2020 has certainly brought one thing: increased time and users on social media. If you are a marketer there is a lot to look forward to! As social media continues to be used by more people, the opportunities and trends grow at the same time.
So, what trends should social media marketers anticipate for the New Year? Let’s discuss…
1.Video
Video shined in 2020 – Tik Tok, Twitter Fleets, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn stories and more, video has become a prominent tool on every social platform. Reels and Tik Tok have several advantages for your business such as being shown not just to those who follow you, rather they give your brand the opportunity to gain exposure by showing your content to those who are already interested in services or products like yours. Find out what’s working for businesses similar to yours on these platforms and stay up to date with what’s trending to get in front of your target audience.
2. SEO
With an increase of users on social media and the web, there’s a greater need for your business to be using SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. In November, Instagram announced that it would become more search friendly for users – meaning words relevant to your business will allow you to be discovered when users search general, related terms. So, marketers should take advantage of captions, hashtags, and more to be discovered – and the same goes for every other social media platform your brand is on.
3. Social Shopping
Several businesses, especially small and local, had to learn to pivot in 2020. With new mandates to follow and the constant changing state of the uncertain future, businesses have to take advantage of selling their products online. With this new ‘normal’ eCommerce through social media platforms will continue to become more pivotal for business owners. In-app purchases have been utilized in 2020 through platforms like Instagram and Facebook, which allows several opportunities for marketers to simplify the shopping experience for users – they no longer have to discover a product they want and then go to a separate medium to purchase.
4. Valuable Content
As people begin to use social media at an increasing rate, users are also simultaneously providing more content – which means a lot of mindless scrolling and heavily saturated content. Providing engaging, valuable, and educational content will take the reins as consumers will notice and become more enticed by snackable and unique information.