Happy New Year! What’s new in the world of social media marketing. Here are some of our thoughts on the social media trends for 2022.
Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels will continue to dominate Instagram as Meta continues its competition with Tik Tok.
They are great for your organic reach and a lot of fun, but they do need to have a good strategy behind them, and they need to drive sales for your business.
Ask yourself these questions…
Does the reel demonstrate your experience?
Does the reel drive people to sign up to your email database?
Does the reel promote one of your services?
Don’t get us wrong, it’s ok for them just to be fun every so often but make sure you get a good balance.
We’ve been droning on about using video on your social now for many years but it really gives people an insight into who you are so they can know, like and trust you.
Want to learn more about Instagram Reels? We highly recommend following https://www.instagram.com/videosundifficulted/reels/
Facebook Ads
After a blip in 2021 when all the new privacy rules came in Facebook have upped their game and ads are seeing a resurgence.
Our top tips when it comes to ads are…
People tend not to buy high ticket items if they don’t ‘know, like and trust’ you. Give them something free and add them to your sales funnel and then show them that you know your stuff. Test with smaller budgets to see what works well.
Facebook ads work amazingly well for promoting local events and selling activities and classes.
Take a look at the post-testing feature that can be found in Creator Studio.
If you can use an on-platform FB ad objective do so. You may find that ads with objectives such as Messages (Messenger, WhatsApp, IG Direct) or Lead Ads where you can collect an email address perform better.
Facebook is also looking at ways to add more targeting options to leverage activity on the platform.
Dwell Time
In a time when everything moves so fast, dwell time is important. This is the time someone spends looking at your post and interacting. This metric is massively important on LinkedIn as it shows the algorithms that what you are putting out is of interest to your audience.
This doesn’t mean every post needs to be long-form, remember it’s all about getting the right balance of content for your audience.
Remember the trends will come and go but the marketing basics will be around forever!
The Marketing Basics
Customer Service
Over the past year, a lot of businesses have focused on survival and that’s the way it’s had to be, but as we settle down into a new way of life, we need to remember the customer is king.
Great customer service will set you out from the crowd and ensure word of mouth promotion (the greatest marketing tool of all) is high.
Database
Have you noticed that businesses are beginning to focus more on collecting email addresses and even creating their own apps? Social media is powerful but if you lost access to your accounts, or the algorithm on the social media platform changed suddenly how would you then contact your customers.
There is power in your database. Firstly, make sure you have one, secondly, think about how you can continually grow it.
Then remember to think about your customer’s pain points, don’t just make assumptions base them on facts. Then use your social channels and database to ensure your customer knows why they need your product or service in their life.
Costings
Is it obvious how much your product or service costs? Ultimately your customers want to know how much something is going to cost. And as a business owner, you want potential customers to be able to afford you. Yes, that might seem scary to put it out there so your competitors can see it, but you are not them and they are not you. Be brave! Ultimately it will save you time and attract the right customers.
Summary
Our list isn’t exhaustive, but it does give you a snapshot of what we think may happen in 2022. Speaking of 2022, how is your marketing strategy looking? Have you planned out your social media posts for January and February?
If you would like to be…
More strategic
More accountable
More visible
More consistent
Then look at our Social Media Essentials Club. You can also find FREE support in our Facebook Group.
Have you got a creative block? Do you need someone to help with content creation for your social media?
Many of the tips above are part of our social media essentials monthly club. Our pay as you go offer allows you to plan out your social media for the month ahead. We will provide some ideas and support in the form of a monthly zoom call, private Facebook group and editable Canva templates. The fee is £49 a month and you can find out more using the button below.
