Summary of the main Social Media trends for 2022

1. Social media
trends 2022
By: Veronika Fazekas

2. Table of content
New communities
Creators & Influencers
Social shopping
Advertising
Small networks
TikTok takes over
TikTok Trends
Short videos
Social accountability
By: Veronika Fazekas

3. New communities
Till recently the tendency was for brands to build up their own
communities, where one of the most important factors considered was
the number of followers, however this factor most of the times haven’t
brought real engagement nor a loyal community.
The recent shift, is the appearance of creators and the growing
collaboration between them and the brands.
50 million people around the world consider themselves “creators”
Thriving communities on social media present a big opportunity,
especially for smaller brands. Companies no longer have to create a
niche community from the ground up, they can find a community to fit
into and if brands show up for them, they’ll do the same.
They shift from top-down communication to meaningful conversations.
They build relationships that evolve, grow and stand the test of time.

4. Creators vs. Influencers
The evolution of creative tools have allowed for a new kind of influencer
to take shape: the Creators.
Creators differ slightly from traditional influencers, who rely on
experiencing the world around them, by producing original materials
using these tools.
The pandemic has changed what influences are valuable on the go. As a
result, creators have gained a sizable follower count in a world with
limited gathering options during the pandemic.
What This Means: Marketers now face two kinds of influencers for
branding and leveraging engagement.
Creators offer a way of demonstrating the benefit of a solution, creating
an additional micro-influencer opportunity.

5. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing strategies will keep being in the top 3 of strategies
to apply however the scenario has considerably changed.
Influencer marketing had a boom because of loss of credibility in
traditional advertising however with the evolution and boom of
influencers macro influencers reached the same level of saturation and
lack of credibility.
This has lead to the rise of micro influencers and their time to shine has
begin.
The area of boosted profiles is over.
Brands are seeking more reliable and more long term collaboration.
By: Veronika Fazekas

6. Social shopping
Pandemic was the major shift in social shopping and it’s here to stay. In 2022 it looks to become the
heart of a consumer’s shopping experience, as it is on the path to increase to more than 100 million
shoppers before 2023.
Consumers are in a constant state of passive shopping. They shop while they scroll Instagram or
TikTok; they shop while reading the news online and this considerably changed the required user
experience and habits.
According to a survey by DoubleVerify, daily media consumption doubled in 2020 allowing for even
more time spent clicking on ads and personalization.
A customer shopping in a passive manner requires a different marketing message. A passive shopper
scrolling Instagram, for example, may respond better to an advertisement acquainting them with your
brand values or showing them inspirational content. On the other hand, a customer typing a product
into a search bar needs a lower-funnel marketing message, or maybe even a coupon, to encourage
activation and conversion

7. Advertising
Small to medium-sized businesses listed the decline of organic
reach as their #1 challenge.
This decline of organic reach has been well-documented for
years, especially on Facebook and Instagram. And most SMBs
have limited funds to put towards “pay-to-play” tactics.
Also a major shift was when Apple allowed users to opt out of
Facebook tracking. This caused Facebook advertisers to
reinvent how they did their ad targeting.
But the fact remains that the average organic reach for a
Facebook post is 5.2%.
All these factors are pushing SMB's towards paid ad spend.

8. Advertising
Advertising is challenged by privacy
Companies will have to start to work out their strategy for the
upcoming changes like the end of third party cookies in 2023
and the already existing iOS privacy settings. This will be
translated into more lead generation campaigns, more online
events, partly with the aim of generating data base.
More creative solutions and more UGC used as creatives to
combat ad fatigue and saturation.
Design wise the return of the 90's.
More realistic approach with social listening and mental health
in focus.
By: Veronika Fazekas

9. Advertising

10. New research shows that consumers may be more
receptive to advertise on smaller channels like TikTok,
Snapchat, and Pinterest than the bigger social networks.
A study by Kantar, found that consumers ranked TikTok
ads as more inspiring and enjoyable than ads on other
platforms.
A Nielson study found that ads on Snapchat had more
reach than TV ads and led to greater awareness and
purchase intent.
Ads on Pinterest had higher ROI and cheaper conversion
rates than ads on other social networks.
The rise of smaller networks

11. 24% said TikTok.
This is a 700% increase
over 2020.
The rise of smaller networks

12. Google Search Trends also show increasing search demand over the last two years for ads on these
networks.
TikTok is leading the charge.The smaller networks aren’t as saturated with ads as Facebook and
Instagram, so users may suffer less from ads fatigue.
Many social pros also had to diversify their ads strategy in early 2021 in response to the Apple iOS
14 update., when Apple announced an “opt in to ads tracking” option for all Apple users, blocking
Facebook’s ability to target a vast majority of its audience.
Most importantly though, TikTok, Pinterest and Snapchat all encourage advertisers to make their
ads “fit in” with organic content that is already being posted by regular users.
The result is ads that are more entertaining and less disruptive, increasing conversions and all-round
good vibes for businesses.
The rise of smaller networks

14. TikTok takes over from Instagram
Exclude messaging networks, TikTok is the 4th most popular social
media network after Instagram.
In January 2021, it only had 689 million users now over a billion
That’s a 45% increase in less than a year.
And this comes after its largest growth spurt of all: a global user
base increase of 1,157% between 2018 and 2020. To put this into
perspective, Instagram’s monthly active users grew at a rate of 6%
in 2020.
Over the last year, search demand for TikTok has grown by 173%.
But search demand for Instagram Reels has only grown by 22%.
And it has decreased by 33% for Stories.
TikTok takes over

16. TikTok Trends
More celebrities will use TikTok to connect with fans on a more personal level
Non-profits will start using TikTok as a fundraising tool while still maintaining the integrity of their
organization
Brands will use the app to create branded content and sponsor influencers
The average length of a video on TikTok is expected to increase from 2-5 seconds to 5-10 seconds
by 2022
The use of filters and stickers on videos will increase
People will post more personalized, behind-the-scenes content to their TikTok story instead of just
selfies and short clips

17. TikTok Trends
There will be an increased focus on content creators who can create high-quality, engaging videos
for the platform
Content creators will start using more graphic overlays and filters in their videos.
Brands will be using more influencers with less than 10,000 followers on TikTok to promote their
products and services
There will be more live-streaming on TikTok than any other social media platform
The number of monthly TikTok users will increase by 40% in 2022

18. According to video hosting software company Vidyard, 60% of all
videos published on the internet in 2020 were under 2 minutes long.
Instagram has deprecated IGTV. No one talks about Facebook
Watch anymore. And even YouTube, the last bastion of long-form
video on social media, has introduced a new format, YouTube
Shorts.
Success of Reels and TikTok follows the success of Stories (another
short-form video format), which saw rapid user uptake from 2018 to
2020.
Attempts to copy the disappearing short-form video format on
Twitter and LinkedIn failed in 2021. RIP Fleets and LinkedIn Stories.
social media users won’t watch just any short-form videos. They
have to be entertaining and engaging too.
Short videos

19. Public calls for social media platform accountability will increase. Report, found 32% of teenage
girls surveyed "indicated that when they had negative thoughts about their appearance,
Instagram made those feelings worse." Fourteen percent of teen boys reported similar
sentiment.
The big question is what kind of legislation will emerge. In Norway already in place.
Pandemic brought to surface many issues related to mental health and fortunately this concern
remains both in content and as a concern of social media's effect on society, constantly shaping
brands approach towards its usage in a positive sense.
During 2022, social accountability and social listening will keep being shaped and more brands
will adapt to it with the aim of a healthier usage.
Social Media Accountability Will Increase

20. Sources: LinkedIn. Hootsuite. Hubspot. Later. Socialsprout
Thank you!
By: Veronika Fazekas