3 Instagram Algorithm Predictions In 2022
There will be thousands of predictions about social media algorithms between now and well, seemingly forever. In perfect practice, algorithms exist to make user experiences better, yet the evolution of algorithms is rapid, making it difficult for businesses and social media marketing teams to keep up. We aren’t going to pretend to be the Nostradamus of social media algorithmic prediction but we do have some insight into the trends we see being concretized in 2022. In this week’s blog we’ll cover a few of the features that we see staying put and why.
Short Form Video Is Here To Stay
Due to its lower cost to produce and ability to keep people engaged, short form video content is predicted to increase in popularity in 2022. In fact, 89% of marketers across the globe are planning to maintain or increase their investment in producing short form video content. Instagram is taking a page out of TikTok’s book and many believe they may release an option for their users to have a reels-based home feed. Truthfully, young adults are the target audience and for good reason. With the popularity of TikTok ever-increasing, Instagram’s parent company, Meta is looking to “make serving young adults their north star,” according to Zuckerberg. Traditional static images may be getting the boot.
Shopping Will Take A Front Seat
COVID pushed social media shopping front and center in 2021. Consumers already have a known preference for shopping online and now the ability to shop directly through platforms like Instagram make it even easier. Instagram launched Instagram Checkout in many regions earlier this year which provides users with a way to complete a purchase without having to go to a third-party site. They are currently working on “object identification tools” that will crawl still images and videos for products that can be tagged as shoppable to guide product discovery and increase purchases. Since shopping is a large focus it’s expected that they will improve their search features as well to help people find products. As a result, keyword usage on the app will only become more important. You can now use Facebook Pay to complete purchases on the app as well.
It’s Time To Get On Board With Influencer Marketing
Influencers help drive usage and build trust with social media users so it’s expected that Instagram will be looking to foster these relationships. Throughout the past year Instagram has released many tools to help creators reach wider audiences and grow their following on the platform which is expected to continue in 2022. Micro-influencers will likely gain popularity in the influencer marketing space because their engagement rates are often much higher which benefits brands. They also tend to be more authentic than larger influencers and do fewer brand deals each year. Influencer marketing tactics will be used in conjunction with the shopping features to drive purchases and brand awareness for companies.