Marketing Focus

Top 3 social media trends for SMEs in 2022

Orla McDonnell, Owner & Founder, OMD Consultancy

As an SME you may have a limited budget to market your business. Where should you be investing your time, money and energy in 2022? Social media has become a virtual shopping centre of sorts, which is right in the palm of our hands. People are also splitting their time between an average of 7.5 different social platforms. 2021 saw a 10.1% growth in social media users. Ask yourself these questions - Do you want to plan for success? Position yourself for success? and Find new opportunities? Read on to see what you should be prioritising this year from a social media perspective. Here are 3 of the key digital trends that you should note:

1. TikTok

The growth of video can be clearly seen in TikTok. Insider Intelligence predicts that TikTok will reach 755 million monthly users in 2022, after seeing 59.8% growth in 2020, followed by 40.8% growth in 2021. If You Think TikTok is not for you, your demographic or your potential customers, think again! Some people might think they’re not the right demographic for TikTok which may lead you to avoid joining the app but look at Paul Merriman, AskPaul Financial Advice as an example. This would be considered a niche concept and Paul wouldn’t be who you would immediately think of when you think “TikTok Famous” or Viral - BUT he has 37.9K followers. All Paul is doing is giving advice to his following. No gimmicks, no dancing - simple! Video is where it is at. Video marketing is still increasing exponentially. Forecasts say it will be even more important in 5 or 10 years. 8 reasons for embracing video for your business:

• Video gets more exposure (and engagement!) • It’s growing in popularity across all channels • Video typically has a longer shelf life • It appeals to a Gen Z audience • Video can be repurposed across multiple platforms • It’s a more personable way to engage with your audience • Video is a powerful sales tool • Businesses report higher conversion rates with video marketing.

There are many ways to do video, and having a smaller marketing budget does not mean you have to miss out completely.

2. Instagram Reels & Stories

This is maybe where you hang out already and are comfortable using. However, are you using all the new features on Instagram? Are you up to date with their new changes? Instagram is trying to compete with TikTok so they are currently making lots of changes on a weekly basis to stay relevant. Unlike Instagram Stories that disappear in 24 hours, Reels users will be able to view and share them for a longer time.

3. LinkedIn Newsletter

LinkedIn is making it easier to share content and grow an audience. LinkedIn Newsletter is a perfect tool for you to establish yourself as an authority figure in your niche. It is a relatively new feature on LinkedIn but everyone can subscribe to a newsletter. This allows you to reach the inboxes of all who subscribe. When you publish a newsletter, your subscribers get notified, which increases the chances of people seeing and consuming your content. You can invite all your LinkedIn connections to subscribe to your newsletter getting your brand in front of 1000’s or more people. That said, don’t forget about Facebook. According to HubSpot 2022 Report, consumers spend the most time on Facebook, followed by YouTube. These two platforms dominate the social media world, each with over 2 billion monthly active users. For more tips on how to make the most of your social media make sure you are following OMD Consultancy across all social media platforms and visit the website here.