We’ve seen lots of changes in the world since 2020. Changes to the digital world will keep coming thick and fast in 2022, with changes to privacy, trends and the way people use social media and digital being unavoidable. But what does this mean for us as Marketers and Social Media Managers?
Here our Founder and Director Katherine George shares her top tips for 2022.
Conversions API will be the big words from Facebook in 2022 and, for anyone who relies on Facebook Advertising, implementation will be a must.
This is the next level up from the Facebook pixel, connecting your marketing data from your website, server or CRM directly to the Facebook system. Once connected Facebook say you can expect better optimisation, better targeting, better measurements and a decreased cost per action, even in the post IOS-14 world.
It is not a replacement for the pixel, instead it is a supercharging extra, working alongside the Facebook Business Tools you are already used to.
I’m not going to lie, Conversions API isn’t as simple as the pixel and the set-up won’t be as easy, however, the return Facebook promise will be worth the time investment.
Organic social media is not dead, it never has been, and while your customers continue to use social media networks to engage with friends, family and businesses, it never will be. Most customers today, regardless of sector would rather speak to a person via Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp (which thanks to being owned by Meta links directly to your Facebook page) than over the phone, making it a vital tool in all businesses’ arsenal.
Organic social media is about being social. It’s about building relationships with your customers, reminding them of the value you bring, and how you make their lives better. As a business you have to be where they are, and for almost every business, this means being on at least one social media network.
In addition to being a place to connect with your customer, as privacy rules around the web tighten organic social will become even more important, allowing you to create custom and engaged audiences for your advertising, allowing for retargeting without the worry of losing data as people leave platforms.
We used to talk about Influencers, but in 2022 they are called Content Creators. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and of course, YouTube, offering monetisation for Content Creators in a range of different ways, we are seeing a focus on quality, engaging content across all platforms, with the networks themselves rewarding Content Creators for great work. But what does this mean for your business?
Two things.
Firstly, you will have to up your organic game. Organic content is getting better; every year we see lots of new Content Creators, new businesses and new brands launch onto these platforms and this means there is an increase in demand for your customers’ attention. “Good enough” is no longer good enough. If you want to be seen in the organic algorithm, you need to do more. 2022 is the year to level up your organic game. Stop thinking constant posting; instead think “value add”, think “engagement”, think “how can I reward my customers for following me, over everyone else”, think “quality, not quantity.”
Secondly, use Content Creators and embrace social proof. Content Creators of all shapes and sizes can bring some big results for your business, so understand your customers, understand who they follow and reach out to them. Micro Influencers come in all forms and won’t break the bank, you may even find they bring you stronger results than those who have a larger following. Top tip when looking for a Content Creator or Influencer: always look at engagement levels over follower levels. Followers are a vanity metric; engagement is a sanity metric and should bring you a strong return.
But don’t just use the professional “Influencers” for your content, embrace your current audience, use your followers and use your existing customers for content creation. Everyone wants their 5 minutes of fame so encourage them to share photos of your offering, have regular competitions, share on everything, and add customer content to your feed. Not only will this save you time in content creation but will also give your organic content a nice boost as people start to share!