8 of the Most Popular Content Pieces of 2022

2022 has come to an end, but there’s a lot that digital marketers can learn from the previous twelve months that can be used to our advantage. Not only will this help you to plan an excellent marketing strategy for 2023, but it will also highlight the trends and what to focus on for the year ahead. Here’s everything content-related that was popular throughout 2022:

1. Social media continued to be the most effective way of sharing content in 2022

In 2022, 73% of social media marketers believed that social media was an effective way of generating interest in a brand, including increasing engagement, clicks, views, leads and, subsequently, sales. This is because 75% of internet users in 2022 used social media to research brands, claims Data Reportal. 

With the average person spending around 2.5 hours a day scrolling through social networking sites, it’s highly-likely that your brand or business would have been stumbled across in 2022, states Data Reportal. This is why social media platforms have been heavily-relied upon throughout 2022 to share content and ensure engagement and brand exposure online.

Instagram was the most favourable platform for posting content in 2022

Instagram had over 1 billion monthly users throughout 2022, according to Social Films. With this in mind, it’s not a shock to learn that, across the same year, 79% of digital marketers referenced Instagram as their preferred social media channel for running marketing campaigns, giving them the majority of their leads, states Neal Schaffer. 

Meta claimed that, in 2022, 87% of Instagram users took action after seeing a post that had been either shared or posted on the hit platform, such as following the brand online, visiting the store or making a purchase (either online or in-store). With statistics like that, it’s not surprising that marketers would rather post their content on Instagram than on any other platform, despite Facebook being the Market Leader, according to Shopify.

2. The majority of content creators looked to influencer marketing to advertise their work in 2022

Influencer marketing is an effective way of advertising content pieces online. In fact, it was so popular throughout 2022 that, when asked, 93% of marketers admitted to using it as a technique, whereas just 7% of those surveyed claimed to have never used influencer marketing as a content marketing strategy, claims Neal Schaffer.

3. Cross-channel marketing campaigns grew in popularity throughout 2022

Backlinko claims that, in 2020, each person had a total of 8.4 social media accounts on average. This equates to around 3.8 billion social media users in 2020, according to We Are Social. By 2022, this number skyrocketed to 4.62 billion, states Smart Insights, and it’s only set to rise. Statista has forecasted that, by the year 2027, there will be 5.85 billion social media users present online. 

With this in mind, it’s no wonder that cross-channel marketing campaigns grew in popularity in 2022; marketers are looking for their slice of the action as the social media phenomenon continues. Cross-channel marketing is the sharing of content online, but across multiple platforms. It might be that content will have to be adapted or several different forms of the same content will have to be created to ensure it’s compatible with different social media platforms. 

For example, someone could have produced an article about how to inspect a vehicle before a road trip. The article could be posted on places like Facebook and LinkedIn, with a link to the content. However, an infographic might be better suited to Twitter or Instagram, so one would have to be made as a summary of the article and to complement it. 

If you wanted to post a Reel on Instagram or a video on TikTok or YouTube, then the content creator would have to produce a moving image which is either directly related to, or a summary of, the article they’ve put out. 

The best part of this is that videos can then be shared from TikTok to Instagram or from TikTok to YouTube. YouTube videos can be posted on Facebook and Twitter, but so can infographics and articles. This is cross-channel marketing and it was highly-effective in 2022 as a marketing technique.

4. Influencer-generated content performed far better than branded posts in 2022

2022 saw a big rise in how trusted influencers were when it came to recommendations and reviews. The Influencer Marketing Hub found that 61% of consumers trusted an online influencer in this way throughout 2022, as opposed to just 38% of people who said they trusted brand-produced content. In 2022, a number of marketers were asked whether their influencer-generated content performed better than branded posts, resulting in more engagement. 60% of those who took part in the survey said that this was the case throughout the year, according to Media Kix.

5. Personalised content became far more popular in 2022

Personalised content was something that grabbed everyone’s attention in 2022. It allowed marketers, bloggers, influencers and other content creators to reach and engage with their audience, almost on a one-on-one basis, or so it might seem. Even down to personalised emails or newsletters that start with “Dear [name]”, it made a huge impact in how customers and internet users responded and engaged with brands and content producers in 2022, states the Influencer Marketing Hub.

6. Collaborated content was on the rise in 2022

There was an increase in the amount of collaborated content that was produced in 2022, and that’s not just restricted to collabs between brands and influencers. It’s never been easier to get in touch with content creators to collaborate with, especially with social media being so prevalent in today’s society. Bloggers can collaborate with influencers, brands can team up with marketers, marketers can join up with bloggers – it’s something that many people have done, producing great results, throughout 2022, more so than any other year, claims the Influencer Marketing Hub.

7. YouTubers continued to earn millions with their content in 2022

YouTube hasn’t always been a platform for people to make significant amounts of money from. When it first launched in 2005, it was nothing more than a video website which allowed the account holder to post their own video content online. As YouTube became more popular, so did the people who were using it; they were quickly dubbed “YouTubers”. 

Fast forward 17 years and YouTube has never been more popular. It’s seen a wealth of updates and advancements since its basic, mid-noughties days and with that has come a plethora of influencers and content creators. According to the Influencer Marketing Hub, in mid-2022, the top three highest-earning YouTubers were: Ryan Kaji (Ryan’s World), Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) and Dude Perfect.

This shows that, throughout 2022, YouTube has still been a highly-popular platform for people to, not only post on, but watch. This is why brands around the world are looking to advertise on there and promote their products and/or services via YouTube influencers, as already touched upon.

8. More millennials than ever before said they used online reviews as a way of trusting a brand in 2022

This includes both reviews that are seen on Google and article reviews posted by bloggers and influencers, typically. According to the Influencer Marketing Hub, 93% of millennials read an online review and deem it trustworthy and credible enough to either look further into the brand or make a purchase in 2022. They were also more likely to recommend them to friends and family if their online reviews are positive. 

However, in 2022, it was found that older people were more likely to visit a company’s website after reading a positive review online, with 69% of those asked being 55 or older, states the Influencer Marketing Hub. The same source also states that 35% of 18-34-year-olds and 47% of 35-54-year-olds looked at a business’ website after seeing a good online review in 2022.

The Influencer Marketing Hub also found that there were other reactions to good reviews online in 2022, including those written as part of a blog post or article. In addition to visiting a company website and making a purchase, some of the other things people did in 2022 after reading a good online review are as follows:

• 19% of people asked said they searched for more positive reviews to validate their feelings about a company
• 15% of people asked said that they visited the company at their premises
• 13% of people asked made contact with the business
• 10% of people asked continued to search for other, similar businesses in the nearby area

To summarise…

As we move into a brand new year, it’s clear that the trends we saw in 2022 are continuing (read one of our latest blog posts about the marketing trends we expect to see in 2023). However, it’s clear that, throughout 2022, blog posts and articles alike are still a popular way of getting content out there. Not only is it easily shareable, but it can be engaged with and has multiple uses. Blog posts can be used to:

• Advertise new products
• Review experiences or items
• Collaborating with brands
• Working with other bloggers, influencers or marketers
• Inform readers about a wide range of things, including the latest news or industry facts and information

 Social media was also a valuable tool for marketers to use throughout 2022. Not only is it a great way of sharing content created elsewhere, but it increases overall engagement and increases traffic for businesses and influencers. Content can now be created directly on the social media platform. Many people are earning a living through content that is generated directly on channels such as TikTok and Instagram.

In 2022, YouTube continued to pay out a considerable amount of money to its most popular users, with the top ten most viewed channels earning millions of dollars for producing and posting content on the hit video platform.  Not only this, but YouTube content can be posted on social media with absolute ease, meaning even more views for the user themselves. This is a trend that has risen in 2022, especially with a ten-year-old “YouTuber” earning, reportedly, $30 million for posting videos of himself online.

Kumo Digital is a highly-experienced digital marketing agency with a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise. With SEO, PPC, content creation and website design services available, to name a few, you’ll always be able to count on us to propel your business into the spotlight, setting you apart from your competitors. For more information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our professional, friendly team – we’re always pleased to hear from you.