes additional steps that may deter the transaction from being completed.
AMP3 Social Media Team

#4 The Creator Economy Flourishes

The Creator economy, simply put, is a software-facilitated economy that allows creators to earn income from their social media creations. Examples of creator economy software platforms include YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify, Substack, OnlyFans, and Patreon.

This type of economy is now worth billions of dollars; however, with the increase in self-made influencers, social media platforms have developed their own in-app funds to incentivize creators to earn money directly through their social media platforms.

This Creator income chart by Upfluence includes estimated creator funds for Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Ultimately, creators who have strong views, engagement, and at least 10,000 followers will be compensated for high-performing content. Alternatively, creator funds can still be utilized by micro-influencers since their engagement is often higher than macro-influencers or celebrities.

#5 Social Media and Mental Health

In 2021 there were over 4.48 billion users on social media⁽⁶⁾ and the numbers are continuing to skyrocket.

Every day users get online to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information, and even use it as a form of entertainment.

Because it is so easy to expose oneself to both positive and negative information researchers observed that people’s mental health is at stake whether they are consumers or influencers themselves.

With that in mind, there has been a significant increase in influencers and businesses promoting the importance of self-care as well as creating healthier routines to limit social media usage.

As social media users become more self-aware about the connection social media plays on their mental health it is important that companies and influential profiles take the time to show their support to users on a personal level.

This not only shows their audiences that they are more than just followers but demonstrates a need to share and advocate for positive change.

On a larger scale, social media platforms seem to be taking matters into their own hands. In December, Instagram launched its new “Take a Break.” feature, which allows users to set a limited duration of time for daily app usage, after which they will be reminded to take a break from the platform.

Similarly, TikTok has also implemented a similar feature: after you have been scrolling for a certain amount of time, TikTok has a video that reminds you of the duration of your app usage and suggests a break. Mental health advocation is expected to continue to trend, with even more resources, advocacy, and content surrounding the topic.

In conclusion

Social media is constantly evolving, and keeping up to date with trends is important to help remain ahead and differentiate from competitors. If you’re looking to elevate your social media presence personally or professionally be sure to incorporate up-to-date trends into your social media marketing strategy for the best results. If you don’t have the bandwidth to continuously stay up to date about social media, contact AMP3 PR to see how our social media team can help.

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