Top Social Media Marketing Tips For 2022

The world of social media is fast-changing and competitive – what social media marketing techniques may have worked yesterday, doesn't mean they will work today. Keeping on top of your social media strategy by constantly reviewing what you do is the best way to ensure your brand is able to maximise its exposure.

As digital marketing specialists, the team here at Promote have put together the five best tips for marketing your brand on social media in 2022. By establishing an up-to-date strategy now, you will be able to keep up with any future changes as and when they happen – giving you the best opportunity to stay at the front of the queue when new customers appear.

Read on to learn more!

2022 Social Media Marketing Trends

Paid ads will continue to grow.

If you don't already run paid social media ads as part of your digital marketing strategy, you should definitely consider doing so. All major social media sites have been cutting back on showing organic content less and less over time, in favour of paid adverts. This means that, despite amassing a large follower count, not everyone will be seeing your messages.
If social media is a major source of clicks for your website, you should prioritise paid advertising now to keep an interested audience, as well as attract new business.

Social selling will dominate.

An increasing number of people are spending more time online and less with 'traditional' media – selling through ads in newspapers and magazines, radio and television has vastly declined over the last decade. What's taken their place are recommendations ('tagging') from friends and family on social media, as well as paid 'influencers' on these sites. Social selling has therefore become a huge aspect of social media marketing.

People will trust a referral from someone they know and admire over an ad that is essentially cold selling. If you're buying something, it's best if you're able to get an idea of the quality of the product and service on offer. Obviously, you can't physically do this online but a recommendation from someone you trust is the next best thing. Word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful force in growing a business.

This year, you should look at encouraging your customers to share and recommend your page(s) on social media – you can even search out any influencers local to you that people know and admire.

Live streams will improve engagement.

The Internet has changed in vast ways over the last 20 years. It has gone from sending communications via text, then to images, then to video and now to live streaming; each bringing with it, larger amounts of engagement. All major social media sites will have livestreaming, so it's well worth exploring as part of your digital marketing strategy.

Live streaming is a great way to get people interested in what you're selling because it allows them to interact with you in real-time – they can see the products and services you're offering and even ask you questions about them and get an immediate answer. This is a level of customer service that will be greatly appreciated by your viewers and will no doubt play highly into your brand perception and whether they will become a customer.

Ease of communication is vital.

It's always been important for a business to have multiple communication channels open, but in the wake of the COVID pandemic, it has become an absolute must for any business to cover an even-wider variety of contact outlets.

Shopping habits have changed – whereas people used to feel comfortable to walk in and shop or chat in person, online shopping, videos and direct messaging are now the dominant force. While a website, telephone number and e-mail addresses are still important, people expect rapid responses from services they find on the Internet. Consumers are impatient and if they don't receive a reply back quickly, competition is only a click away. This is where social media marketing helps.

While having a presence on all the major social media sites caters for instant responses, it's also worth considering incorporating text-messaging as a communication option too. Services such as WhatsApp can be amalgamated into your social media channels and website, giving consumers a direct line of communication. Many younger people will actually prefer text messaging over e-mails or telephone calls because it's easier and more convenient for them – so having a wider variety of communication channels will suit all age demographics.

User-generated content will increase.

One of the best ways to come up with ideas that will be loved by customers is by letting the customers come up with the ideas themselves! User-generated content (UGC) has been a growing area of social media marketing in recent years because it is a fun, engaging and natural way to excite a customer base. A good example of it in action is the 'white cup' marketing campaign by Starbucks that encouraged to doodle on their cups and upload images of them to win a competition – it created excitement and engagement around the brand, while still selling drinks.

UGC gives a great amount of credibility to your business because it's the customers who are posting about your products and services, rather than an advert from you telling people why THEY MUST be interested in what you're selling. One of the best ways to encourage UGC is by using and encouraging the use of #hashtags that relate to your brand. These clickable tags, that make it easier for people to find more information about you (and your marketing campaigns), should be displayed wherever you can put them; all your socials, your website, advertisement materials and even your in-store signage.

In conclusion, staying ahead of the digital marketing curve is vital now more than ever before (especially considering how the pandemic has led to more businesses expanding their online services). Incorporating these tips into your social media marketing strategy will put you on the best footing in the race to react to future changes.

Promote – Professional Digital Marketing and Social Media Management

Here at Promote, we are a vastly experienced digital marketing agency that has a proven track record of helping all manner of business operations to improve their standing on the internet, allowing them to gain the attention that their products and services deserve. Aside from offering social media management, we can offer a vast range of digital marketing services and training – from SEO and PPC, Conversation Rate Optimisation (CRO), e-mail marketing and so much more.

If you would like further advice on social media marketing (or any aspect of digital marketing), please do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team today. You can give us a call on 0118 380 1002 or alternatively, you can send an e-mail to us at hi@promote.agency.