Social media: two words that have become synonymous with every Digital Marketer’s day-to-day life. 

As individual responsibilities for business owner’s pile up, more and more companies are contracting full-time, part-time, and even freelance social media specialists to help:

• Increase brand reach and engagement

• Produce successful adverts

• Promote products

• Communicate with audiences

• Create and convert leads
  

This is because social media itself has become an incredible part of the sales funnel for many firms, giving users a platform to browse product information, reviews, and brand information - all in a place of their choosing. In fact, a 2021 HubSpot study found that 54% of customers are now using social media in the “gathering information” stage of their buyer’s journey, and available sales channels are contributing to more than 50% of revenue across 14 major industries.

As businesses become more aware of attractive ROI rates through effective social media strategies, demand increases for marketing talent - and especially Digital Marketing Strategists, Specialists, and Social Media Managers. Currently, over 100,000 marketing jobs are available in the UK with approximately 3,000 new roles added every week.

This number is only set to grow throughout 2022, driven by new social media trends that are escalating sales revenue potential.

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2022 Social Media Trends

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Trend 1: Personalisation is Essential

For the most part, content creation has become a data-driven marketing tool, where marketing professionals can use research to personalise experiences and increase CTR rates by 55%. Research shows that 61% of UK consumers actually prefer advertisers to use their personal data to improve their shopping and browsing experiences (Source: Lovely Mobile News). This increases pressure on CMOs, Performance Marketing Directors, and Marketing Managers to provide their teams with the right tools to collect and store customer data for regular use... All whilst staying within GDPR guidelines.

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Trend 2: Algorithm’s Keep Changing

Social media is constantly changing. Staying up-to-date with changes in algorithms seems like it’s due to become a full-time job. This year alone, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube all had regular updates which each changed how posts reach audiences. Over 2022, general marketing teams can expert to work with Social Media Specialists and Consultants who are able to dedicate more time to exploring changes in algorithms, and how these changes can be effectively implemented into digital marketing strategies. 

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Trend 3: Usage Keeps Climbing

On average, UK consumers are spending 110 minutes browsing social media platforms every single day. While this has created an attractive advertising base for many businesses, actually reaching out to target audiences has become significantly harder for Marketing Coordinators and Administrators due to changing algorithms, increasing costs per click, and crowded competition in the market. As a result, Social Media Analysts will become an essential part of many marketing teams in 2022, as their skills with research will help teams implement successful adverts. 

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Trend 4: TikTok is Growing

TikTok has the highest engagement rates from followers when compared to all other social media platforms, and has become a great source of income for many brands. However, only 5% of marketers are actively taking advantage of TikTok’s rapidly growing user base. In 2020, TikTok was the world’s most downloaded app and is connecting brands to younger, creative audiences. As TikTok becomes a household name, 2022 can anticipate more businesses building a presence on the platform, and Campaign Managers can anticipate getting creative with their video marketing.

Trend 5: Social Listening Boom

Understanding your audience ultimately comes down to listening to what they have to say - and brands and marketers are starting to be clever with their social awareness. Alongside monitoring important company-related conversations and product reviews, social listening involves learning about customers’ wants and needs. In 2022, we can expect Social Media Managers to monitor ongoing conversations and generate content that offers vital problem-solving to the audience. For marketing roles, this trend is driving a huge change in previous expectations: no longer do SMM’s “only” have to respond to tagged posts, but they’ll be expected to have a voice and opinion on a wide range of indirect industry issues.

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Trend 6: Growth of Influencer Marketing

 As social media usage grows, more and more regular people have the potential to become famous influencers. Since 2019, more than 240 influencer marketing agencies have been established with the sole goal of connecting companies with relevant industry influencers. In 2022, we can expect to see more deals on TikTok and further growth in influencer marketing, creating job opportunities in PR and Outreach Marketing. 

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Trend 7:  Paid Advertising Becomes Vital

Paid advertising has always been a great source of inbound marketing traffic, but sponsored ads on social media could be the make or break for the success of a company’s online presence. Updated algorithms punish non-spenders, and it seems that Digital Marketing employees will receive higher budgets to advertise on social media. SMM’s will find themselves working with expert Copywriters and Graphic Designers to make the perfect, impactful ad that will resonate with audiences. 

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Trend 8: Inclusivity Will Be Key

As Neil Patel says, “content should always be inclusive”, and the importance of being compliant with the UK’s discrimination laws is just as essential online as it is in the workplace. Marketers should prepare to adopt gender-neutral pronouns when addressing audiences, avoid using words with negative connotations (like blacklisting and whitelisting), and speak up on social issues in their industry. In 2022, we anticipate that customers have an agenda to support sustainable and inclusive businesses and in general, 38% of consumers are more likely to trust brands with diverse advertising. (Source: Impact Plus). We predict that recruiters will have to hire for marketing roles based on beliefs and values that align appropriately with the employers. 

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Trend 9: Short Form Content Wins

Attention spans are decreasing. The average British person has an attention span of just 14 minutes, and less so for social media - where posts get viewed for around 8 seconds before being scrolled past. This means Digital Marketers and Copywriters with short-form content skills will be in high demand, as social media posts need to be both snappy and efficient. 

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Trend 10: User-Generated Content Eases Stress

Word of mouth marketing has always had incredible power, but as the expectations that are placed on marketers’ shoulders grow - there is one slight relief: user-generated content. Found to be 42% more effective than brand content, UGC can help bring and attract traffic to social media pages. Ensuring customers are passionate enough about a brand or product to make their own content (such as a review or location check) comes down to enhancing every step of the customer journey. Customer Experience Managers and Customer Journey Managers can expect to receive more demand to help businesses break down their value offerings and improve overall experiences.

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Marketing Jobs in 2022

Social media trends are transforming job expectations for many more marketing positions than those simply in charge of social media management. 

As social media usage booms, some businesses are becoming extremely concerned about their hiring capacity. According to LinkedIn, high-demand roles include:

1. Digital Marketing Specialists

2. Social Media Managers

3. Digital Marketing Managers

4. Digital Strategists

Marketing candidates with skills and qualifications looking to advance up a career ladder should actively build relationships with recruiters. Business owners who need to fill gaps should look for specialist marketing recruitment agencies in order to find rapid solutions to talent shortages. (Check out our Recruitment Solutions!)

For help expanding your horizons and driving change in your industry through intelligent recruitment, contact us! AtForward Role, you’ll find genuine Marketing, Digital, and Tech experts who care passionately about delivering for their clients and candidates.

If you're a candidate, we'll treat you the way we'd like to be treated when making an important life decision like moving jobs. If you're a client you can expect exceptional delivery and communication as a matter of course.

Eilidh Sproul is Senior Social & Content Consultant at Forward Role

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