From how we stay up-to-date with the happenings worldwide to how we select where to eat next, social media has revolutionized the way we live our lives. In any case, social media plays a significant influence in our decision-making. Undoubtedly, social media plays an essential role in developing long-term relationships and connecting people from across the globe. However, how does a social media marketing agency stay on top despite its ecosystem’s rapidly changing culture and trends? How does social media impact a business or a brand?
The quick shifts provide a whole new set of challenges for companies and social media marketers, who must consistently evaluate their current strategies and include new types of content in their collection. In addition, marketers must constantly monitor the latest trends shaping the future of social media and adjust their strategies accordingly.
Are you looking for the most up-to-date social media trends for 2021? We have compiled a list of the top trends to help you adapt and flourish in the changing digital scenario.
1. Stories: A New Content Format
Every day, more than 500 million people use Instagram Stories. So, even though Instagram Stories were already in the past, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Apart from Instagram, you can utilize other social media platforms for posting stories and connecting with the audience.
If you haven’t already tried your hands-on stories, now is the best time to do so! Brands will need to organize and plan Stories as a content format in their publishing calendars. Besides, the video will become more popular as a Story format as it appears to outshine photographs.
2. Live Streams: Popular And Engaging
Many businesses enhanced their online presence to stay ahead in this digital realm. For example, live concerts turned into live broadcasts where artists were seen playing in the comfort of their houses. Also, face-to-face meetings were switched with Meet or Zoom meetings.
Therefore, the adoption of live-streaming on different social media has increased. As a result, messages and live broadcasting on Facebook skyrocketed. In just a week, the number of views on Instagram and Facebook Live doubled in the previous months.
People have grown accustomed to connecting with businesses in the comfort of their homes, and this situation will evolve in 2021 as well. Hence, live streaming will continue to gain traction and should be included in your social media marketing approach.
3. Augmented Reality: The Emerging Trend
Several events in the past have increased the demand for virtual events. In the social arena, the adoption of augmented reality has surged. Unlike virtual reality, AR, one does not need any extra hardware. All you need is a smartphone, making everything accessible.
Dynamic photo filters are now available on various social media sites and are an excellent example of augmented reality. Also, such experiences are by their very nature interactive and engaging.
4. Social Commerce: Promises Continuous Engagement
Nowadays, we can see more features and tools that assist quick and easy shopping. In addition, the social media sector has adapted this latest trend to provide a better customer experience. For instance, you may add product tags or enable easy checkout on Instagram without leaving the platform. Moreover, you may create a Shop on Facebook that people can explore and purchase directly from the platform.
Social media has been influencing the purchasing decisions of the audience. Therefore, this could be the ideal tool for marketers to use in 2021. First, however, marketers must remember that 54% of social media users conduct product research on a platform. And 71% of consumers are influenced by social media referrals while making a purchase.
5. Influencer Marketing: Increasing And Never Ending
Influencer marketing is not a new social media trend, but it’ll stick around for a while. Influencer marketing will grow to a $15 billion business by 2022, with no signs of stopping down. But why is influencer marketing becoming more powerful and increasing by the day?
Because influencer marketing is a fantastic method to reach new audiences, raise brand exposure, and maximize marketing ROI. It is far less expensive than conducting paid marketing campaigns while producing outstanding results.
The Bottom Line
In a world where people are becoming socially isolated, social media has become the default communal place. As a result, social media users have flocked to it to pursue knowledge, entertainment, and human connection. Globally, an estimated 3.2 billion people use social media, increasing by 100 million people every day. That implies that consumers are spending more time on social media, and if you want to win them over, you must keep on top of the social media game.
The best thing you can do as a social media marketing consultant is to keep researching trends, online consumer behaviors, and your team’s social media data to figure out which trends or methods to embrace or how to manage uncharted online conditions.
Ausaf Ahmed
Senior Project Delivery Manager
A passionate and enthusiastic senior digital marketing and sales specialist who is highly proficient in planning, implementing, managing the entire business-to-business sales and marketing process for selling the company’s advertising products and services. Having rich expertise and in-depth domain knowledge in the field of both sales and digital marketing, he ensures that he has a confident and winning attitude even during challenging business interactions.
