top of page

Social Media Trends to Watch in 2021

The new year is here and if you’re a small business, you may be interested to know what some of the social media trends you should be keeping an eye out for in 2021 are.

1. "Less is More” approach to posting on social media


2020 was a difficult year for many businesses.


Many brands spent their time thinking more about what their audience wanted to hear during the difficult events of the year, rather than bombarding their audience with social media posts.


It is predicted that this “less is more” strategy of posting will continue in 2021. Brands will continue to produce only content that is thoughtful, value and in touch with the what their audience wants to hear about, which could result in fewer posts, regardless of what the social media platform algorithms suggest.


2. Short-form content will be as popular as ever


During 2020, people were required to stay in which resulted in an increase of social media usage.


Short-form, “snackable” content used to educate a brand’s customers about their product or service became more popular and saw increased engagement.


TikTok and Instagram Reels took off and there was a higher engagement on Facebook and Instagram Stories. People’s news feeds became flooded with more information than they could consume, so short-form content was perfect to keep people informed and interested in the brands they followed. Don’t expect this to change in 2021.


3. Video. Video. Video.


It’s no secret that video is one of the most engaging content types on social media.


The big social media players such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and LinkedIn are constantly improving their video capabilities to encourage more usage and marketers can expect this trend of high video consumption and popularity to grow in 2021 and beyond.


4. Content value vs production quality


Many marketers were required to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a shift in how social media content was created.


It was proven that as long as content provided value to a brand’s followers, engagement could still be achieved despite not having the more professional production equipment that marketers may have had access to while working in the office.


The result was a more “human” presence on social media which resonated well with social media audiences, and it is expected that this trend will continue in 2021.


5. More brands will go live via social media video


2020 saw a huge shift in the way businesses operated. When people were required to isolate, many brands were forced to think outside the box when it came to hosting and attending conferences, events and other marketing experiences, which saw the rise of online and live videos.


Many businesses are now using Facebook and Instagram to live stream events, Q&As, tutorials and other types of content, which are all performing really well as they allow the brand’s followers to be involved in an event via their screens which they may not have been able to attend otherwise. This trend is predicted to continue well into 2021.


6. Authenticity will be key


2020 brought a lot of fear and uncertainty to a lot of the lives of consumers. Great deals being shared on social media is not enough for consumers to build trust, identify with and invest in brands anymore.


Many brands responded to this by embracing authenticity and showing their human side on social media.


Brands will continue to be authentic on social media in 2021 by speaking directly and real about current issues and highlighting their customers through user-generated content and testimonials.




How have the events of 2020 affected your marketing strategy? Are you planning on incorporating any of the above trends in your 2021 marketing strategy?


Get in touch with Social Bay Creative today if you'd like some help planning your marketing activities for 2021.





Original research and predictions by Hubspot.

Commenti


bottom of page