We live in an increasingly digital world. In 2020 lockdowns meant that online interaction was largely the only social outlet for many people.
Each year, we witness social media platforms rapidly evolving and shifting their focus to retain interest and meet user needs. 2020 saw the rise of key trends including:
- the proliferation of video content through ‘stories’
- expansion of e-commerce on Instagram as a form of direct selling
- more dynamic and direct social advertising
- influencers being scrutinised more closely in response to the rise of fake influencers
- a shift towards alternative engagement metrics other than ‘likes’.
In 2021, we expect to see continued reliance on digital tools, and social media in particular. To stand out in a crowded global network, businesses need to take advantage of new trends for effective cut through and engagement.
We’ve identified four key trends set to dominate social media in 2021:
1. Nostalgia marketing: We will see brands gravitate towards invoking memories, referring to famous historical events, fads and trends and throwbacks to significant moments over the past decade. The effect is simple; it connects strong positive emotions to a brand, and causes people to reflect on their own lived experience through good (and sometimes bad) times.
2. Conversational marketing: Businesses have transitioned their direct-to-consumer approach to a more two-way dialogue to create conversations and connections. Using stories, emotions and language can convey information that leads to user engagement and create sales.
3. Overcoming digital disinformation: Brands will need to prevent fake news and review their communication channels regularly. To maintain credibility, it will be important to develop and curate content that is well written, factual and accurate, and based on reliable sources. Social media algorithms show users content that closely matches the types of content they usually access. If individuals sway towards alternative media sources, then social media will continue to reinforce this, making it harder to compete and allowing potential misinformation to drown out your brand.
4. Expansion of memetic media: Memes have evolved over the past few years and, while they often provide a comedic moment, they can cause havoc for brands. Predictions by YPulse reveal an average of 75 per cent of 13- to 36-year-olds engage with and share memes every day. For brands, this means negative memes can have significant consequences and lead to unwanted attention. In contrast, and not so often, positive memes about brands can lead to new audience exposure and wave of new customers. If brands create their own memes, they must ensure it is relevant to the audience base and uses the right messaging and word choice to avoid gaffes.
Being aware of these trends in 2021 can help you ensure your brand uses social media for benefit and avoids risk. Developing and executing a successful and impactful social media strategy is complex and requires specialist knowledge.
Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or Snapchat, The Recognition Group team can help put together a 2021 strategy to develop content calendars, manage your online community and importantly implement new trends and strategies as they evolve. To find out how we can help your business, contact us today.
