Not every year is the same when it comes to marketing, and the same goes for Instagram marketing trends. Instagram is a home for over two billion users and the platform does change according to the global trends and market scenario.
Image via Statista
Every now and then, a new feature is launched and people start leveraging it. These trends keep changing with time. However, your goal should be to identify the right ones that you can use as a marketer.
Being up to date with the trends is a sure way of keeping your lead generation using digital marketing relevant and effective.
Although many of the popular trends from 2021 will continue to be relevant, there still are several new and exciting things coming up on Instagram in 2022.
If you’re among those who wonder what Instagram will be like for brands and creators in 2022, this article is for you.
So, without further ado, let’s jump right to the Instagram marketing trends for 2022.
The Only Instagram Marketing Trends that Matter
You cannot miss the following 8 Instagram marketing trends that will largely affect your social media marketing strategy.
#1. “Add Yours” Collaborative Albums
This new-gen sticker started popping in people’s Instagram Stories in late 2021. It appeals to Story viewers and nudges them to share their own photographs based around a specific theme. If you’ve used Instagram in the last couple of months, you know what I’m talking about.
Image via Twitter
You can leverage this Instagram marketing trend to create “Add Yours” challenges to which your audience can put their own spin and share with their own followers.
#2. Influencer Marketing Will Only Grow
Three out of four marketers in the USA are expected to collaborate with influencers in 2022 and Instagram’s collabs and branded content ads are making it a lot easier for the brands to do it.
Recently, the platform launched a new feature called “affiliate commissions” to help brands and influencers run affiliate campaigns that allow them to earn from Instagram. The feature is currently at the beta stage and is only available to limited users. With the help of Strackr — an affiliate management tool for publishers that consolidates all your affiliate data in one place, you can handle multiple networks easily. As an all-in-one affiliate tool designed to make publishers’ lives easier, Strackr offers a simple and efficient system for managing commissions.
Instagram is also testing a “creator subscriptions” feature that will allow creators to offer their followers paid access to Stories or Live videos too.
Both of these features can be expected to become major trends in 2022. As a result, you’d be able to launch affiliate campaigns with relative ease on the platform.
#3. Instagram Shop-a-thon is the New Norm
44% of the Instagram users shop via the platform on a weekly basis and in 2022, this Instagram marketing trend is only going to multiply.
With more businesses leveraging this feature, you can expect even greater sales through this method in 2022.
Image via Instagram
So, if you don’t have the Instagram shop set up yet, what are you waiting for?
Here’s how you can get started with this year’s most profitable Instagram marketing trend:
- Convert to Business or Creator Account (Go to account settings, and you’ll find the option at the bottom)
- Connect to a Facebook Page (Edit Profile — Page — Choose Facebook Business Page to connect)
- Upload your product catalog
- Submit the account for review
- Ta-da!
#4. Story Links for All
If you still believe that Instagram Story links are available to accounts with more than 10k followers, you’re so in 2021.
As we move forward into 2022, more and more users are likely to take advantage of this new superpower.
Adding a link to a story is a very simple affair. Just record your story, tap on the “Sticker” icon, select the “link” card, and paste your desired URL. You can easily generate leads using this method as you can drive traffic to your landing page using it.
Image via Instagram
#5. IGTV is No More But Long-form Videos Still Live
Instagram confirmed the retirement of IGTV last October. Users are now able to post videos (up to 60 minutes long) directly on their Instagram feed, and these videos are viewable within the default tab of their profile.
For you, this Instagram marketing trend means that if your videos are longer than 60 seconds, you can still post them and they’ll stay in your “Posts” tab.
#6. Long Live Reels
It still feels like yesterday when Instagram launched its short-form video format, Reels, with an aim to compete with TikTok. Fast forward to the present, Reels have caught onto the world faster than virtual meet platforms did in recent years.
And thanks to its aggressive positioning (located in the center of the app’s navigation bar), Reels has become the most popular Instagram marketing trend for most users and brands.
What’s more?
Instagram might even choose to increase the Reels length from 60 seconds to 90 seconds this year.
What makes Reels popular is their short video format and infinite scrolling capabilities and they can be expected to become even more popular this year and should definitely be a part of your marketing strategy.
Image via Instagram
Wrapping Up
Instagram is a platform that’s filled with promises for marketers thanks to its high engagement rates. By leveraging these latest Instagram marketing trends, you can ride the popularity wave and expand your reach and engagement.
So consider these Instagram marketing trends as a starting point for your social media marketing strategy, and stay tuned for future trends.
Have any questions about these trends? Ask them in the comments below and I’ll help you out.
