With Halloween around the corner, we’ve got “scary” on the brain. We’ve rounded up important statistics about the future of social media that might “spook” you if you’re not prepared. Check out the stats below to make sure your social media marketing strategy is prepared not only for 2022 but for many years to come. 

Scary Truths About the Future of Social Media

Budget

• 62% of consumers agree that companies who don’t invest in social media will be left behind, according to Sprout Social.
• 91% of businesses agree that their social media marketing budgets will increase over the next few years, according to Sprout Social.

Yikes, marketers! These are scary stats if you aren’t currently investing in social media. If there isn’t a social media line item in your marketing budget, it’s time to add one. If there already is one, be prepared to make sure it’s growing year-to-year so your brand isn’t left behind. I will say, even though this is a “scary” stat, it’s never too late to invest in social media. You can start small, but the point is to just start! I promise you’ll see results. 

Customer service 

• 84% of businesses agree that social media is quickly becoming their most common form of external communication, according to Sprout Social.
• 75% of consumers expect a response from a brand on social media in 24 hours or less, according to Sprout Social.

If you’ve read our recent blog posts, you’ll see that the topic of “customer service” isn’t going away. In fact, it may be more important than ever – especially on social media. With consumers taking to social media more and more to voice their complaints, frustrations, and questions, we need to be prepared to respond and engage quickly. 

Audience 

• We can expect to see more regulatory control and legal scrutiny, according to Cisco.

• Inc predicts that the “niche communities” are on the rise.

Ok, marketers – while there is growing negativity and regulatory controls on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, we can actually use this to our advantage. The more people grow weary of offensive, negative content, the more they’ll be searching out niche communities. Guess what is a “niche community” that is rarely offensive? Fresh produce!

At the beginning of the pandemic last year, we decided to pause social media content on behalf of our clients for a week or two as to not appear tone-deaf during a difficult time. Soon after we realized people were tired of seeing depressing and upsetting content and decided to step back in. Guess what happened?

We saw incredible results we had not seen before. We still would advise against being tone-deaf during a difficult time, however, when the time is right, people enjoy seeing positive, inspirational, and light content while scrolling through their feed, and fresh produce can stand in the spotlight. 

Content 

• 82% of all online content will be video in 2022, according to Cisco.
• 55% of 13 to 25-year-olds use memes weekly in their communication, according to Talkwalker. 
• According to Good Rebels, we’re reaching the “maturity” stage of social media usage. Meaning, we’re getting to a point where too many brands are fighting for the attention of users who are more and more aware and averse to receiving it. This could mean a major increase in advertising spend per result if you’re unable to differentiate your brand from the rest.

Between video, memes, and the growing need to differentiate your channel from the rest, it’s important to grab ahold of these stats before it’s too late. For example, if you haven’t found a video solution, now is the time (actually yesterday is the time)! If your brand has a sillier or lighter brand voice and hasn’t started utilizing memes, what’s stopping you? If you aren’t ensuring your content, advertising and images are cutting through the noise, consider a different approach. Social media is ever-changing – one day can look totally different than the next. Make sure your content is staying fresh and up-to-date to earn new followers and engagement. 

If these stats didn’t scare you, that’s awesome! That must mean your social media strategy is in a great place and ready to serve your company well in the coming years. If you got “spooked” reading some of these stats, schedule a call with us. Our job is to stay on top of these stats and trends to make sure your social media is set up to earn trust with your audience to drive sales and the consumption of fresh, better-for-you foods.