5 Social Media Trends To Keep An Eye On In 2021
Social Media platforms continue to become more popular around the world with the rise of TikTok videos and Instagram shoppable posts. With many people having more time on their hands due to closed shops and leisure facilities, people are using social media platforms more to get away from everyday life. For businesses, it plays a critical part in any company’s digital marketing strategy to increase its brand recognition. Here are a few trends to look out for in 2021:
Social Conscious Audiences
Consumers are more socially aware and actively engage in conversation surrounding social issues like mental health, equality, education, and climate change. Consumers are consciously searching for brands with social values that are in line with theirs while avoiding others that are not. It will be crucial for brands to regularly engage in discussions regarding topics that matter to their consumers while ensuring the brand is creating a positive social impact.
Gaming on Social Networks
A new social trend is the increase of gaming communities; a lot of people are resorting to videogames as a means of entertainment and having relationships during the pandemic. Platforms such as Twitch have provided a platform for gamers to reach out to other gamers that play the same games or want to learn new tips and tricks to get better. Brands will need to find a demographic that they can align to and create ad-hoc content that best represents these communities.
Conversational Marketing
Conversational Marketing is all about the brand engaging with customers and building relationships through personalised content. Brands can no longer simply put out messages and hope for the best, brands will need to establish a 2-way conversation with consumers and connecting on matters that are most important to them. Brands can take advantage of chatbots, live-streaming video platforms, and social channels to build authentic connections with consumers while showing the human side of the brand.
Photo Searching
A new way of searching has emerged, imagine taking a picture of something and seeing immediate search results. This new method will become a more mainstream approach to online searching. Apps such as Google Lens and Pinterest Lens offer this function with some success. The emergence of high-quality cameras and 5G will provide quick and accurate service. It is worth to keep an eye on and see whether your brand can take advantage of this growing trend.
Digital Misinformation
Fake news has always plagued social media since their emergence, however 2020 saw this being brought to the forefront due to the COVID-19 pandemic. High-levels of uncertainty caused consumers to obtain and share COVID-19 related information whether it was accurate or not. The spread of misinformation can have some serious implications in society and can cause mass panic. In 2020 a few 5G phone masts were set on fire due to information indicating that they were the reason that COVID-19 is happening.
2021 will see a crackdown on ‘Fake News’ and many major social media channels are taking steps to curb this trend by labelling the source and the date they were published. Social Media platforms will have to start labelling inaccurate or misleading news for awareness. Brands will need to become more transparent to reduce the chances of people filling in information gaps with inaccurate news. Brands will also need to practice brand monitoring to detect any instances of fake-news being tied to their brand and address the issue before it starts spreading.