Important Social Media Trends 2021

Think back 10 years ago - social media seemed to be so much simpler. The iPhone was just starting to become popular, other platforms besides Facebook and Twitter were emerging, and a newcomer named snapchat was creating a buzz.

Social media has managed to become a huge fundamental part of our lives in such a short space of time, and it is continuing to do so rapidly.

What started off as simply a medium to stay in touch with friends has become a channel for businesses to connect with each other, and with their target audiences, through well-defined social media strategies.

Below are some trends that will dominate social media in 2021 and onwards. If you can manage to leverage these trends to your advantage, you will find it easier to stay ahead of your competitors!

1. Live Stream Videos

The global pandemic of 2020 had many businesses going digital in order to maintain social distancing. Normal face-to-face meetings were turned into Zoom calls and live concerts were turned into live streams.

As a result of this, there has been a huge increase in the usage of live streaming on social media. Facebook noticed a massive rise in live streaming especially in the Covid-19 hotspots such as Italy.

As time has passed, people have grown accustomed to this new way of interacting without having to leave their homes. Therefore, live streaming will continue to be popular amongst social media users and you should definitely adopt this as part of your social media marketing strategy.

2. Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) has become increasingly popular since the pandemic hit because people are seeking more meaningful interactions.

Interacting using VR gives you a much better experience than simply zoom calling and you feel a sense of actually being with someone. This is the exact kind of experience that people were craving during lockdown and when social distancing had to be maintained.

2021 is likely to see developments in this technology as social media platforms will likely push towards incorporating with this technology, and therefore VR will gain more popularity as time goes on.

Facebook is currently already tapping into this new form of technology and as of early 2021, Facebook is on the verge of creating a virtual world platform that allows people to explore, connect with other users, and play games.

3. Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) is an enhanced version of the real physical world and can be achieved through the use of filters, sounds, and other sensory stimuli.

Unlike VR, AR doesn’t need additional hardware beyond a smartphone which means it is much more accessible.

AR are extremely interactive experiences which makes them highly effective for engagement purposes.

Snapchat have successfully tapped into the use of AR with their infamous snapchat filters that users can play with and share with each other. They have also offered the opportunity to brands to use these filters to drive purchases by creating advertising filters.

Instagram shopping options have also evolved with AR, and now let you ‘try on’ products using your phone camera.

These types of AR experiences that allow you to see how products would look on you or in your environment area great way of driving sales.

4. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing blew up in 2019 and has continued to increase in popularity ever since. However, the way through which brands and influencers collaborate with each other is changing, with Instagram tightening up on regulations.

Investing in influencers is much cheaper than running paid ad campaigns and it delivers excellent results.

If brands wish to collaborate with influencers, they must do so through a series of social media promotion posts rather than just a single one. In return, the influencers will receive free gifts from the brand or an income per post.

Brands that are more renowned are likely to collaborate with smaller influencers and niche bloggers so that they can create a sense of exclusivity. In addition, it is important to be careful when choosing influencers because there are lots of imposters on social media with a fake following.

Furthermore, lots of marketers are not just working with 1-2 influencers but they are working with a whole network of smaller, and more relevant, niche influencers. This kind of influencer gets much higher engagement and also costs a lot less.

When promoting branded products and services, influencers can no longer post pictures of themselves with the products, and they have to put more effort into content creation for brands, such as how to videos and photo stories.

5. More Regulatory Control and Legal Scrutiny

While social media can be extremely beneficial, it can also receive negative backlash and a few issues have risen in recent years. Data privacy and data security are two of the issues that have attracted attention, and even made headlines.

Social media is often used to gather information about anyone who misuses it, and therefore there has been speculation that certain social networks have even sold their user data to other companies without permission.

In response to this, regulators have tightened up on what is and is not allowed and introduced more policies.

Social media is often considered as an unsafe space if not used carefully and social networks are looking to change that view. So, be ready for even more regulations and restrictions being introduced on all platforms.

TikTok especially has received greater scrutiny than other platforms and have actually been regulated out of existence in some markets, with threats made in other countries.

6. The Death of Instagram Likes

Over recent years, users have become more aware of the strain that social media can have on mental health. Especially in young people, users can often become fixated on the amount of likes they receive.

Therefore, Instagram has initiated an experimental feature that allows you to remove the like count on your posts if you wish.

In response to this, social media marketers will need to shift the way they measure success of their posts from number of likes to other KPIs such as engagement and number of impressions.

7. Growth of Social Media Communities

Another trend that is on the rise are the formation of social media communities, which are online groups in which members can relate to common experiences and interests.

Brands can engage with these communities to ensure that they are targeting the right group of people. These communities are very useful in getting customer feedback, carrying out discussions, resolving complaints and sharing personalised content that will appeal to each individual.

As time goes on, brands are likely to use these communities for market research of potential future products, and to get feedback on new products before launching them.

8. Video Content Will Dominate

The most engaging form of content is video content, and it will likely be that way for a while. As a matter of fact, brands are beginning to shift rapidly from standard photos and written content, and are instead exploring the opportunities of video marketing instead.

After platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok have emerged, video based content is slowly becoming the new norm. Instagram have now included a feature on their platform called ‘Reels’ which allows users to record and share short videos.

In order to keep up to date with trends, marketers must embrace this new form of content and adopt video marketing as strategy in their social media marketing agency.

9. Increased Use of Social Media for Customer Service

Social media has always been a place for people to connect and share their experiences through photos and videos. However, social media has progressed to so much more than that for businesses.

Social media has become the ideal platform for a customer service channel and lots of brands have started to use it to deliver customer service.

Through direct messaging, brands can respond to customer queries and complaints, and customers can also reach out to brands by commenting on their posts.

The transition happened over time, when brands began to notice that many customers tried to use social media to reach out to them, rather than traditional email. This may be because lack of response or too long of a wait.

Either way, social media is now one of the most popular customer service channels so be prepared to use your platform to respond to your customers.

10. Personalisation Will be Paramount

Personalisation has always been popular with consumers, however, it is only in recent years that this includes for social media as well.

The area in which marketers are delivering personalisation is through social media ads. It is difficult for marketers to personalise their content but social media platforms have started offering advanced targeting and customisation for marketers, in order to target the right group of consumers, at the right time.

Personalisation has reached the point where social media platforms now understand what kind of products you like, and which brands will spark your interest. As a result, they personalise the ads that will appear on your social media feed.