With a new year just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about the future of your business. If you want to grow your business next year, you'll need to attract more customers. Better marketing is what makes this possible, so it's important to make sure that you're at the top of your game in this area. These handy social media marketing tricks for 2022 will help you with that. As one of the most effective yet most affordable ways to promote a business, social media is a staple in every marketing plan. Now you just need to learn how to take your activity there to the next level.

Why do you need to learn more social media marketing tricks?

Social media is a necessity for businesses these days. It's a way to expand your online presence, increase your visibility and build your brand. So if you're not using it, you're missing out. But therein lies the problem as well - everyone uses social media, so the competition is fierce. You'll need all the help you can get to make it out on top, especially now when consumers use social media more than ever. However, this increase in use has come with an increase in concerns about privacy and data collection. It's been rumored that because of this, some social media platforms are considering introducing important changes in 2022 to keep their users safe and happy. You want to be ready for this.

The key social media marketing tricks for 2022

To give your social media marketing a boost, you'll want to focus on marketing tactics that are in line with current trends and expected future trends. So what do you need to know?

Facebook ads are worth the investment

If you want to maximize your reach on Facebook, just creating a profile won't be enough. You'll need to pay for the advertising feature. That way, your content will be shown even to users who aren't actively following you. The good news is that Facebook just recently made this feature a lot more effective. It is now easier than ever to accurately target your main demographic and reach them with your sponsored content. This makes Facebook ads well worth the investment in 2022. So start working on your PPC campaigns because you'll need them next year.

Use Instagram reels to maximize your reach

Instagram is known as the best platform for visual content. That used to mean posting good promotional photos of your business. But today, video is a lot more popular. And the best way to get your video trending is not to just post it but to make it a reel. Reels are the perfect opportunity to start trending with some innovative content packed into a quick and informative video. With Instagram, condensing what you want to say will be the key - people don't browse Instagram for hours-long video essays, nor can such long videos even be uploaded. Instead, you'll want to create a video of 30-60 seconds that focuses on something important or interesting about your business. It's an easy way to capture the attention of the thousands of users who browse reels for some fun content

Try your hand at videos

Reels are not the only video format you should try. In fact, video, in general, is quickly becoming one of the best options for content marketing. People often don't have the time or patience to read through a lot of text, and a still image can only convey so much. On the other hand, video is an excellent way to share as much information as you want in a format that gets most people's attention. And we already know visual imagery can be used to build a brand - your website's appearance is a part of your brand, as are your logo, employee uniforms, and more. So you can develop your own video style as well and use videos for branding as well as marketing.

Long-form content is coming back

It's generally a good idea to keep your content short and to the point - consumers don't have the time or attention span for more. So it might be a bit of a paradox that the popularity of long-form content is also on the rise. When it comes to important topics that cannot be covered in under a minute, longer is actually better. The most popular long-form content is deep-dives that explain complicated topics and in-depth guides (especially for beginners). Choosing the right topic will be key: you don't want a 5,000-word post about something simple. Instead, opt for detailed instructions on how to do something relevant to your industry, B2B topics that require a lot of information, and location-specific topics that show off your expertise to your target demographic. These types of posts will further serve to establish you as an authority in your niche.

Engage directly with your audience

Creating an account has never been enough on social media; you have to actually be active in order to attract and retain your audience. But simply posting things and waiting on your followers to engage is not enough anymore. Your customers want to know that you've read their comments, heard their complaints, and appreciated their praise. So you'll need to take on a more active role on social media. In addition to updating your profile, posting, and sharing, start replying to comments, responding to mentions, and even commenting on your follower's content. Don't be afraid to be the first one to reach out either, especially to other businesses. Social media can be an excellent tool for getting more links if you establish the right connections. So if you want to use social media for link building, be proactive.

Social media marketing tricks are not a replacement for the basics - you will still need a proper strategy

The point of social media marketing tricks is to boost your existing social media strategy. So before you employ any of these tips, you'll need to make sure you have a good base to work with. Before you even start marketing on social media, you need to determine which platforms work best for you. This will largely depend on two things: the type of content you post and your target demographic. Then, you'll want to do some research into how best to gain attention on your chosen platforms. Hashtags are almost always a good idea, but all platforms have their quirks that you need to learn. Finally, remember to revisit your strategy periodically. If you've established clear goals and KPIs, occasional evaluations will help you determine how successful you are and whether you need to change something. It is in making these improvements that tricks can help you.