I’m not a huge fan of general consumer insights and the 2022 social media trends that seem to follow each year’s end.
Most of the time, the trends are the same every year, and there isn’t a lot of depth. However, once in a while, I come across a trend piece that has value, like this one. In this case, we’re talking about the Talkwalker and Hubspot Social Media Trends 2022.
TikTok dominance will force the other platform to innovate
It’s not a social media trend that TikTok dominates usage across all generations and markets. What is a trend is the market disruption it has caused, and how it’s forcing innovation from some other platforms.
Innovation is good. It’s good for business. It’s suitable for users and good for the competitive market.
We’ve seen this happen with Instagram Stories, Facebook, and LinkedIn with the launch of Snapchat. And you can’t forget the rise and stardom of Clubhouse and the social audio craze.
Say “Buh-bye” to cookies and hello to more robust analytics
With the crackdown on cookies, it will be more challenging to follow consumers on their buyer journey. This is why audience data will play a more critical role in marketing. This trend will force marketers to look beyond cookie data and gain better intelligence about the audiences they are trying to reach.
From primary research studies, web analytics, social media intelligence, and audience analytics, there’s a surplus of data for marketers to create message relevancy and surround sound audiences with good content.
Consumer needs are changing, and it’s no secret
The pandemic has turned them upside down. I don’t think 2020 even happened. That’s the social media trend for the last 2 years.
As we head into 2022, it’s clear that consumer needs are evolving for various reasons. I recently recorded a podcast on the connected consumer, and the data is actionable.
But whatever those reasons may be, consumers are voicing their concerns publicly and on social media. This becomes a goldmine of data marketers can use to understand essential issues for their audiences.
Omnichannel engagement is just integrated marketing
Omnichannel marketing is a term often used by marketers to describe the adage of integrated marketing. Some call it PESO – paid, earned, shared, and owned media.
I like to stick to the old school and refer to this as integrated marketing. Of course, it’s easier said than done, but if marketers can master this method, nothing stops them from market dominance.
Not to spew another data point, but we all know that it requires several customer touch-points before belief steps in and action is taken. This depends on the product. The frequency of touchpoints for refinancing services or a new car is much higher than for a hoodie or sneakers.
Simply put, brands must surround sound consumers with consistent, relevant, and repetitive storytelling across all the channels where their customers spend time.
Is influencer marketing still a trend? For B2B and technology brands, it is.
Most brands have either dabbled in some form of influencer marketing or spend millions of dollars per year activating programs. There are a lot of resources for marketers–best practices, key learning, influencer marketing software, and FTC guidelines that help brands navigate disclosure.
I think the trend is more specific to B2B and technology brands, which seem to never get the attention of anyone over at Adweek, Adage, Digiday, or wherever.
The fact is that these brands are also spending millions of dollars on influencer research, organic influencer engagement, and large paid influencer programs.
2022 should prove to be a breakout year for B2B and tech brands and establish themselves as key players in the influencer space with their best practices and key learning.
Metaverse is a thing. I just haven’t wrapped my head around it.
The metaverse is a virtual world. The metaverse for business is an opportunity.
Today with the advancement of technology, internet speeds faster than a bullet train, and innovation happening daily, we are days/weeks/months away from a Minority Report type situation.
Today, brands must focus on creating an immersive and interactive experience that will appeal to users. This can be accomplished by developing avatars and 3D environments that accurately represent the brand and its products. They can launch customer experience programs within the metaverse, offer product demonstrations, and even provide customer service. In addition, brands can use the metaverse to collect user data and feedback. All of this will be essential to stay ahead of the competition.
Brands are building owned media communities
This has been a trend on and off for the last decade. In the early days, companies like Jive and Lithium were helping brands build online communities.
If you’ve ever been to the Apple Forums, this is one example of a branded community often referred to as a forum. I belong to the Brandwatch community, which is meant more for paying customers to share best practices and connect and interact with Brandwatch employees.
If you thank the nature of enterprise social networks, platform outages, and the challenges of organic reach, you can understand why this may be important for brands. It provides them with a direct connection to their audience, and they can own the entire customer experience.