8 Tips to Fuel Your Social Media Strategy in 2022

Want to take advantage of the latest social media changes but don’t know where to start?

With Q2 round the corner, there’s still time to strengthen your social media strategy and set yourself up for success for the rest of 2022.

But with so many options - Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, email, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, Reels to name just a few - it’s no surprise you’re overwhelmed. 

In this article, we share 8 tips to fuel your social media strategy in 2022. This isn’t a list of everything you need to do, but an overview of some of the easy-to-implement tactics that will perform best. 

Create short-form video (Reels, TikTok)

Whether it’s Reels or TikTok, short form video will be an essential part of any successful social media strategy in 2022. This is thanks to short attention spans and increasing demand for relatable, edutaining content.

The good news is that you don’t have to jump, dance, or point on video to see results. That might’ve been how Reels started, but it’s not where it’s headed. You only have to look at brands like Duolingo, The National Trust, and Ryanair (yes, even an industry as dry as airlines knows how to get creative with video!) to see how companies are embracing video. 

In fact, often the highest performing Reels and TikToks are the fastest ones to make. They’re the ones that don’t require fancy editing software or hours of filming. Just look at @herfirst100k for proof. With more than 600k Instagram followers and a TikTok audience of 2 million, finance expert Tori Dunlap is a pro at high value, short form video content that her audience loves. Two of my favorite videos of hers are ‘Here’s the exact script to negotiate your salary’ and ‘The best credit cards for beginners’. 

That’s the beauty of Reels and TikToks. They work well for a broad range of industries, from interior design to finance and even a niche as specific as Miss Excel’s. That’s because video is so dynamic and usually conveys a message much more effectively than a photo. 

Up your SEO game

With social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter taking a huge amount of focus, do you spend much time thinking about your SEO strategy? 

If not, 2022 is the year to up your SEO game and help your brand get discovered more. You can do this in a few different ways, namely YouTube, Pinterest or writing regular blog content on your website. 

The key is to create evergreen content that answers your ideal clients’ common questions. It’s continually relevant and stays “fresh” for readers over a long period of time. Let’s look at each channel in turn to see which one might be best for you. 

YouTube

YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google and does a great job of providing users hyper-relevant, high quality video content in response to queries. 

Google also places YouTube videos in its search results for many types of searches, so your content stands the chance of ranking on the first page of Google. This is helped by the fact that people generally prefer consuming content via video than the written word. For example, if someone is searching for ‘how to pitch a magazine’ they’re much more likely to click on your educational video than a 2,000 word article. 

So, consider incorporating YouTube into your marketing strategy. For the last two years I’ve posted at least two videos a month on my channel. Would you believe me if I told you that some of my highest-earning videos are those I published 18 months ago?! That’s the power of evergreen video content that answers common questions that come up again and again.

Pro tip: Trend-based YouTube content is a great way to grow your channel in the short-term.  But evergreen content is the real winner, steadily improving your brand’s discoverability and boosting lead generation for months and years to come. 

Pinterest

Pinterest is an incredibly powerful search engine and many people use it like they use Google, typing terms such as ‘Instagram tips’ or ‘website design inspiration’ into the search bar. If you’ve created content using those keywords, your post will appear - and if the content is high quality, potential customers may even pin it to view later or click through to your website.  

The great news is that Pinterest is still an underutilized platform in 2022. Compared to Google SEO - which is extremely saturated and hard to rank for - you stand an excellent chance of ranking in Pinterest and driving lots of traffic to your site if you post consistently.  

Blog 

Since we’ve talked about two channels that you don’t own, now let’s talk about one that you do: your website. 

Writing SEO-optimized blogs helps position your website as the answer to a client’s query, increasing discoverability. While SEO copywriting takes practice, there are a variety of on-page SEO tactics that will give your content more opportunity to rank in search engines.

Here are 8 of them:

1. Use 1–2 long-tail keywords
2. Use keywords strategically throughout (don’t keyword stuff)
3. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and skimmable
4. Optimize the meta description
5. Include image alt text
6. Make sure your URL is user-friendly 
7. Include internal links to other relevant blog posts
8. Write about evergreen topics

SEO is a long-game, so if blogging is going to be a focus for you this year I recommend putting together a content plan to help you stay consistent. 

Embrace storytelling on YouTube

Now we’ve talked about the power of YouTube SEO, I bet you’re excited to start your own YouTube channel. Right?

If that’s one of your 2022 goals, the biggest tip I can give you is to embrace storytelling even if you plan to share educational content. 

Providing high quality information in a professional presentation is not the way to win on YouTube in 2022. In other words, talking head videos are out and more creative videos rooted in storytelling are in. 

Now, if the thought of filming any kind of video content leaves you feeling a bit flustered, don’t panic - and definitely don’t let perfectionism hold you back. The secret to success on YouTube (besides storytelling) is just to start. Your first few videos will be mediocre. In fact, your first 20, 30, 50 videos might not be that great. But with every single video, you’ll get better and better. 

Once you get more comfortable with filming and editing, here are some ways to ensure you’re telling a compelling story:

• Write a script beforehand
• When writing the script, think about how to tie the information to an experience or analogy that the audience can relate to
• Once your script is polished, create a shot list
• Consider using b-roll, transitions, and different angles to increase viewer retention 
• Cut out all unnecessary pauses and duplicate points 
• Don’t worry about the video being short - it’s better to be succinct than create something waffly or repetitive 

These are lessons I’ve taken on board, too. Until this year, I was creating educational videos that featured me talking face-to-camera. The content was high value but the way I delivered the information - the way the video was filmed and edited - was average at best.

One of my new year’s resolutions was to completely change my YouTube strategy and boost viewer retention. You can see how I’ve applied the above advice to my most recents videos, like this one about how to make Instagram Reels that generate 125 million + views and this one on how to use Instagram insights to grow faster.

Harness the power of email

Did you know that 4 out of 5 marketers would rather give up social media than email marketing?

It’s not surprising when you consider that people who buy products marketed through email spend 138% more than those who do not receive email offers. According to OptinMonster email marketing has an ROI of 4400%. 

That’s huge! 🤯🤯🤯

So if you’re not already building and nurturing your email list, 2022 is the year to make it happen. It’s hugely important to have a place to connect with your audience that isn’t owned by a social media giant. 

Why?

Because your Instagram could get hacked tomorrow. LinkedIn could suddenly go out of business (Vine, anyone?!). While this is unlikely to happen, there’s always a chance that it could - and if it did, what would you do? Would you remember all the names of the people that once followed you on Instagram? I don’t think so. That’s why your email list is so essential. 

And even if we do have the social media platforms we know and love for a few years more, it’s smart to use email marketing for a ‘two-pronged approach’. In our piece on 10 steps to grow your email list with Instagram, I mention how both work well in tandem.

Email helps me reach my ideal customers when they’re not scrolling through Instagram and Instagram helps me reach them when they’re avoiding their inbox. This helps me cut through the noise of the online world and build more meaningful relationships.

Network on LinkedIn

If you want more clients in 2022 (who doesn’t?!) then you’re going to need to expand your network and build relationships. The easiest place to do that is LinkedIn. 

After you’ve crafted the perfect LinkedIn profile (an essential if you want to attract the right prospects), you’ll want to make networking a regular part of your routine. Here’s how to do that successfully: 

Connect with others through comments

Spend 10-15 minutes leaving thoughtful comments on other people’s posts. If you’re struggling to think of something to say, first make sure you’re following the right people. 

Then you want to make commenting a daily habit. How do you make a comment valuable? Ask a question, add an insight and always use the author’s name. That small touch of personalisation will make you more memorable.

Give and receive recommendations

Endorsements from past and present co-workers/clients is the best way to underscore your credibility and give prospects the social proof they need to reach out about an opportunity. 

Contact previous colleagues to let them know you’re writing a recommendation and ask if they’d be happy to do the same for you. Better yet, provide a few key talking points/stats that you’d like them to include so that it’s as relevant and compelling as possible. 

Create engaging content

If you want to stand out among your competitors on LinkedIn, share your thoughts, opinions and expertise through daily posts. This will make you a better writer and help you become recognisable on the platform. 

Be consistent

Consistency is essential to LinkedIn success, so put a process in place that makes writing and networking daily on LinkedIn a manageable habit. For example, spend Sunday afternoon drafting 5-6 posts to share the following week. Dedicate 15 minutes each morning to engaging with others. Without processes and systems in place, consistency will be much harder to achieve.

Be guided by Insights

While it’s important to try new strategies and social media platforms in 2022 (if you know your audience is active there), don’t forget the cardinal rule of social media: review your analytics on a regular basis.

Those analytics will give you insights about the performance of your content and whether your strategy is working or not. By checking them regularly, you can make any necessary adjustments to improve results and over time, assess which platforms are worth the effort. 

You can use Iconosquare to keep on top of social media insights, spy on your competitors, track hashtags, run in-depth analytics, and automate your social media reports in minutes. 

One of the best things about Iconosquare is how easy it makes data analysis (take it from someone who used to be a total analytics-phobe!). Instead of intimidating graphs and confusing figures, the Iconosquare dashboard is simple and intuitive. The data and graphs are very visual, which makes them easy to read even if you have no experience using social media analytics.  You can start your 14-day free trial here. 

Connect with your audience

The best social media strategy in 2022 understands the importance of the audience. So this year, spend time better understanding your audience, the type of content they enjoy, and how they’re struggling. Using a single inbox management tool like Juphy is a great way to optimize your time.

Notice how I didn’t say ‘grow’ your audience. This isn’t about accumulating numbers for the sake of it. It’s about forging stronger connections with your existing community, so that you can create content that speaks directly to your ideal client. 

Besides surveying your followers, one of the simplest ways to connect with your audience in 2022 is by being - and showing  - yourself. Jump on Instagram Live more often. Create Reels that feature you and your voice (i.e. not trending audio 24/7!). Start a ‘Close Friends’ list that reveals more of the unedited, behind-the-scenes content from your life.

Start conversations on LinkedIn. Create YouTube videos that feature you. Write weekly email newsletters - there are so many ways you can connect more deeply to your audience. And this is hugely important when often the only point of distinction between you and a competitor is how strong (or not) they feel their connection is to you.

While I’ve given you lots of options to strengthen that connection, you don’t need to show up everywhere. In fact, that’s the quickest route to burning out. Especially if you’re a solo freelancer or running your business by yourself, which brings me nicely onto tip number 7…

Stay focused

Reading this article, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you need to focus on everything (blog writing, YouTube, email marketing, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) to create a successful social media strategy in 2022.

The truth is, staying focused on one or two channels and mastering those will generate much better results than trying to do it all. For example, choose LinkedIn as your primary social media channel and support this with email marketing. Or build a presence on YouTube and Instagram and support that with email marketing. 

And yes, I meant to mention email marketing twice. As discussed above, it’s essential that you build a relationship with your audience through a medium that you own (i.e. your email list) just in case Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, or TikTok disappear tomorrow. 

So, if you haven’t already, take some time to audit your existing marketing channels to see where your energy is best placed. Deprioritise any channels that aren’t giving you a return on your time investment (in terms of engagement, leads or sales). By staying focused, you’ll maintain consistency and grow faster.

Conclusion 

A new year calls for a refreshed social media marketing plan. 

If you’ve been feeling stuck about what to focus on for success in 2022, these 8 tips will set you off on the right foot. 

As a reminder, here’s a quick summary:

1. Create short-form video (Reels, TikTok)
2. Up your SEO game
3. Embrace storytelling on YouTube
4. Harness the power of email
5. Network on LinkedIn
6. Be guided by Insights
7. Connect with your audience
8. Stay focused

Don’t forget we’ve got lots of other articles to help guide your social media strategy, like this one about How To Increase Social Media Productivity and this about How To Easily Incorporate Video Into Your Instagram Strategy.