Here’s the thing about social media: it’s not just for socializing anymore. Low cost with a wide reach, the majority of users across platforms have something to sell. There’s a good chance you’ve seen the difference between a successful and unsuccessful social media campaign, but the sheer fact that you’ve seen any speaks volumes.
In the years between 2020 and 2025, it’s estimated that the number of people on social media will increase from 3.5 billion to 4.4 billion — that’s ½ of the world’s population. In other words, if it’s exposure you’re looking for, social media is the perfect display case.
But let’s take it back to the difference between successful and unsuccessful social media campaigns because both exist. What makes one yield higher results than another? Like all forms of marketing, reaching your target market in the right way at the right time is critical. It’s the way these companies are marketing themselves to their audience that makes them so successful.
Whether you’re an influencer or a long-standing business, using the right social media strategy can help what you’re selling be seen, but even more so, get clicked on and bought. This list of 2022 social media strategies that work pulls together projected trends for the coming year from marketing buffs and social whizzes across the web. Let’s get into it.
Social Commerce
Why lead your audience to a separate site when you can sell directly through where you’re marketing? Selling products and services through social platforms isn’t a new trend, but according to Forbes, it’s something that will continue to grow throughout the year in new and exciting ways.
To use this for your own business, consider going live. Whether it’s selling through live streaming or videos, giving your followers the options to make purchases in the moment creates a feeling of importance and exclusivity around what you’re offering. Run an art business? Live stream your drawings and sell directly to the first bidder.
Be Human
Often, brands are seen as entities, not people. Introducing the human side of your business on social media can help people relate and establish a connection to what you’re offering. People are more willing to take a chance on a product if they know more about the people behind it, so be sure to be transparent about who you are, what you care about, and precisely why you created your brand.
Social issues will always be big, but in this modern day and age, more people speak out about them. Introducing which ones you care about gives you a chance to connect with customers who feel the same. This can be in the form of short videos on your channel, hashtags, etc.
Use it For Customer Service
The act of sending a quick message over social media and getting a quick response is something the new generation of shoppers appreciate. There’s something casual about DMing that companies can use to their advantage to establish rapport with their shoppers.
Similar to messaging a friend, answering questions and comments on social platforms makes it easy for customers to get answers. The more knowledge a customer has about a product or service, the easier it is to sell.
You may notice that more sales happen because of these quick interactions, allowing customers to buy in the moment instead of waiting 1-2 business days for a reply over email.
Get Casual
Similar to being human, getting casual involves showing your human side. The difference between them lies in behavior. Showing your human side is more about sharing your feelings on social issues (ie. putting an LGBTQ+ rainbow flag in your Insta bio), whereas getting casual means using a friendly, relaxed tone, emojis, and if appropriate, abbreviations.
It depends on your unique business, but considering that 9 out of 10 Canadians aged 15-34 use social media, if your business has a social account and even partially targets that audience, it may be worth toning down the formal language.
You can get casual in other ways on social media than just your tone in text. When creating posts and videos, don’t be afraid to use stickers, music, and play around with filters.
Short Videos
There’s a reason TikTok is so popular right now. Short videos are easy to watch and to the point. Packed with fun, flavor, and vibrancy, each tiny snippet gets messages across quickly and conveniently.
As GenZers become the new wave of shoppers, targeting them through their favorite social platform is smart. Giving your brand a face and a tone, it’s easier to draw new customers to your website to further read on about what you offer.
User-generated Posts And Videos
People post on social media to be seen. There’s no arguing about that. Inviting your customers to post about their experiences with your products and services is one thing, but they’re more likely to do it with some incentive. What’s the incentive? To be seen by a greater audience — yours.
Whether it’s featuring user-generated photos or quick videos, this trend is one that’s going to be big for 2022. It makes customers feel seen and appreciated, and they’re more likely to share their experiences with others for the chance to be featured on your page.
Giving Back
We all love a good cause. Take this for example. Two sneaker brands use eco-friendly materials, but only one of them plats 2 trees for every pair of shoes bought. Which one would you buy? The one that gives back, right?
This same principle applies to any business. It doesn’t have to be planting trees, but donating surplus stock, your time, or a percentage of sales to organizations that do. To show the world how you give back on your social media account, you can simply write it up in your bio, go into more detail in a video, or show pictures of your team giving back.
If you want to make a bigger effort, you can even hold a live fundraiser through Instagram or include a link in your bio to a particular item of which a part of sales will go towards a chosen cause. At the end of the day, as a business, people just want to see that you care.
Takeaways
With so many people using social media, not using it to market your business is a major lost opportunity. As trends change with time, you’ll need to adjust your strategies to match.
Any of these 2022 social media strategies that work have great reputations that will only continue to grow in the coming year. Implementing them into your business takes thought and skill, and if you need a nudge in the right direction, our team is happy to assist.
