20 game changing social media trends this year

Social Media started off as a medium to stay connected with our friends and families, but now it’s much more than that. It’s a platform for brands to connect with their audiences, thus creating better opportunities for them. 

Here are 20 Game-changing Social Media Trends you must try for yourself or your brand!

#1. AR and VR Technology

With the trending news circulating around Meta, More and more brands are seen adapting to AR and VR Technologies. Platforms like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram allow users to try on tons of different filters. If a brand chooses to create one for themselves, the more people that choose to use it, the better their marketing game will be. 

#2. Influencer Marketing Over Traditional Celebrity Ambassadors

As social media continues to grow, people are more likely to connect with Influencers with which they can relate with, instead of overly hyped celebrities. Brands know this well and hence are seen endorsing Influencer Marketing Campaigns over traditional Celebrity Partnerships. 

#3. Go Local

With the rise of the hashtag, #VocalForLocal, came the rise of endorsing local brands as they’re more sustainable and beneficial in a lot of ways. If you’re looking to create something that trends, start providing your product/ service locally to the audience present around you instead of going big from Day 1. 

#4. VIDEO OVER STATIC POSTS

It is scientifically proven that Video content is more effective as compared to Images and hence the rise of Reels, TikToks and Youtube Shorts only makes all the sense in the world.

#5. Being Successful On LinkedIn is the new normal

CVs are soon going to be a thing of the past. What’s trending now are LinkedIn Profiles. You’re considered smart and successful if your LinkedIn Profile is in sync, you post regularly and are endorsed by well-known Individuals in your area of expertise. 

#6. Moment Meme-ing

We all know of Moment Marketing, but Moment Meme-ing is what social media brands are all about nowadays. A Hollywood Wedding coming up? You’ll see memes posted about it by everyone from McDonald’s to Samsung.

#7. Podcasts are taking over the World!

Podcast listeners increased by 29.5% from 2018 to 2021. This clearly shows that people are all about Podcasting and you should get your brand on board too while it’s still relatively new!

#8. Truly Sustainable

Social Media is surely a place that can educate you on topics you never even considered before. One of those would be Ethical Fashion that promotes reusing and recycling clothes instead of purchasing from Giants that create a lot of waste. If you’re a fashion brand, try to implement ethical ways to curate your products and market it in a #Clean way. 

#9. Everyone can INFLUENCE

Gone are the days when an Influencer was categorized as a Beauty, Fashion or Gaming Influencer. 

Are you posting a reel on how you make your daily coffee consistently? You’re out to Influence. 

Influencers don’t fall under a restricted category anymore. Everyone can do anything as long as they stay consistent. 

So if you’re a brand, no matter what your product is, you can get your products to trend by consistently marketing it on Social Media.

#10. Instagram Stickers For Engagement

60% of businesses use stickers in their Instagram Stories and for good reason! They’re an excellent way to boost your brand visibility and analytics show that they are a lot more engaging than stories that do not have any stickers. 

#11. GOING LIVE

Instagram Live has gotten a serious bump since the Pandemic first started and it continues to grow. Brands are seen cross promoting by creating collaborative Lives with Influencers to promote their products and services.

#12. Rise of Facebook Marketplace

With the increase of Local opportunities, users are drawn towards buying and selling through Facebook Marketplace due to its localized and easy to access interface. 

#13. Feedbacks are the new Insights!

Brands are taking towards 1 on 1 feedback from their customers be it through DM or comments under their posts. It is largely believed that resolving an issue through DM or a comment is much more effective and rewarding for both the brand and the customer.

#14. Small Business Alert

Facebook Business Insights Report predicts that 17 million new small businesses will be formed in 2022.The jump from working at big businesses to people launching their own comes as the pandemic has had dramatic effects on how people want to work.

#15. Increase in Paid Advertising

It is believed that consumers are more likely to notice a brand by 82% if they choose to promote through paid marketing strategies. Hence, all the more brands are adapting to paid advertising and spending a large chunk of their advertising budget on it as the returns are totally worth the investment. 

#16. Chatbots on our radar

Chatbots are becoming more and more common as brands are opting towards artificial intelligence to communicate with their customers. This helps them find resolutions to a larger number of customer queries in a shorter span of time.

#17. Say it with a sticker!

From Trending Instagram Stickers to Apple Memojis, emoji texting and posting is getting popular amongst not just the Gen X and Gen Z users, but also the millennial generations.

#18. Clean Reviews

Brands are choosing to promote reviews received from their customers over Influencer Marketing as it helps get them an honest opinion on their products that can make the brand look more appealing to their target audience.

#19. Behind The Scenes Content

Users and brands are being more vocal and showing visuals of what it takes to make a product, what a day in their ordinary life looks like, how they make their favorite grilled cheese sandwich– this trend that brings out the raw, uncut content is much liked by audiences of all ages. 

#20. Collaboration Over Competition

Brands and Influencers are seen Collaborating with creators/ brands in the same Industry instead of actively competing against each other. This brings a sense of warmth and acceptance that only reflects the brands/ influencers in a positive light.

How many of these Social Media Trends are you following? 

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