In 2021, social media are sending signals that may impact our marketing strategy in 2022.

Short video extension

IG Reels allows a 15-sec video display on IG, is available in 50 countries to retain users and keep them in-site rather than moving to TikTok. With Reels ads available on a global stage, it allows a wide choice of advertising. 

So far, we see that what works on TikTok brings no result on IG Reels. In other words, the short video clip on TikTok might need to retweet for IG Reels. We shall continue to observe the progress of IG Reels in the next quarter. 

 

Social audio

The podcast industry is taking the limelight in 2021. The Clubhouse is one of the fastest-growing kids in town in the social audio industry. Among YouTube, Apple Podcast, and Spotify, Clubhouse is still a baby in social audio. However, its percentage growth in the first quarter of 2021 was over a thousand percent. Though we have yet to see the latest data of Clubhouse and the new technical supports rolling out, it is by far the fastest growing social audio. 

Podcast listeners are attractive to advertisers since the audience is young, affluent, educated, and open to advertising. In the US, podcast advertising is estimated to reach $1.33 billion in 2021.

In 2022, more platforms will push out their social audio, including LinkedIn, Twitch’s dubbed Spaces, Discord, Facebook, and Instagram. A podcast is still at the infant stage and forecast to gain significant ground in the coming five years with two-digit growth yearly. 

 

Micro-influencers

While influencers continue to dominate the market, the high cost has pushed advertisers to search for alternatives. Micro-influencers or KOC serve their purpose well with a more similar DNA audience, at a lower budget compared to an influencer with millions of fans. The latter is ideal for brand exposure. KOC is a better choice for sales leads. 

The changes of social media platforms are all towards the same goals – higher active users count and advertising value. 

In 2022, digital advertising choices are wider, but the data is still too raw to determine the winner. Regardless of all the digital advertising channels available, what makes a campaign successful is a good storyline and content strategy before anything else. Whether you are holding million advertising dollars or just a 4-figure budget, the bottom line is that content is still the king. All the digital tools are good when we use them well with a good story using text, visual, and sound combined. We saw a raw story shared that went viral without a single cent spent on advertising.

2022 will be an exciting year and a challenging one for marketers as there are way too many digital marketing choices and a limited budget to spare. Don’t let the noise distract you.