Social media will be your best strategic partner in 2022

Throughout the years we’ve seen social media platforms evolve and adapt, providing solutions to satisfy people as both society and consumers. But these platforms aren’t important only for consumers, they have also turned into communication channels for brands, allowing them to interact one-on-one with their customers and target market.

If the digital ecosystem was a typical Hollywood movie’s high school, social media would definitely make it to the cool kid’s table and the prom queen, Tiktok. In 2022, we expect to see more of TikTok, as it’s expected that it only keeps growing, what is going to be interesting is seeing how other social media platforms are strategizing and developing to stay competitive in the market.

In the never-ending career of getting consumers’ highest engagement, social media platforms constantly change their strategies, working to develop features for brands and content creators and increase the quality of the in-app experience. This though will be harder in 2022 as consumers are no longer loyal to one channel, in consequence, these platforms will change in order to provide and improve an omnichannel experience.

This changes the way we consume, not only content but actual products and services. 2021 was the year of e-commerce platforms, in 2022, we’ll see the focus on social selling which is also one of the outcomes of influencer marketing. This is a trend that has been in the works for many years and next year we’ll see it thrive as social platforms like Instagram are using the functionality as the main strategy to increase users and, according to a Hubspot report, 69% of marketers plan to disburse more money on influencers than any other market this year.

Speaking of influencer marketing, with these new tools, regulations, and increased audience, it is expected to only keep growing. We’re not only seeing brands that collaborate with influencers directing a significant percentage of their marketing budget to them, but we’re also seeing consumers following and replicating their aspirational lifestyles. In fact, nearly half of consumers depend on influencer recommendations before purchasing.

But looking closer to those purchases and the reason why influencer marketing continues to stay relevant is that they build a connection with their audience. Influencers have the ability to build communities around specific topics that fit into a certain problem, interest, or lifestyle, providing consumers a feeling of belonging.

The essence of social media is still alive, it’s not only about who’s more popular or who sells more products but who can build a community with members that connect, socialize and maintain relationships. So next year, communities are going to be key in a brand’s strategy and we’ll see this trend expanding to new horizons with alternative in-house social networks, decentralizing social media of any server and company.

While we see these changes in the way we consume, we’ll also see a massive change in our lifestyles as the metaverse gains popularity. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announced in July this year their focus on the metaverse, which shows the increase in the implementation of virtual reality and immersive experiences.

What is most attractive about this, is that in the metaverse, the possibilities are endless. This is a huge asset for the retail industry as these channels reduce the potential issues and barriers they may have when trying to reach a customer.

In conclusion, social media platforms will continue to work with brands to provide the best customer experience, but we will also see a thirst for exploration. Being aware of all these changes and trends is what will help us grow as companies, what comes next is identifying the best ways our brand can take advantage of the new web before someone else takes us out of the market.