Top Instagram Trends For 2022

Top Instagram Trends For 2022

Instagram, which has over 2 billion monthly active users, is no exception to different trends. This is why it is critical to keep up with the latest trends. 

The point is that social media marketers cannot afford to become complacent. Whether or not you follow Instagram marketing trends, it’s critical to be aware of what’s going on to build a social media strategy and content calendar that are both relevant to your brand and success.

You’ve come to the right place if you want to get the most out of your Instagram marketing strategy in 2022. In this article, to increase your engagement, earn followers and earn more revenue for yourself, we’ll discuss.

More Twitter Card Previews on Instagram Will Be Used by Marketers

Twitter might not be the big fish like it once was, but it remains a popular platform among marketers. With post previews, Instagram has made it easier to promote your Instagram posts on Twitter. 

If you’ve been using Instagram and Twitter for a while, this may feel familiar. Using Twitter cards on Instagram has been available since the app’s inception, but Meta (Facebook) removed the feature when it acquired Instagram in 2012.

IGTV IS NO MORE

Instagram’s venture into long-form video didn’t go as planned. So, rather than continue to support a platform that wasn’t taking off, Instagram ditched IGTV in favor of beefing up its existing in-feed video features. 

Instagram announced the bowing out of IGTV, its exclusive long-form video format, in October 2021. Users can now upload content up to 60 minutes in length directly to the main Instagram feed.

On profile pages, feed videos and IGTV videos will be accessible through a single tab (Reels get their dedicated tab). Meanwhile, the IGTV app is rebirthed as the Instagram TV app.

In-App Shopping

The internet is now a market for purchasing everything from clothing to food to cars. Since 70% of shoppers already use Instagram to discover new products, we can assume that Instagram makes it easier for users to shop without leaving the platform. 

As the pandemic continues to mess things up in 2022, consumers will likely keep their shopping activity online. 

Shoppable posts are identified in your feed by a small shopping bag in the lower-left corner of the Instagram mobile app, and you can tap the products to learn more about them.

Instagram’s Affiliate and New Shop Features Will Be Used More by Creators

In 2021, Instagram introduced new ways for creators to earn money. One of the said ways was the ability for creators to tag products from brands with which they collaborate or to use Shops if they have their product line.

Instagram is now testing a native affiliate marketing tool that allows creators to discover new products available at the checkout, share them with their followers, and earn commissions on their sales. 

When people come across an affiliate post from a creator that includes a tagged product, they see the phrase “eligible for commission” at the top of the post. 

This indicates that their purchases help that creator open up new opportunities to collaborate with and reward creators to share their work.

Social media for social justice

Although 2020 was a watershed moment for social justice, interest in advocacy, activism, and engagement will remain strong in 2022. 

According to Instagram, social justice advocates are among its most active social users. In 2022, Generation Z intends to donate even more money to social causes than in previous years, while 28% plan to follow more social justice accounts on social media. 

Imagine your brand has a connection to a cause, charity, or non-profit. Now is a great time to capitalize on that connection and share your values.

Relatable Influencers

Brands collaborate with relatable influencers who create uncensored and authentic content. The average Instagram user wants to connect with real people whose lives are similar to their own. 

They are not interested in celebrities. More nano and micro-influencers collaborate with brands because of their connection with their audiences. 

While these influencers may have just a few thousand followers, they have higher engagement. Why? It is easier for them to stay in touch with a few thousand people rather than hundreds of thousands.

The chronological feed has returned

If you’ve ever felt outwitted by the Instagram algorithm, 2022 could be your year. In December 2021, Instagram announced that it is testing a possible return to a chronological feed, with the option for users to determine which posts are most relevant or important.

Reels Usage Will Rise

Instagram Reels allows users to create and edit 15-second video clips. Reels was released in August 2020 and is now available in over 50 countries. 

While TikTok influencers who have built a following on the platform are unlikely to abandon it simply because of Instagram, Reels is an excellent choice for focusing attention on TikTok-style content, trends, and challenges without switching platforms and rebuilding their audience.

Instagram Reels can help brands with their marketing strategy in various ways. Even if you’re not going to create content on TikTok, staying informed about what’s going on, on the platform can be extremely beneficial.

Branded AR Effects

While branded effects were insanely popular during Snapchat’s peak, Meta (Facebook) has taken the idea and turned it into an entire platform. 

Since the release of Meta’s Spark AR Studio in mid-2019, more than 1 billion people worldwide have used it to create their AR effect filters. 

Branded AR effects have been used by brands across industries, from cosmetic companies showing users how different makeup shades look on them to clothing and home decor brands offering users how a specific decor piece would look in their space. 

This is an excellent way for brands to market to shoppers who are increasingly turning to the internet for their shopping needs.

Replying with Reels

Following TikTok’s video-response feature, Instagram announced a new way to comment on Reels; with another Reel.

Users can make their own video responses to other people’s Reels using Reels Visual Replies. You’ll see an option to create your own Reel in the comment section of any given Reel; that video reply will then appear as a sticker.

We’re curious to see how this new tool affects brands in 2022 because it’s a highly visual and interactive way for fans to interact with creators and vice versa. 

However, if the success of TikTok’s video reply function is any indication, Visual Replies are likely to appear on Instagram as well.

Cause Marketing

Instagram will launch a social fundraising feature in July 2020. Users can create fundraisers for personal causes, their businesses, or a friend or cause close to their hearts. 

Instagram launched the feature in response to the economic impact of COVID-19. At the feature’s launch, Instagram and Meta (Facebook) users had raised more than $100 million for those affected by the pandemic. 

According to Instagram, a “large wave of digital activism has also responded to the global conversation around racial justice.” 

In addition to being a relatively new Instagram feature, cause marketing is an excellent way to communicate with your followers about what is important to them. 

Gone are the days when keeping quiet about social issues was considered good business practice. Instagram users are increasingly looking for brands that support the same causes and issues that they do. 

Don’t think you can show your support for the Black Lives Matter movement by simply using a black box as your Instagram profile image. Consumers are becoming more comfortable calling out hypocrisy or lip service when they see it.

“Add Yours” collaborative albums

Enticing new “Add Yours” stickers began to appear in people’s Instagram stories in the late fall of 2021. These stickers would prompt users to share their own Story based on a specific theme, such as the last photo on their camera roll, the person they’re in love with, or a picture representing 2021.

Tapping on the sticker itself takes you to a gallery of photos from everyone who participated in the theme’s request. If you will, consider this a collaborative album or thread.

The Explore Tab

The goal of all social media platforms is to keep users on the platform for as long as possible. To that end, Instagram has created the Explore tab. 

Instagram promotes new and interesting content here. It also works! Every day, over 200 million Instagram users utilize the Explore tab to discover new ways to entertain themselves. 

Time spent on the Explore tab will likely increase in 2022 as the tab is refined to make it easier to use and navigate. 

The Explore tab allows users to find content that interests them quickly from Instagram Videos, travel, architecture, decor, style, food, and more.

Trending Cross-Platform Content

While social media platforms tend to be favorable to native content, a quick scroll through any platform’s feeds reveals a mix of native and cross-platform content such as memes, TikTok challenges, GIFs, special effects, and more. 

Instagram has introduced new features that allow its users to create the same type of content that they’ve been cross-posting. 

With Meta (Facebook) buying GIPHY and plans to integrate it into Instagram, expect to see more GIF marketing on the platform.

More Live Content

Instagram Live usage increased dramatically in both 2020 and 2021. Instagram Live usage increased by 70% in a single month, April 2020, according to Business Insider. 

This is not surprising, given that we were about a month into lockdowns to combat the spread of COVID-19. 

Researchers believe that this increase is because humans are not designed to be isolated from others for extended periods. 

People turned to social media to feel more connected back then. COVID-19 is still affecting our social interaction. This makes Instagram Live content a pretty safe bet to keep growing in popularity.

Working with creators has never been easier

Throughout 2021, Instagram tested a variety of branded content features. As a result, they now have new tools to assist creators and brands in connecting and collaborating on the platform through brand partnerships, commerce, and other means.

Creators can now add participating brands that they want to work with to their preferred brands’ list, giving them preference when brands look for creators.

Link sticker gives full access to story links

Swipe-up links were first introduced for accounts with 10,000 or more followers on Instagram a few years ago, but links have become more accessible recently. 

Anyone (including you!) can now add a link sticker to their story, creating a huge opportunity for smaller brands looking to drive traffic to another site or platform.

More users will likely take advantage of this new capability as we approach 2022. Tap on the “add sticker” icon in create mode and select the “link” sticker to add an external link to your story. 

You’ll be prompted to input the URL, and you can also customize the sticker text if you want.

Share tweets and memes

Have some fun with your Instagram account if it fits your brand’s personality. Share memes related to your industry, or cross-promote your tweets on your feed. 

The dance revolution is still ongoing

TikTok evolved from a lip-syncing app, so music and dancing are in its very DNA. And as the platform has grown into a social media behemoth, its trends and tendencies have begun to permeate other outlets.

This means that dancing and dance challenges have become a regular feature on Instagram, with users busting moves on Reels, Stories, and the main feed.

Final Words

No matter how epic your digital marketing strategy looks, if you fail to consider the current digital trends, your campaign may fall short. 

That’s why it is imperative that digital marketers stay abreast of the latest trends in the digital space. However, be wise with some of these Instagram trends and run A/B testing to ensure that the trend you want to go with fits perfectly into your strategy. 

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