The pandemic indeed brought transformative changes upon us in 2020, but the platform that unceasingly gauged a positive curtain was Social Media. What started as the mere connecting platform has now become a game-changing global network for brands, businesses, and individuals. Social Media has undoubtedly kept proving itself an integrated platform for marketers to understand and reach customers.
With social media come numerous trends, and keeping up with these trends will help you be in the spotlight. And while you likely know many of these trends, it is worth considering their impacts on your marketing approach.
Here are few trends every marketer should understand for better engagement and connectivity with the customers:
1. Live Streaming will continue to remain in demand
Live streaming is here to stay, and many brands have adopted it in their communication strategy. It has become a go-to tool for having real-time conversations with its consumers across various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Twitch, and YouTube. Experts have proposed an 82% increase in traffic by 2022 with the demand for live streaming, creating ways for the brands to have real-time interaction and engagement with their customers.
2. Video content will pop up further
Tik-Tok sure did set its bar high with its popularity, but due to its privacy concerns, Instagram got a chance to launch Reels, which became a significant trending format for social media in 2020. With Reels, brands can rapidly make video content in a time limit of 15-30 seconds whilst keeping it entertaining.
3. Engagement via Stories will be on the rise
It’s 2021, and if you’re still not making use of the Instagram stories, Facebook stories, or Twitter fleets, you better amp up your game. This 24hour time limit content format has appeared to be fun and engaging for brands to reach out to their target audiences.
These stories form an innovative change from identical static posts to incorporating options like polls, Q&A, quiz, reactions on pictures and videos that dive into the behind-the-scenes brand.
4. Chatbots are the new interactive medium for 2021
Social Media will see a rise in the use of Chatbots due to progress made in Artificial Intelligence. Real-time customer communication with chatbots will help customers find what they are looking for and evaluate different suggestions. These AIchatbots installed by the brands will understand customer queries and provide recommendations within seconds they become more intelligent.
5. Meme Marketing is here to stay
Memes, though not a new invention is widely used by brands as a part of their marketing and communication strategy. A great meme has to power to gain instant recognition for a brand. They promote the brand directly instead of pressing on emotions. Youth audiences have massively adopted this marketing format even in routine communications. The simple but brilliant combination of relatability and taste are key to unlock the power of the meme.
6. AR and VR are hot
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are the hottest social media trends in 2021. Brands have used them in their marketing, and when used correctly, they have made successful case studies in engaging with their audiences effectively. For instance, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook use augmented reality for their numerous photo filters, which brands can leverage more engagement and stand out among their competitors.
7. Influencer Marketing will continue to dominate
Influencer marketing is an essential tool for marketing. It uses word-of-mouth to increase sales and promote brand visibility. Brands must invest in the right kind of influencers for endorsements and sponsorship of their products to garner maximum engagement with focused targeting and planning for their market.
To remain relevant and achieve brand objectives, brands must incorporate these trends in their marketing plan. If you haven’t already adopted these trends, there’s still a chance to learn and ace the social media market.
By Vrutika Dawda, Director, IdeateLabs