Ep. 19: 7 Instagram Trends to watch for in 2022

Hey, y’all and welcome back to our podcast all about Instagram trends. It’s now 2022, and we are going to share some social media predictions for you, specifically Instagram trends. So even though some of them are not directly on the Instagram app, they all are interrelated and you’ll see why as we go along. […]

The post Ep. 19: 7 Instagram Trends to watch for in 2022 appeared first on Authentic Online Marketing.

Hey, y’all and welcome back to our podcast all about Instagram trends. It’s now 2022, and we are going to share some social media predictions for you, specifically Instagram trends. So even though some of them are not directly on the Instagram app, they all are interrelated and you’ll see why as we go along. First off, thanks for coming back to listen, and we hope you’ve had a great Christmas and great holidays! 

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7 Instagram Trends to Watch for in 2022

My daughter is here with us today and we’re going to have a conversation about 2022 predictions. Welcome Hayley!
Hayley: I’m so excited. Thank you for having me.
Ruthie: We’re glad you’re here again. For those of you who don’t know, Hayley works with me and we’re a great team.
All right, let’s talk about the seven social media predictions for 2022. 

1. Keep Using Instagram Reels

H: Number one, we have Instagram Reels. As far as Instagram trends go, Reels is still obviously going to be a really important tool for your small business or for your social media strategy because Instagram Reels, as you probably know,  recently came up with their own algorithm within the app. Reels is kind of like it’s own little whole other algorithm where you could get seen aside from the main feed. That makes Reels a great tool to utilize. Another reason why we’re seeing that Reels is going to be important in 2022 is because TikTok is also still growing and as you probably know, TikTok has the same function or a very similar function to Reels.
As that’s growing, Reels is going to grow too. Instagram is going to be pushing out Reels to help keep you on Instagram rather than moving to TikTok, they kind of want to be your one-stop shop for all of your different social media avenues.

R: Yes. That’s one reason why Instagram has seemed so random and crazy and all over the board in 2021, because they are trying to be the top dog.

So, if you are still struggling to get on the Reels bandwagon, just know that we have some resources for you to help you with that. One is our Reels personality quiz. So you may be an encourager, you may be an educator, or you may be an entertainer. If you just go to the website, at Ruthiegray.mom, you will see that  Reels personality quiz.
Then after taking it, you will receive 40 ideas for your Reels. So you can implement that in your strategy. Beyond that, we also have a Reels Crash Course, and it will show you behind the scenes shooting of the Reels and explaining why I do what I do plus a few hacks.

2. More Effective Facebook Ads

H: For number two, I’m hearing that Facebook ads are going to be more effective. Facebook has said that they are going to make a lot of new updates and changes to make them a lot more efficient in 2022.
Obviously that directly correlates with these Instagram trends. We’re hoping that they will be not only more accessible to small business owners, but also more helpful.
R: Yes, because as you know, if you want to run an Instagram ad, you have to set it up through Facebook because they own both of them.
So we are hoping that Facebook is going to stay true to this prediction. That ads are going to be more effective because we’ve seen a dip in that in 2021, a lot of people have been discouraged, yet it does still seem to be an effective tool and it seems like it is going to get better in 2022.
We’ll buckle our seat belts and wait on that.

3. Long Form Video Rises to the Top of Instagram trends

H: For number three of the Instagram trends predicted for 2022, what I have learned is that long form content is going to be kind of rising a little bit closer to the top again. For a long time, people were hanging out on YouTube or other places where there was a lot of longer form videos and longer content, and then everything kind of got more bite-sized and you didn’t really see that as much, but we’re definitely going to start seeing a little bit of a rise in that again simply because video in general is going to be ruling all the different platforms. So pretty much any kind of video that you can utilize, you’re going to want to do that.

Something to keep in mind right here with long form growing in popularity again, is make sure you’re incorporating those bite sized avenues like Reels or even just static posts, because some people are going to want a break from all of the long form stuff that we’re going to be seeing in 2022. 

Just make sure that you’re going across all your different avenues and using, short form as well as long form posts, because some users are going to get on social media to sort of get a break from the long form things. 

This will just allow you to cater towards a wider variety of audience members. 

Everything but Reels and stories right now, as far as video goes on your profile, if you haven’t had this update already is going to be underneath a play button icon in its own section called Instagram video, which was formerly IGTV and is now offering the same function as IGTV, plus storing all of your other video posts in that section besides Reels. 

4. YouTube 

H: Number 4 of our predicted Instagram trends is piggybacking off of 3. With long form video taking over again, we are probably going to see YouTube making a comeback. YouTube has remained popular over the past couple of years, even while the shorter form content has started to rise, but it’s definitely not as popular as the other social media apps that we’re seeing. They are expected to have a comeback along with all video becoming more popular again and like we said, sort of taking over. 

R: I heard and correct me if I’m wrong, but I heard earlier in the year that YouTube and TikTok are the top two rivals for Instagram.

I think that is true as of recently, because all of those apps that have video at the forefront are really popular. 

5. The more you use IG, the more it rewards you re: Instagram trends

H: Number five, isn’t so much one of the Instagram trends as it is a concept. So basically number five is the more you use the Instagram app, the more you’re going to be rewarded.

What we mean by this is basically the more that you are spending time on Instagram, the more Instagram is probably going to boost your content and give it to a wider variety of audience members. The reason this is is because Instagram is going to get more saturated than normal because we’re seeing more small business owners and business owners in general switching to remote roles and they’re utilizing Instagram in the process. So there’s going to be a lot more competition there as far as using the app. The reason this could be a good thing is because there could be more traffic. You could have a higher opportunity for someone who’s new to come across your content because of this.

R: We will probably do a follow-up just based on this one number here, because there is so much more, we were talking beforehand that goes along with this, and we know that we don’t want to spend all of our lives on Instagram. And so we want to make it doable. You want to still be able to build a platform and then get off the app to not live your whole life there.

We will share more with you about how to be more concise and still make Instagram work for you.

6. Even shorter trend lifespans 

H: Number six in my Instagram trends list is that we are going to see shorter trend lifespans. Over this past year and a little bit in 2020, we’ve already seen trend lifespans get shorter and shorter.

Meaning when you first got TikTok or when you first started using Instagram Reels, trending sounds and video trends or whatever it may be. Those were going on for a couple of weeks at a time and then we’ve seen that kind of shrink and shrink. Now you can kind of see that one day, there’s a trend that’s happening and then you might not even see it again. Like the next day, there is a whole different trend. It’s kind of hard to know when you should jump on trends and it’s going to get even harder to figure that out in 2022, because there’s going to be an even shorter trend cycle because of all the trends that will be going on.

What this means for you as someone who makes content, especially if you’re someone who is making content to aid in the production of your small business, is that you’re going to want to really be pushing out original content. You want to be giving your audience something that only you have; and something consistent.

A word on original content…

It’s basically your safety net, because you can’t just be relying on trends. Instagram trends and all trends will only get you so far in 2022. 

R: So, if you want to stand out, then make original content. Use content that has your own voice in the background. You could narrate, or even just talk as you’re showing yourself. You could have music in the background or something like that.

Think how you can present your own content in your own voice authentically for you. That’s what this whole podcast is about. Our business is about helping you. Build your platform authentically for yourself to be true to your own voice and to your beliefs and your passions as a Christian female business owner and just learn how to operate and navigate the platform in your own specific way, because when you do that, then you draw your own specific, unique audience. 

7. Infographics not as popular

H: With number seven for these Instagram trends, we may be seeing a decrease in the traffic of infographics on your social media feed per the increase in the traffic of video in general, which we did reference earlier.

I think that’s important to know as small business owners. There was a popular social media prediction website recently that just hosted a poll. All of these large social media marketing companies participated in this poll and the poll was basically asking which formats they were going to be pushing in 2022 for their social media campaigns.

The item ranking at the lowest percentage was infographics. And the one at the top was video content. So you do want to make sure that you are incorporating infographics because they are a great tool. They’re a very quick way to let your audience and those who may be scrolling past your posts for the very first time, know exactly what you’re all about in a really concise way.

Those should always be really simple, even if you’re using a carousel, the first slide needs to be simple. It should be something that will easily catch your eye and get your message across as someone is scrolling through their feed. However, just make sure that you’re mixing it up and you’re not using too many infographics.

R: We have to be sure that we don’t always use the same thing. Like always using a quote or an infographic on video in the same position every single time because people kind of get used to that and then they start tuning out. So you want to make sure that your content is not only valuable and offering something that no one else is, but is interesting too.

Let me just review these seven Instagram trends for 2022. And then I want to wrap up with a little word of encouragement. Reels are not going away anytime soon. But we have figured out a way to help you make them fit with your personality.

Let’s recap!

Go take that Reels Personality quiz on our website, for as we know in Number 1 Reels aren’t going away any time soon. Number two, Facebook ads are expected to be more effective. Number three, long form video is going to rise. So be encouraged with that too may accept long and short form video and number four, YouTube is making a comeback. So that goes right along with the long form video.

Instagram is in competition with YouTube and TikTok, especially. So they are wanting to keep up with those trends. Number five, Instagram wants to keep you on the app. So the more you post, the more you interact, the more you engage, the more you’re going to be rewarded. You’re going to need to learn how to maximize your time on the app.

Then number six. Shorter trend lifespans. This goes for popular Instagram trends and other social media apps. We won’t be able to stay on top of these all the time. So learn how to make your own original content, possibly your own voice in the background. Number seven, infographics are good and useful, but they are down the line underneath the priority of video.

What I wanted to tell you that should encourage you is to remember, these are just predictions and predictions are basically trends. And remember that trends, rise and fall frequently. 

I just want to ask you, if you have enjoyed this podcast, this episode, or any episode, would you mind snapping a screenshot?

You can take one of the podcast episode on the app of your choice, or a selfie of you listening to the podcast, share the photo in stories, and just tag me at @authenticonlinemarketingpod. We just want to see who’s out there listening and we will share and tag you back.

The post Ep. 19: 7 Instagram Trends to watch for in 2022 appeared first on Authentic Online Marketing.