As we are close to the second quarter of 2022, from which a lot is expected in the sphere of digital business, and especially advertising, it is not out of place to look once again at the trends predicted by experts in this field.
After turbulent pandemic years in which many brands and companies have been forced to work tactically and make important decisions in an instant just to survive, now is the time to think strategically again. Sellers, and above all marketers, will have to focus on how to create connected and lasting online communities, using the huge potential of social media sales with a commitment to customer care that emerged as the most important item in online business during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trends that should be followed on social networks in 2022 are the topic of many portals, especially foreign ones, but not all of them are applicable in our country, and their relevance is questionable for many. However, Hootsuite, the most widely used social media management platform, brings a studious study on this topic that analyses those issues that marketers constantly want to learn about, and above all about behaviour and productivity within platforms that are constantly evolving and updating, and within what we have all already adopted it as what, in the absence of a better term, we call the "new normality".
Based on a multi-month survey of 18,100 customers, reports and data from Harvard and other relevant institutions, detailed market analysis and interviews with numerous experts in this field, they identified five key social media trends that will mark 2022.
1. Brand strategy
Brands finally have the opportunity to gather their customers more centrally, primarily thanks to the creators of digital content, to get to know them better and build successful brand strategies based on that. This is largely related to the trend of personalization of content through which brands reach new followers who belong to their target group. Digital communities are becoming more centralized when it comes to lifestyles and user interests, and digital content creators are key in recognizing them. Brands that collaborate wisely with creators will connect more quickly with new audiences who are interested in their offerings, and in this way will gain their trust and create an opportunity to increase capital.
2. Advertising on social networks
In jargon, users have become spoiled when it comes to creativity in digital advertising and their standards are higher in that sense, and therefore expectations. In line with the already mentioned trend of personalization, which will definitely continue in 2022, the algorithms are based on the interests of users who expect ads that are specific to them, but which are at the same time interesting enough to attract and retain their attention. The audience on social networks is more and more demanding, but it is also ready to reward brands that are aware of that and that manage to meet their requirements. In this regard, brands and companies that plan to invest money in advertising on social networks in 2022, will have to increase creative resources and create ads that will interest users, but which will be consistent with different experiences that each social network individually offers.
3. Return on investment
Having become aware of the importance of social networks in marketing, marketers are paying more and more attention to ROI measurements, with more and more trust in them. As many as 83 percent of marketing experts interviewed by Hootsuite state that they were somewhat, very or extremely confident in the results of ROI measurements. In this regard, major market players are investing heavily in training programs for their employees to better listen to the impact they have on social media, as well as the feedback they receive from their users in order to improve their business and increase social value. their companies.
4. Trade through social networks
Sales through social networks are in full swing after the Covid-19 pandemic, and the opportunities it provides are growing. A survey by Hootsuite shows that users are increasingly looking for information about purchases and brands on social networks compared to search engines, and this was said by over 53 percent of respondents. In this regard, social media sales are the trend with the most potential in 2022, both for small competing manufacturers and large brands. The opportunities for successful sales through social networks are huge for both of them.
5. Customer Service
In addition to becoming a retail and product retrieval platform, social networks have also become a channel for customer service. Many brands have recognized this and started using them to provide them, realizing that customers are most trying to reach out to them through social media. In this regard, they have become an important, with a tendency to become the most important, customer support channel.
In general, social networks are the center of new business that is growing exponentially. Whatever happens in the year ahead, the good news for marketers is that all the data we need to adapt and progress is almost instantly available.