What social media trends should companies have on their radar as they move into the new year? Which platforms should marketers use to stay competitive and relevant?
Hubspot, a leading customer relationship management platform, in collaboration with Talkwalker, published the Social Media Trends Report providing insights on how the pandemic influenced behavioural changes and created new customer demands.
In this article, we reflect on some points from the report and try to discover what makes TikTok so popular. We also dare to ask challenging questions about social media marketing choices for 2022.
What’s behind TikTok’s enormous success?
In September 2021, TikTok revealed it has 1 billion active global users. Considering the growth HubSpot predicts for this platform in 2022, business leaders should certainly keep an eye on this apps’ advertising potentials. How does TikTok successfully energize and animate its users in the first place?
According to the above-mentioned report by Hubspot and Talkwalker, the 15-second video app TikTok is almost guaranteed to dominate over all other communication platforms. One of the reasons the audience continues to engage on TikTok is the highly personalized content recommendation system preferred mostly by young generations.
To have highly personalized content, brands gather and analyse huge customer datasets. Therefore, one of the challenges this AI-powered company confronts is its social and corporate responsibility to ensure data privacy and cybersecurity for all users.
After facing the threats of getting banned in the U.S. due to the risk of data misuse, TikTok leaders implemented several practices to build trust with its clients. One example of such practice is the blockage of any political and advocacy advertising. Such initiatives contribute to the brand’s image and emphasize creativity, and the light-hearted vision of the company.
“With TikTok, there is a shift from views to creations. There is no ‘formula’ in posting ‘the right thing. Anyone can be a creator or a trendsetter. With this democratization, content becomes more hyperlocal,” shared for the report purposes Cassandra Tan, the head of insights and analytics at Universal Music Group.
Is TikTok your next favourite advertising tool?
TikTok continues to innovate and keep ahead of its competition by improving the monetization process and keeping consumers engaged through creative videos. The app popularity skyrocketed with one billion downloads in 150 markets and 75 languages worldwide in 2019. Without a doubt, this level of attention pushes brands to integrate TikTok as one of their leading advertising tools.
According to the research, TikTok and other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are beginning to provide alternative selling solutions that focus on making the journey easier for buyers. Moreover, the new features allow social media customers to purchase items without ever leaving the app.
We assume many brands will find it challenging to keep up with this rapid change in the social media marketing space. As the report shows, 68% of marketers still don’t plan to incorporate TikTok into their advertising strategies but will this change as we flow into the new year?
“According to our research, 68% of marketers do not plan on using TikTok for marketing purposes in 2021. However, 32% are interested in learning about this platform. If you are looking to diversify your marketing beyond Instagram, look closely at TikTok. This is especially important if you are targeting Gen Z with your marketing,” commented Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Marketing World.
The Social Media Trends Report by Hubspot and Talkwalker leaves us with many unanswered questions about the effects the hyperproduction of short videos will have on the customer service industry in general.
Does TikTok has the potential to revolutionize the way we buy, promote, and review products and services? Are new features deepening the line between private and public space? And finally, how will these and similar apps change the course of human communication, connection, and value?