‍Social media account management is constantly evolving with new trends and technology. Every year, and even every month, there are updates with algorithms and different influencers showing off the next hot product. Catching up on all the trend predictions for 2022 will give you insight into preparing and planning your content strategy for the year. Take a look at these seven trends that are expected to make a prominent mark in the upcoming year.

7 Trends for Incredible Social Media Account Management in 2022

1. Connecting with Customers/Followers

In recent years, consumers have been flooded with content from countless businesses in every industry. In your company’s social media account management strategy for 2022, connecting with your followers should be at the forefront. People are craving a relationship with the brands they support. It can become exhausting to make an effort to forge a genuine connection with your followers on every single social media platform available, so it’s best to choose three to five. Researching your audience and understanding where they spend most of their time will allow you to build powerful profiles on those applications. Creating two-way communication through your messages and comments on social media will also show a caring and transparent side that followers want to see. 

2. More Influencers, Even in B2B

TikTok has shown that it’s more common than ever to go viral, making influencers a lot more common too. In 2021, influencer marketing was set to reach over $13 billion and will continue to grow in 2022. When influencers are marketing your products, you are reaching their audiences and having the opportunity to connect with new people. This type of marketing also shows that you are relevant and viewers can relate to your products' influencers. B2B companies are even hopping onto the influencer marketing train, such as Microsoft and Adobe. No matter your product or service, people are more inclined to purchase it when they see someone they trust using it. 

3. More Privacy Means Bigger Challenges

Facebook and the Metaverse are a large space for paid advertisements. With new privacy changes, users have more say in the information they want to share. This change makes it more difficult for advertisers to receive data to understand who is the perfect target audience for their brand. For example, the iOS update and the removal of cookies have reduced data in artificial intelligence. To ensure that you are affected as little as possible, be proactive with your approach. Staying up to date with privacy changes is crucial for your understanding of approaching these situations. 

4. Even Shorter Attention Spans

Attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter, which means bite-sized content is your recipe for success. When we say bite-sized, what does that mean? The content you are creating in 2022 should be straightforward, short-form, and easy to digest. Visuals and video content should be a large part of your plan because people will be pulled into those over long paragraphs of text. Some may think that creating short content can be easier than developing a long-form video, but that’s not always the case. Catching your audience's attention must be immediate and genuine, unlike clickbait. Although clickbait does work, it can come off as lying to your audience.

5. Look Out for LinkedIn

LinkedIn can easily be looked over if you are not a B2B company, but that may be changing in the new year. This year, LinkedIn launched their Creator Mode that encouraged and supported users to post more organic content — which will be something we will see more of in 2022. This organic content will amplify your brand message and can bring more leads. Along with the Creator Mode features already available, there is a short video feature that is expected to launch. This feature will be similar to TikTok or Instagram Reels, allowing users to produce how-to videos, offer tips, and more. 

6. Spending More Money on Smaller Niches

We mentioned that influencer marketing will continue to grow in 2022 and that the ad budget will probably be in smaller markets. Research has shown that consumers are more likely to listen to smaller creators on TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat. With that, TikTok ads were the most enjoyable to watch. Taking a deep dive into the world of micro-influencers on TikTok can become extremely valuable to your business. Steve Madden is an excellent example of a brand that finds the creators who genuinely wear their shoes to promote their products. Digging into the creators who promote your products for free and then bringing them onto your team as an influencer will show users that they truly support that product, even when they aren’t being paid to say that. 

7. Humanizing Your Brand

Connecting with your audience and humanizing your brand go together very well. Giving a face and personality to your brand will allow users to connect on a deeper level. One example of humanizing your brand is introducing C-level employees. Providing insight into who is making huge decisions at your company will again create that feeling of transparency for the viewers. It will also build trust and show authenticity. 

Another example is participating in trends, responding to comments, and having fun with social media. Duolingo’s TikTok is an incredible example of this. Before their TikTok account, they were just an app to teach you languages. Now, people go to their profile to laugh, and it gives them great brand recognition.

Although 2021 was a whirlwind year, things are not going to slow down in the upcoming year. In 2022, authenticity in your brand can go a long way. Using your social media account management strategy to bond with your audience and to participate in trends will be a great place to get started on your process. If you are feeling stuck with how to grow your social media, Responsival’s team of experts can get you started. Contact us today to find out how to take your brand to the next level.