2022 is here and the internet is still as social as ever. Online users are spending more time on social media every day. It’s no wonder that social media will be the most popular way to get your business or product in front of customers this year. Here are three developing trends to keep an eye out for in the in the year of the 2's:
1. Using 9:16 videos that are shorter than one minute.
Most businesses will be using 9:16 videos under one minute to please the algorithms to appear as leading brands. In 2021, brands started experimenting with “9:16” videos—videos that are under one minute long. The rationale is that these condensed videos are more palatable, providing more value to your customers than just a two-minute commercial or hour-long podcast which gives you a competitive edge. YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikToks are going to be your best friend. It also helps your video appear more natural in front of consumers who are spending more and more time on their screens. By 2022, most large businesses will be producing 9:16 videos, which are short and to the point.
2. Live streaming on platforms like Facebook and Instagram will double in use in 2022.
Live streaming has become a go-to platform for businesses to engage with their customers. The ability to broadcast live videos directly to your followers has become a more popular feature within social media. In fact, by the end of 2022, businesses will be using live streaming on platforms like Facebook and Instagram more than double the amount than they did last year. Also, be on the lookout for utilizing live streams on platforms like YouTube and Twitch for younger audiences. If you have a bunch of hour-long recordings sitting around, it might be best to premiere some of those stashed videos live for your audience to see!
3. The untimely death of photo sharing.
The death of photos. In 2021, social media sites like Instagram and Facebook spent a lot of time and money trying to curb the amount of “likes'' a post received from photos. The algorithm was essentially trained to prioritize videos over photos, which caused a staggering amount of low engagement on static images. In 2022, social media sites will drastically reduce the amount of “likes” a post receives from photos, which will further decrease the importance of photos. The best hope going forward for static posts will be to either convert them to an animated photo thus getting acknowledged as a video, or being put with a carousel.
While these subjects might sound daunting to newer companies without an established social media presence, the good news is that all of these changes are easy enough to keep pace with. Social media is constantly evolving, and the options will continue to grow in the near future. Just remember that the key element is staying relevant to your target audience. If keeping up with the trends keeps you connected to your customer base and allows you to provide them with what they want (as long as it’s not spam or irrelevant content), then by all means, follow along. You’ll want to consider live streams, carousels, and short-form videos to adapt to platforms’ changing algorithms and ensure your content is staying in front of your audience.
