Hardly any other marketing discipline has developed as dynamically as social media marketing. Even if it took a few years for companies to discover the importance of social channels for themselves, it has now reached all sectors across the board. But the dynamic doesn’t stop there. The respective platforms implement new features, possibilities, and innovations at high frequency. Social networks are much more than just another channel that is fed with content. Rather, social media serves as a direct line to one’s customers.
Let’s take a closer look at the latest trends!
Social Media Is Growing Rapidly
If you look at the number of active social media users worldwide, it becomes clear how rapidly the importance of social networks has increased in recent years. Five years ago global usage was 2.31 billion. According to Statista, this number has now increased to almost twice as many users. Accordingly, there were 4.2 billion users in 2021. Around 1.3 million new users are added every day. This means that more than half of all people are represented on social networks. The main growth driver is Covid 19. Growth has increased faster than it has been in three years.
The Hottest Trends At A Glance
Short Video
It already became apparent last year – and the development continues in a special direction: short videos!
It’s no surprise that social media videos are the most engaging form of digital content. Due to the low attention span of users, quick solutions, i.e. short videos, perform particularly well.
The main driver of this trend is TikTok. Many companies have now understood how to put their brand in the right light and to provide exciting insights via short videos.
Incidentally, Instagram is also jumping on the bandwagon. You are probably already familiar with the short video format “Instagram Reels”. For a long time, reels have therefore received an enormous reach push. And this seems to continue to be the case. Because only recently Instagram announced that it wanted to develop more and more in the direction of video apps. So static images may be the exception shortly.
So if you want to be successful on Instagram in the long term and want to benefit from reach pushes, you should consider short videos in your content strategy.
Social Trade
Since more than half of the world’s population now uses social media, social commerce is one of the most important factors for online shopping.
Social commerce? Social commerce describes the use of social media to drive e-commerce purchases.
Shoppable posts will therefore become more and more important. Brands can optimize their entire shopping experience across multiple channels, platforms, and touchpoints and at the same time enable consumers to buy in a very pleasant situation.
If you sell products with your company, you make the effort to place these products appealingly on social media and to incorporate them into corporate communication. So why not add the functionality for your community and allow them to purchase the product right out of the mail?
The simplest possible use should always be the focus. So why design the sales funnel in such a way that potential customers first come to your website, have to click through various products there, put the product in the shopping cart and add payment methods until you can register a purchase? Why not close the purchase on the respective platform right away? In this way, you can reduce drop-offs and give your customers a simple shopping experience.
Content For Good
A lot has happened in the past few months. Covid 19, Black Lives Matter, feminism, and, most recently, the severe consequences of severe weather disasters. All of these events occupy people – and thus also your customers. As a result, many brands advocate what they stand for on social media too. Generation Z in particular attaches great importance to the positioning of companies.
Global brands such as Nike, Netflix, or Ben & Jerry’s are actively involved and openly communicate their values to the outside world.
Another example is the advertising boards in the stadiums of Euro 2020. Without exception, all advertisers have added rainbow colors to their advertising after the public discussions. This is perceived and valued by the target group – as long as it is authentic.
Social media has quickly become the primary way to spread awareness and values. It enables brands to reach many people with their messages and at the same time create an open dialogue by welcoming interaction and engagement of their followers.
Regardless of whether it is about the content of ecological sustainability, racial equality, or other important topics – a brand that creates content for good is branded in the mind of the customer. But expressing an opinion is not enough – action must be taken to support it and appear credible.
These three focal points could significantly improve your social media performance. Above all, make sure you are always credible and convince your community with a balanced, appealing content strategy. Pay particular attention to the implementation of short videos, express yourself authentically on socially relevant topics, and focus on social selling. This is how your social media presence is sure to be a success.
Also Read- Social Media Trends 2021: 5 Perspectives Worth Knowing
