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Social Media Trends In The New Year

Social Media Trends in the New Year

The social media landscape is constantly evolving, so much so that it can seem like an incredibly daunting task to stay on top of all the different trends, let alone take advantage of them to take your social media marketing efforts to the next level. It certainly pays to stay on top of these social media trends, but you shouldn’t be changing your social media marketing strategies every other month to try and capitalize on trends as they come and go. Many social media trends don’t last that long, so by the time you’ve formulated a strategy, it may not even be viable anymore. Additionally, changing up your strategies so often will make your marketing efforts disorganized, and you won’t have enough time or data to see what’s truly working. The new year is the perfect time to take stock of how the social media landscape has changed and the trends you anticipate so you can adapt your social media marketing strategies to make the most of the trends you expect to be sticking around. Here, we’ll be taking a look at how social media trends will be changing in the new year and what you can expect in the space going forward.

Increasing popularity of QR codes

QR codes are a social media trend that has been quickly increasing in popularity. Quick Response (QR) codes, a type of matrix barcode that can convey a wide range of different information when “scanned” by the camera of a smartphone, saw a marked increase across a variety of industries following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As people became more used to them and recognized the convenience and contactless services they offered, more and more industries and businesses adopted QR codes. This useful social media trend should continue to increase throughout the new year, offering a unique opportunity for social media marketers. QR codes in social media can be used to lead consumers to all sorts of digital experiences, unlock exclusive social media content, or simply bring users to a specific post or account. All of this serves to increase brand awareness and drive more traffic to a brand’s social media accounts to increase their following and presence on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

Influencers and affiliates driving more social commerce

2022 Social Media Trends

Shoppable Instagram posts first premiered on the photo-sharing platform in 2018, but it wasn’t until the onset of the pandemic that they became almost ubiquitous amongst brands and influencers. As more people were spending time inside, they were spending more time on social media, and brands began collaborating with influencers more than ever to create innovative promotional content. This gave brands more visibility in front of their target audience, and the shoppable posts made it easier than ever for consumers to buy a product that catches their interest. In-app purchasing isn’t the only benefit of influencer and affiliate marketing – brands can show their products being used by an influencer customers trust to show how it looks in action and give an honest review. Additionally, smaller influencers began attracting the attention of businesses because they were more affordable and offered audiences that, while smaller, were more loyal. These micro-influencers also specialized in specific business niches, meaning companies could tailor their content to target a specific audience and see better results. Whether working with these micro-influencers, larger influencers, or celebrities, expect to see a lot more influencer partnerships in 2022.

Brand inclusivity and sustainability

In part a result of the pandemic, inclusivity and sustainability have become increasingly important to the population. In order to appeal to this steadily growing consumer base interested in supporting socially and environmentally conscious brands, many companies will be taking to social media to share their efforts to be more inclusive and make their operations more environmentally friendly. In order to take advantage of this increased interest in inclusivity and sustainability, a business must employ social media strategies beyond sharing promotional and branded content. This strategy will include listening to the needs and desires of consumers, acting accordingly, and creating content that reflects their stance on key issues and shows the impact of their actions.   

Ready to start creating trendy content that capitalizes on these social media trends so you can grow your following, increase market share, and make more sales? Contact the social media specialists at SocialSEO today and learn how we can help take your social media marketing efforts to the next level here in the new year! Call for a quote today.

SocialSEO Team