Recap of Social Media Trends in 2022

Social media is today the defining activity of almost all of us. The steady “ping” of notifications on our mobile phones telling us of a new message/post/like/comment is a backdrop to our daily routine, be it a weekday or a weekend.

The average person spent 144 minutes on social media every day last year. That’s about 2.5 hours every day.

The Covid pandemic led to more and more people adopting social media to stay in touch, get help, support each other, and buy the goods and services they needed. This growth of social media and digital channels as two-way communications pushed brands to use social media to promote their brands, engage their customers, and even sell (through e-commerce platforms).

As a leader in the digital and social media marketing space, Growth Jockey has been closely following the trends and directions that defined social media development in 2022.

Here is a synopsis of the major social media trends of this year:

1. Social media changed in character

• The most important social media trend of 2022 was that social media changed in nature

• From a platform for personal interactions and sharing personal photos and videos, it became a brand marketing tool, as brands took note of increasing efforts by customers to reach them through social media

• Social media became a product discovery channel, a retail business platform, and even a useful customer service channel

2. Facebook continued to be the main social channel

• Facebook continued to be the main social media platform in 2022 with nearly 3 billion active users worldwide)

• Other social media channels that people used during 2022 included YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram

• However, Apple’s decision in 2021 to block Facebook's targeting of customers has impacted the pioneer of social media heavily, and smaller channels are rapidly making headway in new user acquisition

3. Organic reach dropped in 2022

• Although social media channels grew in popularity in 2022, the same positivity was not seen in organic customer growth

• As social media channels grew the same audiences surfaced on multiple social channels

• Growth Jockey’s research indicates that the average organic reach of a Facebook post is well below 5%

4. Paid advertising on social media channels increased

• The drop in organic audience growth forced brands to consider investing more in paid advertising to acquire new customers

• Social media channels such as Snap, TikTok and Instagram offered innovative advertising tools to drive customer awareness and acquisition

5. Getting new customers became very important

• One major social media trend in 2022 was the drive to get new customers

• Social media channels moved from being advertising channels to channels that helped brands develop deeper customer engagements

6. TikTok pushed its way into the top rankings

• Content has developed from just text to images and now to video and other interactive formats

• TikTok, Twitter and Instagram have exploded in terms of downloads, users, and number of posts (short-form videos) per day

• TikTok today has over 1 billion active accounts and continues to grow at a rapid pace

7. Influencer marketing is the biggest driver of purchase behavior

• Influencer marketing became the biggest social media trend of 2022

• Distinct from “celebrity marketing” (using well-known faces to promote a brand), influencer marketing is an extremely personal co-relation – it could be the neighborhood fashion designer, a young chef in a new restaurant, or even a young businessperson giving tips on start-ups

• “Micro-influencers” (with fewer than 50,000 followers) are the biggest drivers of small business marketing today.

8. “Social commerce" grew rapidly

• Growth Jockey’s surveys with consumers have shown that social commerce – buying directly from social media platforms – has grown dramatically

• Nearly 90% of people whom we surveyed confirmed that they used social media to search, compare, and buy products

9. Personalized brand experiences in demand

• Social media has allowed brands to create one-on-one communications with customers

• Customers have also started expecting deeply personalized brand experiences

• Growth Jockey’s studies of the digital marketing trends in 2022 have shown the increasing use of data, analytics, funnel marketing, content management and overall brand strategy to deliver as personalized a brand experience as possible

10. Marketing with purpose grew in importance

• This was a major social media trend in the year so far

• Growth Jockey’s research shows that more than 40% of customers prefer that their favorite brands support issues that they care about

• Brands need a purpose, and they must show that they are not just “sellers” but are actively involved in their communities

11. Social listening became a necessity

• Social media provides huge amounts of data to brands

• Brands can use these data to develop insights to grow their customer base, improve their customer experience and engagements

• Social listening tools help a brand to understand customer perception, gauge the impact of a social media campaign and be aware of customer issues with the brand

12. User-generated (UGC) content grew exponentially

• Brands have started pushing their customers to generate content on their social media handles and include the brands through hashtags, brand mentions, or brand visuals

• Growth Jockey believes that this trend will continue to grow in importance for brand engagement and adoption, as UGC is perceived to be more authentic than branded content

Conclusion

Social media is dynamic and competitive and brands have to be on their toes to ensure they don’t miss out on what is “hot” and what is “not”! This will help brands stay a step ahead of the competition.

It is also important to bear in mind that business growth today and in the near future will be from the millennials and Generation-Z audience, who have grown up using digital and social media all their lives. After getting to know the recap, you should prepare yourself to look forward towards the expectations of social media trends in 2023 !

At Growth Jockey, we are committed to delivering personalised solutions that effectively address the unique challenges faced by our clients across diverse industries. Whether you run a small-scale enterprise or a large corporation, we help you harness the power of social media to drive your brand's growth.

Get in touch with us today to boost your social media presence !