Though social media isn’t exactly new, we’re always learning new things. Whether it’s one social network introducing a new algorithm or a brand new platform like TikTok exploding on the scene, those of us in the industry are constantly adapting.
In this business, change isn’t just a thing—it’s the norm.
As we forge ahead into 2022, we’re learning more about existing platforms (and how to turn them into business opportunities), as well as figuring out how to tame the “new” in digital marketing.
But what are the best practices you should be putting into, well, practice? What should you know about emerging platforms, and how can you leverage social media to help you sell more?
Let’s talk about how to create the best content marketing strategy for 2022.
Establish Realistic Business Goals
With the new year comes more goal-setting. But this year, let’s look at things a bit differently.
A key to social media success is *really* understanding your brand, and what you want to accomplish with your online presence. This is not a blanket statement, either; some brands and retailers want to sell more products online, particularly if they’re established or have traction with their customers.
Others, who may be newer or adjusting their approach, might want more brand awareness. Here’s a helpful guide from Sprout Social on knowing what you want to accomplish with social media. It’s important to understand that everyone is in a different place and may want different results from social media—but it starts, especially early in the year, by setting goals that are both realistic and likely to produce results.
Understand Your Audience and the Content It Wants
As marketers, we’re often guilty of thinking we know what the customer wants without really peeling back the layers of the onion.
Rather than copycatting other brands or pushing out content as you’ve done in the past, let’s take a step back. Even without an expensive social listening tool (which are beneficial, and you can read more here), you can learn about which types of content resonate with your audience—and those that don’t.
The best thing about social media is that it allows us to be adaptive and reactive; jumping into each platform’s backend to look at previous content and respective insights sections. You will learn quickly—and as a result, you can be nimble. If static images are seeing low engagement, try sharing more videos. If traditional product posts are running stale, why not share a sale or promotion to shake things up?
Native Video Content Reigns Supreme
It’s all about the algorithm(s).
Facebook started it, then continued by introducing an algorithm (based on the types of content a user engages with) when it acquired Instagram. Now, Twitter has joined the fun. We can’t escape the algorithm.
The best way to navigate the algorithm and get your video content in front of more people is to share it natively. That means using the platform’s video capability to post content, rather than embedding or linking to it. By keeping videos on the platform, you’re (in essence) playing by their rules and have a better chance to get views, shares, and engagement.
Rediscover and Redefine Your Channel Strategy
We’ve seen so many brands guilty of the “spray and pray” approach. If you’ve seen it, you get it.
A social media strategy without a channel strategy is no strategy at all (got all that?), and it should be an area of focus for 2022. What does “channel strategy” mean? It’s about defining goals for each specific platform, understanding which types of content play best on those platforms, and then creating content that gives you the best chance of success in each arena.
Simply creating content and blasting it out to all channels is so 2014. Let’s get strategic this year.
Embrace Direct-From-Social Purchases
The opportunity to market on social media was a big deal. Now, the opportunity to sell on social media is even bigger.
We know that more than three-fourths of U.S. consumers buy products they’ve discovered on social media. In 2020, 50% of people surveyed by Lucid (an online market research firm) said they’d bought at least one product directly from social media.
Source: TechCrunch
Tools like Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, and shoppable Instagram posts make it easier than ever to bring products directly to your online audience. Read more about the ins-and-outs of these tools from HubSpot.
And there’s no sign of slowing down, either; social commerce sales rose to more than $36 billion in 2021, and eMarketer projects it to be a nearly $80 billion industry by 2025.
Go Digital with Customer Support and Engagement
Remember the days when we (gasp)...talked on the phone? A true throwback.
As our lives have become more online, and consumer behavior has shifted in that same direction, customer support is coming along for the ride. More and more people are directing inquiries, complaints, and requests to brands on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others.
Nielsen found that 64% of people would rather talk to customer support online as opposed to making a phone call. What does that mean for you? Well, you should be prepared to respond to (and resolve) support issues via social media. One study forecasts that by 2023, 60% of inbound inquiries will be handled online.
Alright, We Can No Longer Resist the TikTok Phenomenon
It’s all but official: TikTok isn’t going anywhere.
The short-form video service grabbed the largest share of daily active user growth in 2020, and has surged in popularity through 2021.
What do we know about marketing on TikTok? In summary, we’re still learning, but we know enough to establish these best practices:
That’s just a start—and surely, there will be more to come.
Kreber Has Expertise in Content Creation
With more than 100 years of experience, we’ve built a reputation for our hard work and dedication to delivering creative ideas and positive outcomes for retail and B2B clients. As an independent content marketing agency with a history of thinking ahead, we create and grow opportunities that allow our partners to thrive. We take pride in our mission to Think, Create, and Deliver compelling content that’s visually stunning, innovative, and purpose-driven within the creative market. We use our century’s worth of industry knowledge to help our clients save time and money, execute successful campaigns, utilize technology, and handle the strategy, planning, creation, management, and distribution of advertising and marketing content. From print and web content marketing to social media content marketing and everything in between, we’re the advertising agency of choice to bring any vision to life.
