If “trying new things” is one of your personal New Year’s Resolutions, you may want to extend it to your brand’s list also. Here are three social media trends you can try in 2022.
Live Shopping
QVC for the next generation? In China, the live shopping market has risen 280% between 2017 and 2020, and is now on track to become a $423 billion market by the end of next year. Facebook sees similar potential in western markets, as evidenced by its Live Shopping Friday initiative this summer, where the platform hosted live-streamed shopping experiences in partnership with selected retailers that allowed viewers to ask questions and make purchases all in-stream. Instagram has hosted similarly-structured events, and recently added a “live” section to its shop tab.
One example: an Instagram Live shopping event with Lululemon and Bachelor star Matt James, during which James interacted with a Lulu rep who showed him the best Lulu finds for everyone on his holiday shopping list. Viewers had the option to add Lulu products to their carts directly from the live-stream, and could check out from there.
Live shopping doesn’t just stop on Facebook and Instagram though: Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube have also started rolling our capabilities this year.
If one of your main goals on social is conversion and revenue, it’s time to consider how you can incorporate live into your key campaigns. Think about what platform your audience is on, and then what sort of influencer talent you can partner with to enhance your live event and generate broader awareness.
Reels
Though Instagram Reels have been around since last summer, they’ve continuously evolved, and according to Mark Zuckerberg in Meta’s most recent earnings announcement, are “the primary driver of engagement growth” on the platform, with millions of users now interacting with Reels clips every day.
Not sure where to begin? It’s ok to start small, especially because Reels are traditionally more engaging and authentic if they’re less polished, more off-the-cuff. Consider filming yourself giving tips, providing useful checklists, or tapping into an already-viral Reels trend.
One of the product’s newest features: Reply comments. Users now have the opportunity to create an entirely new Reel as a reply to a comment on an existing Reel, with the comment showing up in the new Reel for context. While this feature is similar to one that exists on TikTok, it isn’t the first time Instagram has taken a move out of TikTok’s playbook, and given that Reels engagement is driving growth on the platform, we expect to see this drive great results.
Another benefit: Reels are served to Instagram users who don’t follow your account, so they’re a great opportunity to reach new audiences and grow your community.
Partnerships / Influencers
If your brand hasn’t yet tapped into the world of influencer marketing, 2022 is the time to begin. According to Sprout Social, 40% of people have purchased a product online after seeing it used by an influencer on YouTube, Instagram or Twitter, and 53% of consumers say social media posts by influencers are very/somewhat influential in purchasing decisions.
Instagram has a new feature called a Collab post that allows two users to co-author a post that will show up on both users’ profiles, allowing you to engage with the other user’s audience in a way you wouldn’t be able to if you had posted on your own. Brands should note that even when using this post format, paid partnerships still will need to be disclosed.
Another common way to collaborate with an influencer is hosting a joint giveaway in which entrants are required to follow your brand account to qualify. Influencer giveaways are a huge component of Logitech’s annual International Wellbeing Week, which we help coordinate the social media strategy for. Each influencer typically hosts an Instagram Live related to workplace wellness, and follows up with a giveaway of Logitech products posted on their feed. By making it a requirement to follow Logitech to enter, we’re able to simultaneously grow Logitech’s following all the while tapping into the influencer’s following to grow brand affinity.
Hopefully now you’re feeling inspired to bring some new strategy into your 2022 marketing plans! From all of us at Streetsense, we wish you a very happy new year!
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