If you’re looking to grow your social media presence, you may be overwhelmed by all the social media trends and constant updates. And all those self-proclaimed social media “gurus” in your feed sharing unrealistic recommendations are only making things worse. Oh, you know the ones I’m talking about. They’re telling you to post twice a day and share Reels every day for 90 days because these strategies (and I use that term loosely) will help you grow your social media presence.

Who has time for that? I can probably speak for the both of us when I say: I don’t, and neither do you unless you have a dedicated social media team.

As business owners, we spend a lot of time on social media. In fact, one survey found that 43% of small business owners spend six hours every week on social media marketing – that’s nearly an entire workday! I know how hard it is to follow every single social media recommendation and keep up with every new trend, especially when it’s just not in your zone of genius. And that’s exactly why I’ve created this list of the must-know social media trends for 2022, so you can drown out the noise and focus on what will actually give you results. (Can I get an amen?!)

In this blog, we’re going to talk about some of the top social media trends right now, including:

• Authentic audience engagement
• Short-form video content
• Real-time, unfiltered content
• Curated content for your audience
• Collaborations with other business owners

Let’s get to it!

Authentic Audience Engagement

One of the best ways to grow your social media presence in 2022 is by engaging authentically with your audience. The keyword I want you to pay attention to here is ‘authentically.’ It’s not enough to just interact generally with your audience. Comments like thanks or simple likes on comments won’t work to build loyalty or an engaged following. Authentic social media engagement involves:

• Responding to comments thoughtfully
• Answering DMs in a personalized manner
• Sparking conversations on the posts of your ideal customers or clients

Social media engagement is a two-way street. You can’t just wait for an audience to come to you; you also must initiate interactions with your target audience. Leave meaningful comments on others’ posts, share their content to your Stories, and respond to their Stories. People are craving authentic connections now more than ever, so it’s important that you take the time to create them in a meaningful way.

Short-Form Video Content

With the explosion of TikTok and features like Instagram Reels continuing to gain popularity, short-form video content is one of the hottest social media trends right now. If increasing your business’s social media exposure is a top priority, then short-form video should definitely be built into your social media strategy. This content type is so popular because it appeals to our incredibly short attention spans. (Yes, sadly, goldfish have longer attention spans than we do). Reels and TikToks give viewers information in a quick and entertaining way, making them want to come back for more. Instagram is really pushing Reels right now, so your content has the potential to reach hundreds and even thousands of people.

But there’s essentially a trend within the trend. To keep your Reels interesting, you need to know:

1. How to add music to a Reel on Instagram
2. How to make a Reel on Instagram with photos
3. The trending Instagram Reels songs

And here’s a pro tip: Don’t get too caught up with Instagram Reels views. Not every Reel will take off, and sometimes it takes days, even weeks, for a Reel to get noticed. As long as you’re intentionally creating your Reels as part of an overall strategy, just be patient and stick to it – success will come!

Real-Time, Unfiltered Content

People are no longer interested in flawless and filtered. Why? Because “perfect” isn’t relatable for most people. Instead, people want to see the real you. They want unfiltered content that isn’t always aesthetic or curated (which we’ll talk more about shortly). That’s what makes features like LinkedIn Live and Instagram Live so popular. Lives give you an opportunity to show up for your audience and engage with them in real-time from anywhere in the world. This type of raw, unfiltered, real-time content builds trust, and we all know how important trust is for growing a small business.

Curated Content for Your Audience

Wait, Ines. You just said no curated content. What I meant in the section above is your social media feed doesn’t have to necessarily look a certain way to grow your social media presence. A curated feed of strategic content that builds trust, value, and authentic connections is much more important to most audiences than a pretty feed with a single filter or tile pattern. That’s why it’s so important to know your target audience when growing a small business. When you know who you’re targeting, you’ll quickly learn how to curate the best content that truly resonates with them both on social media and off of it.

If you don’t fully know your audience through your own independent research, you’ll be able to learn a lot from your in-app social media analytics. Social media analytics show you which pieces of content perform better than others. Take note of any patterns you see and begin creating more of the content that your audience seems to love most. Another pro tip: Repurposing high-performing content can save you time while ensuring you provide your audience with the most relevant content.

Collaboration With Others to Boost Social Media Presence

Going Live, doing post collaborations, or remixing Reels with other small business owners is an excellent way to reach different audiences and grow your social media presence. Once you’ve figured out how to add music to a Reel on Instagram and how to make a Reel on Instagram with photos, you can tap into the other top Reels trends. These features are all great ways to create more engaging content while building connections with other small business owners and their followers.

Let’s Grow Your Social Media Presence and Stay Ahead of the Social Media Trends for 2022

Growing your social media presence isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes time, effort, and a solid social media strategy. But you’re a boss, so I know you can handle it.If you’re looking for some additional support or information on how to leverage these social media trends for your accounts, book a 1:1 Strategy Session. I’ll answer any questions you may have plus provide clear, actionable steps customized to your brand so you can hit the ground running immediately after! Prefer to have someone take social media off your hands entirely? With my social media management packages, I stay ahead of the trends and at the helm of your social media presence to achieve your goals while building a strategic audience of engaged followers.