Brussels (Brussels Morning) Social media marketing was originally supposed to be a platform that connected companies and people. But ever since the pandemic that led everyone to a “new” normal, the dynamics of social media have shifted to a considerable extent.
This is an obvious result of the significant changes in the behaviour, mood and expectations of the target groups in most industries. Indeed, there are exciting technical trends and other developments, some of which are emerging across the board, and others which are specific to certain platforms or channels.
Here are the five fastest emerging trends in social media to watch out for in 2021 and beyond!
- More Video Consumption Than Ever
Videos are trending on all platforms across the board. They have the best click-through rates in the channels, and they are gaining new formats that are also being used more and more in marketing. Examples are not only the booming TikTok platform, but also YouTube shorts or 30-second clips in the form of Instagram reels.
- E-Commerce Marketing Through Social Signals
Linking social media with online shops and landing pages is becoming one of the most important marketing instruments in today’s scenario. The signal for this is the significant shift in budgets to content creation, online events, search engines and social media ads.
Linking content specifically via social media is gaining more and more importance. Overall, customers are interacting with companies online more than before since the beginning of the pandemic. Website visits are also increasing and social media is at its best in leveraging this opportunity.
- Resourceful Content For Users
Since user retention continues to be among the top priority of businesses who are marketing themselves online, it has become more important to create a considerable part of the content in the area of user benefits, information, advice and entertainment (“useful content”) instead of primarily in the promotion of products and services.
Brands are coming to realise that while resourceful content may cause a decline in short-term sales, sustainable customer loyalty, increased reach and branding are all the more important and beneficial in the longer term.
- Messenger Integration
Messaging systems such as WhatsApp, Telegram, etc., which can also be used for direct customer contact, are enjoying increasing popularity on social media. Systematically integrating these channels into the overall social media strategy is likely to meet the increased need for contact by several members of the target groups.
- Content That Drives Engagement
Interactive content, from surveys to competitions and from interactive infographics to evaluation campaigns, hits a nerve with people who otherwise don’t take direct actions on social media. This is proving to be a successful long-term creative and communicative opportunity to build and expand customer and brand loyalty.
