Nowadays, even the smallest business must have a social media presence. It’s one of the most effective ways to stay at the top of people’s minds, and when done right, it can give your brand a constant and relatable voice.
However, social media’s greatest strength may also be its greatest weakness: if every firm utilizes it to be seen, it’s easy to blend in and miss out on creating any kind of impact.
Hence, rather than adopting generic tactics to market your company, you should think of strategies to make your postings stand distinct. While pushing the limit and coming up with new ideas is a fantastic idea, you can also hop on some social media trends. Here are some of the popular social media trends that you can follow in your social media marketing.
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Live Sessions
Many businesses got digital to maintain social distance and deter the spread of COVID-19. Live concerts are now live broadcasts of artists playing from their homes, while face-to-face meetings became Zoom conferences.
As a result, the adoption of live-streaming features on social media has increased. Messages and live broadcasting on Facebook skyrocketed, especially in COVID-19 hotspots.
People have grown habitual to being able to connect with businesses from the comfort of their couch, and this will continue in 2021. So, live streaming will continue to gain traction and should be included in your social media marketing approach.
According to the current Sprout Social Index, live video is one of the most effective types of content for reaching social goals for 25% of marketers. So, it’s recommended to use the live stream feature of social media platforms and connect with your audience.
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Boomers Digitalization
For a long time, boomers were mostly overlooked in the field of digital marketing, owing to their perceived lack of online presence. After all, why would you sell toys or pricey jewelry near a college campus on a news channel? You simply wouldn’t be reaching the correct people.
However, boomers have gradually entered the worlds of social media and eCommerce. And now that the pandemic has put many of them in danger and forced them to stay at home, they’re spending more time on the internet than ever before.
They’ve become an unavoidable market, so it’s time for many businesses to broaden their marketing efforts to include boomers as well.
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Value Over Production Quality
When many firms were forced to go totally remote in 2020, social media and video marketing teams needed to establish scalable, home-based production procedures.
When customers continued to connect with videos, live streams, and other social media content clearly produced from home offices, marketers discovered that lower-quality content may still be appealing if it offers value.
For example, Airbnb’s “Meet Dan” YouTube marketing and advertising is of lesser production quality but has good cause. The brand made a great choice in foregoing more elaborate visual effects in favor of something considerably more authentic and human.
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Video Stories
More than 500 million users engage with Instagram Stories daily. Instagram Stories are already the most popular content format, and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
If you haven’t already used Stories, you will need to get more organized and plan for Stories as a content format in your calendars. Moreover, the video will become more popular as a Story format as it appears to outshine photographs.
Source: https://media.sproutsocial.com/uploads/2021/02/exit-rate-video-photo.png
The number of users that saw your Story but moved to the next one before finishing it is called the tap-forward rate. Photos in social media Stories have a 5.65% greater tap-forward rate than videos (SocialInsider).
Furthermore, photos in Stories had higher drop-off rates than videos, which shows that people prefer to see videos.
This is the reason 51% of brands are currently using videos in Stories, and this number is expected to rise in 2021.
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Tik-Tok
TikTok is the most recent social networking app to take over the internet. It has risen to the top of the charts, with over two billion downloads and over one billion daily video views. You simply cannot ignore this app if you want to gain a foothold in the minds of the younger generation. However, don’t dismiss it as a bunch of youngsters. While 60% of users are under the age of 24, 40% of users are fully mature adults.
TikTok has capitalized on the popularity of short, consumable clips by allowing you to share them on other sites such as Instagram. These can be funny, educational, or instructional in nature, or they can fit into any other genre. TikTok has a large audience, and videos over it can generate immense engagement. So, include TikTok in your social media marketing (SMM) for sure to have an additional source of traffic and engagement.
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A Change of Tone in Conversational Marketing
Conversational marketing isn’t a brand-new concept. In reality, most well-known brands allow their followers to connect with them at any time via social media messaging platforms.
However, with more message channels than ever before and customers wanting more information to make a wise investment, the tone of digital talks in 2021 may shift.
For example, while previous conversational marketing tactics focused on promotions and making sales ASAP, conversational marketers in 2021 are more concerned with assisting a user, educating them about a product, and nurturing them for conversion with a more considerate or compassionate tone.
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VR (Virtual Reality)
People are looking for more virtual and digital contacts during these stay-at-home times and the need for social distancing. VR is the way to help you people with this and make things easier for them.
Virtual reality gives this feeling that you’re there with them, regardless of where you actually are. This is the level of digital interactions people need when they must socially remove themselves.
As platforms implement this technology, virtual reality is projected to gain more popularity on social media in 2021.
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Augmented Reality (AR)
Recent circumstances that accelerated virtual reality have increased the adoption of augmented reality (AR) experiences, particularly in the social realm. Unlike VR, AR requires no additional hardware other than a smartphone, making it even easier to access. You can see the AR as dynamic photo filters, which have been available on a variety of social media platforms for a long time.
Augmented reality experiences are more realistic, relatable, and engaging.
AR filters are the new way for brands to promote new items or increase fan involvement on social media. This engages and entertains your audience, and it may even help you acquire new consumers.
In 2019, Instagram introduced AR shopping options that let you ‘try on’ things using your phone camera, and this sees products in your own home features are only expected to grow in popularity.
Incorporating augmented reality (AR) in your social media marketing strategy for 2021 could help you stand out and grow exponentially.
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Video Content
Video is the most widely used marketing content, as well as the most engaging social media content.
Marketers can expect high video consumption to continue and rise in the future years as major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn continue to improve their video capabilities. Read about YouTube Marketing: The Ultimate Guide.
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Social eCommerce
As the social media sector changes to improve the customer experience, we’re seeing more features and tools that help with quick and easy shopping. You can, for example, use Instagram to add product tags and enable easy checkout without ever leaving the platform. You may open a Facebook Shop where people can browse and buy directly from the platform.
Image Source: https://www.yotpo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Infographic-Pixlee-Social-Commerce-1024×370.png
Given the importance of social media in purchasing decisions, this could be the ideal way for marketers to use it in 2021.54% of social media users utilize the network to conduct product research. Furthermore, while making a purchase, 71% of consumers are influenced by social media referrals.
So, you may consider social commerce and make your posts shoppable to generate some amazing sales.
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Humane Marketing
This year, consumers and businesses were confronted with a global pandemic, difficult economic conditions, and a series of huge events that brought countries to a halt.
To trust and invest in a brand, consumers now require more than simply excellent bargains. Many brands have taken note at this point and are embracing authenticity and their human side on social media.
While some firms have spoken out about their thoughts on COVID-19 or other news stories, others have demonstrated authenticity by focusing on their customers through user-generated content or testimonials.
Both techniques can help brands establish trust from their audiences while also raising visibility as a firm that cares about people. So, consider a humane approach to connect with your audience and make them your loyal customers.
These are the top 11 social media trends of 2021. Things are uncertain more than ever, and it would be good if you continue to monitor the changing trends and hop on them to get the most out of your social media marketing.
You can also hire a social media marketing agency to take care of your social marketing and deliver exceptional results.
Stay tuned for more marketing insights!
Author BIO:
Gajendra Singh Rathore is a digital marketing expert and associated with a Social Media Marketing Agency Toronto . He is always eager to learn, experiment, and implement. Astronomy is his escape from the outside world.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gajendr68284926?s=09
This post was last modified on November 26, 2023 8:03 PM