Social networks were a before and after for society, to the point that it would be difficult to imagine living without them. They are communication channels, entertainment elements, basic work tools and ways to communicate with companies, to name just a few of their functionalities. Such is their success that more and more platforms are popping up, which has led to more companies wanting to become part of this universe in order to reach their target audiences more effectively.
The latest Sabadell Hub Empresa meeting has broached the latest news and trends on social media within the professional field. To this end, Miguel Román, communications consultant at RocaSalvatella participated in it.
Social media use in Spain and its future
Román began his speech by presenting the most significant figures on the consumption of social media in Spain. In this regard, he insisted that, in spite of the fact that Facebook continues to be the platform with the most active users worldwide (2.740 billion), Instagram is the social media that is used the most on a daily basis, and TikTok has the fastest growing user base, according to the 2021 social media study by IAB Spain.
Furthermore, for 29% of those surveyed, brands that have an active profile on social networks instil more trust, and close to 50% consider that social media influences their purchasing processes, as the main channel for finding the information they need is Instagram.
Román also pointed out that the future of social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok is uncertain, as they are platforms that are constantly changing and adapting to their competitors; but he does believe that, in cases such as Instagram, by 2022 there will be more support for creators, a greater boost to video and new purchasing options.
In the case of Twitter, what is expected is a boost in audio formats through Twitter Spaces, in order to be able to compete with Clubhouse. Finally, as far as Facebook is concerned, it would make sense to implement some new features that could attract younger users back.
The new consumer
As Miguel Román explains, broadly speaking, today’s consumer can be defined by three values:
- Responsible consumption: We are no longer only looking for our own well-being, but also that of the world around us. This means being aware of the impact we have on the environment and minimising it.
- Commitment to local products: According to a study by the Kantar consultancy firm, 73% of consumers in Spain prefer to buy local products.
- Brands with a purpose: Consumers are paying more and more attention to the social initiatives of brands, and are going for those that are committed to a cause.
Therefore, brands and companies that can offer these values to consumers will be the ones that are better received by the audience.
Social media trends for 2022
After having contextualised the social media situation, the consultant revealed the 5 trends that are likely to stand out this year among companies:
1. Social commerce: This is the concept that refers to the possibility of buying through social media, an option which has experienced exponential growth, especially on Instagram. Along these lines, eMarketer predicts that by 2025, commerce on social media will be worth 80 billion dollars. To keep up with this trend, the speaker recommended:
- Know where the company stands in relation to its competitors.
- Do not upload all the inventory, select only those items that stand out most among followers.
- Activate an ad campaign.
- Tag products in both images and reels.
2. Short videos: the average human attention span is, according to an estimate, 8 seconds, and most platforms have been adapting to the ‘Instagram stories’ format. Therefore, Román has explained that it is essential to:
- Understand the needs of your audience and create content that responds to them with something that is easily consumable.
- Adapt the content tone to each social network.
3. Importance of customer service and social listening: according to the Nielsen study, 59% of users believe that good customer service impacts the company’s perception and valuation positively. With that in mind, the expert provides several tips:
- Create a customer service strategy.
- Create templates for specific answers to frequently asked questions.
- Try using a
- Enable an active listening or social listening strategy.
4. Influencers and user-generated content: It is envisaged that 15 billion USD will be allocated to influencer marketing throughout 2022. Micro and nano influencers are becoming increasingly important compared to more established profiles.
- Do a search for profiles that fit the brand and check that they have not previously collaborated with competitors.
- If afterwards you want to measure the success of the collaboration, provide a discount code for the
5. Social Paid Media: only 5% of your audience sees your posts, therefore, organic activity on social media is not enough. To improve upon this, Román recommends:
- Analyse and assess the results obtained from paid campaigns on social media.
- Study the content that is published on that network.
- Experiment with the creation of ads on that network.
Finally, Miguel Román concluded that the relevance of social media’s role in the business environment has been increasing in recent years, and it is most likely that this trend will continue to go upward.
If you need to know more about it and want to expand your knowledge on the world of social media, you can watch the meeting again here.
