Social Media Trends & Predictions for 2022 You Need to Know

The social media landscape is constantly evolving and changing, making it essential for marketers, business owners, and creators to stay at the forefront of trends. Whether that's creating more video content or humanizing your brand, this is your year to experiment and build community with your audience in new ways.  

We've identified seven trends every marketer should be on the lookout for in our 2022 Social Media Trend Report. Follow along to preview the trends and learn a few ways to translate them into your social media strategy. Download the full breakdown for a more comprehensive look and tactical ways to implement these trends into your content.

A Sneak Peek into What's Trending 

Trend #1 Video Gets Bigger

The push for video content is apparent. Virtually every central platform has added or is adding a video component for users, and according to Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, "Video is driving an immense amount of growth online for all major platforms."

In the report, you'll learn why video content is driving so much engagement, more so than static, image-based posts, and how to stay on top of the latest video trends to make creating video content a breeze! Also for scheduling your Instagram Reels check out our Reels Planner. 

Trend #2 Influencer Marketing is Here to Stay

During the pandemic, many took to social media for entertainment, and as a result, it became the leading channel for brand discovery and product sales. According to Business Insider India, marketers increased their influencer marketing budget by more than 25% in 2021.

However, the business-influencer relationship is also evolving. We're going to start seeing fewer sponsored posts and more thoughtful collaborations between influencers and brands. See how you can approach partnering with influencers this year and make the content created with these partners more valuable for your customers and followers. 

Trend #3 Rise of the Creator Economy

The creator economy describes the businesses built by independent social media content creators and their ability to grow and monetize their online communities. The creator market is worth $104.2 billion and is projected to grow. As the creator economy keeps growing, we will see more platforms create business tools focused on helping creators monetize their content. 

Learn more about how the rise in the creator economy will affect your business or how you can benefit from content monetization tools. 

Trend #4 Gen Z Marketing Is Key 

In 2022, we will see more brands change the way they advertise to younger audiences since Gen Z doesn't respond to traditional advertising. This mobile-first generation values authenticity online and culturally relevant content such as memes or social goods. 

Using more video content and partnering with Gen Z influencers to help create content that showcases your product in a way Gen Z would use it will be essential for unlocking younger audiences.

Trend #5 The Future of Shopping is Virtual 

Being able to shop via social media has been trending for quite some time, especially with Facebook and Instagram shops. And as more platforms create ways for users to shop, brands will have to make sure their online shops are set up and create unique ways for users to shop their products online.  

In the full report, you'll learn more about how social commerce expands into live shopping and virtual try-on experiences. 

Trend #6 Long-Form Content Turns Bite-Size

The influx of content on social media presents marketers, businesses, and creators with quite a few challenges. The main one is grabbing a user's attention in a matter of seconds, which is why 2022 is the year to embrace short-form or bite-size content. Leaning into Instagram Reels and short-form video is easy to start, especially when Reels performs well with Instagram's algorithm. But aside from video, there's a way to use memes, infographics, and film longer pieces of content and trim it down to shorter, more optimal lengths. Learn how to maximize your short-form content in the full report. 

Trend #7 Brands Become More Human 

We are seeing and will continue seeing more brands become more transparent and visible online. You'll see businesses leverage their executive-level employees as extensions of the brand along with more brands personifying themselves. Not only is this human element valuable, but it appeals to younger audiences. 

Learn how to humanize your brand on social media with something as simple as responding to a customer's DM. 

Now that you know what's in store for 2022 download the full report and use it as your guide to content planning this year!