Trying to stand out in the social sphere can leave social media managers burned out! Wracking your brain for how to keep your next social ads campaign fresh? We’ve rounded up a few of the best trends of 2022 to help up your creative ante. Check them out:
While TikTok may have started the video marketing fire across social media platforms, the flames have been fanned by other outlets like Instagram and Facebook, which in 2022 are making sure video content is at the forefront . Newsfeeds have changed drastically this year as Reels launched worldwide back in February , and marketers have taken notice with their own digital ad strategies. While static imagery is still useful for social ad campaigns, video often comes out on top due in large part to the “scroll mindset ” of social media feeds. Video content grabs the user’s attention in a way that static imagery does not, and many social media marketers have reported an increase in clicks and conversions and boosts to CTRs with video ads. Basically, it’s harder to scroll past a video than it is to quickly pass over a graphic. But the key is still making sure the video content is engaging; not just any video will do. (Check out our recent blog, “How to Maximize Your Social Media Video Content in 2022 and Beyond ” for our best tips!).
It seems like everyone is spending more on social advertising in 2022 (more than half of those surveyed by Hootsuite are increasing ad spend this year ), which means that creating campaigns that stand out from the rest needs to be a top priority for marketers. As video content continues to reign supreme in terms of capturing audience engagement (more on this later), brands are already stretching their creative limits to determine what the next big trend in social advertising will look like. For some brands, this means going immersive by incorporating tech like visual applications, augmented reality, and virtual reality into social media campaigns to help boost customer experience and overall engagement. While static and even video imagery can only capture attention for so long, AR has the potential to fully immerse audiences in your brand and ultimately transform the way users engage with social advertisements as a whole.
While this might be a fit for some brands, not everyone is ready to embrace an alternate reality ; the best advice here is to be open to experimentation with VR to enhance customer experience and see how this creative tactic works in your overall social media marketing strategy.
Beyond solid content, one way social media marketers are getting creative with ad campaigns is by going back to the basics and providing ad content that feels authentic to both the audience and the platform. Entering the social ad sphere with this mindset ultimately respects the role social media plays in the marketing funnel ; engage users with your brand first, then sell to them. Understanding the essence of a platform and its users goes hand in hand with creating effective and authentic engagement.
Getting back to basics doesn’t mean you can slack on creativity, however. It’s all about using that knowledge about a platform and its audience and then getting creative with your social ads while staying authentic. Speaking of authenticity, a great way to tap into the specific audience of a social platform is to incorporate user-generated content into the mix. Across the board, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are making this type of content a priority in their newsfeeds. Going back to basics also means having a thorough understanding of the restrictions each social platform has for digital advertising and still finding ways to be creative within them .
One of the best ways to inspire creativity and keep your digital marketing ads fresh is to always be on the lookout for inspiration. Look outward to brands who are succeeding in the digital marketing sphere and look internally to see what lessons can be learned from your own forays into ad campaigns. And then start creating!
How are you upping the creative ante with your social media ads this year? Tell us in the comments!