Trends to Grow Your Social Media Accounts in 2022

social media strategy Apr 10, 2022

We're seeing some definite shifts and trends in the spring of 2022, across all platforms, that when you tap into, you can leverage to scale your following.

Overall Trend: Short Form Video
Given the fast-growing popularity of Tik Tok, it's not too surprising that other platforms are now pushing their short-form video (videos under 60 seconds) but what IS surprising is WHO and HOW they are doing it.

LinkedIn just announced short-form video and is encouraging users to repost their Tik Toks. This will likely change, but for now you can repost your Tik Tok videos to LinkedIn, complete with the Tik Tok watermark.

Facebook sped up the release of reels for users across the US, and if you do not yet have reels consider updating your app.

YouTube is pushing their YouTube Shorts and has a direct integration to your Tik Tok business account - meaning you can connect the two platforms from your Tik Tok business account, and auto-share over to Youtube.

Trends By the Platform

Instagram:
Video_sharing App
Instagram has been making it clear in live Q&A's that they are no longer a photo-sharing app, they are now a video-sharing app. If you are sleeping on reels, you are sleeping on exposure.

New Messaging Feature
Instagram will be focusing more on messaging as a key feature for users to connect with. This includes the addition of "active friends" view in your inbox, and a "silent" feature where you can DM a friend but IG will not send a notification to them (perfect for sending late-night DMs)

Enhanced Tags
Sharing content from another page and want to make sure you give credit? IG now has enhanced tags to help you do this - read their breakdown of tagging HERE.

Pinterest
Pinterest is adding a buy now feature within posts! This means instead of pinning a product and then leading buyers to another website to purchase it, they can add to cart right from your pin. This will help encourage users to stay on the Pinterest platform longer, have a checkout experience closer to Amazon (where you are often purchasing from more than one store at once), and is huge for those with products to sell, as Pinterest users are already more likely to purchase from a pin they save than a post they see on other platforms.

Tik Tok
Stories! When a platform adds a new feature, as Tik Tok just has with stories - they WANT you to use it. This means now is the perfect time to start adding stories to your Tik Tok account. Much like on Facebook, IG, and Twitter, Stories disappear after a day and are a great way to try out new content that is outside your normal posts.

YouTube
YouTube is rolling out multiple features to allow viewers to purchase straight from videos they are watching, such as BrandConnect to help brands turn viewers into customers, and SuperChat for viewers to live chat and purchase from content creators.

LinkedIn
Along with short-form videos being promoted on the site, LinkedIn has also released analytics and data so you can learn more about what is - or is not - working on your posts. This shows LinkedIn is focused on growing the community element of its platform, and if you still think LinkedIn is only for recruiters, you are missing out on a place to connect and partner with other professionals online.

Twitter
Twitter Communities! I'm personally excited about this piece, as a sense of community has been missing on Twitter (and is a big part of why I don't hang out there much). Twitter Communities are similar to Facebook groups, meaning now is the time to start your own, or join new ones being created now.

Edit after tweeting - this has long been teased and is now being promised. WHEN still seems to be up in the air, but with the chatter picking up, I think it will be soon.

HOW DO I USE THESE UPDATES AND TRENDS TO GROW MY ACCOUNTS?

I'm glad you asked :)
When a new feature is released, social media platforms show these features to their users at a higher rate - meaning, Tik Tok will be pushing any videos uploaded as "stories" to your followers more than many of your normally posted videos. Twitter will be asking you to join communities they think you'll be interested in.

Focus your content creation on these features and the platforms will reward you by helping you grow your exposure.

LinkedIn is asking for short-form videos to be shared on their platform - so share some!
Facebook wants their reels feature to win back users from Tik Tok - be sure to create reels and Facebook will push your videos out to other users.

Now...

.... that doesn't mean stressing yourself out chasing every shiny feature on every platform. Create a clear strategy to follow as to what to post and where - then use the new features where it makes sense in your existing strategy.