The year 2021 has flown by and social has continued to evolve, causing social media managers and the like to quickly shift strategies to keep up. As new platforms emerge and more and more businesses joining social media, it’s crucial to stay informed as we head into the new year. What trends are we expecting in social media? We’ve identified five trends that have taken shape in 2021 and are almost guaranteed to rise in the new year.
- Short-Form Video Will Dominate
With Tik Tok reaching 1 billion active users worldwide, it’s no surprise that video content is continuing to reign. The introduction of reels on Instagram and Facebook and the note that Instagram is no longer “just a photo sharing app” shows just how crucial video in your social strategy is going to be.
If you don’t jump in now, you might get left behind. Creating short and engaging videos is a great way to capture your audience. Being authentic and trying new things for your customers ensures you gain their trust and loyalty to the brand. Videos should be formatted for each platform as sizing and style vary.
Captions are also a must as 85% of people on Facebook watch without sound. Short attention spans run in society today, so you want to capture your audience’s interest right from the start.
- Social Commerce Gains Steam
With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses had to get creative…fast. Companies moved their sales online as quickly as possible, and consumers flocked to the online world for goods ranging from toilet paper to groceries.
Throughout 2021, eCommerce has continued to grow and isn’t expected to slow down any time soon. Pinterest is adding live shopping with the introduction of Pinterest TV, and YouTube has been beta-testing an integrated shopping experience where viewers can shop products seen in YouTube videos. Facebook, Tik Tok, and Instagram have already been battling in the shopping arena and now there could be more players joining, so there are plenty of ways your company can grow and earn more revenue.
- User-Generated Content Contributes to Content Strategy
If you want to find an easy way to gain free content and reward loyal brand followers, user-generated content is your best bet. This type of content is anything posted online by an end-user of a business.
Whether it’s someone sharing their favorite piece of makeup from a brand or showing off their new car, it’s fair game for a company to share if they get permission from the poster or provide credit in the caption.
Sharing content posted by brand users almost guarantees they reshare as well as expands your audience pool and saves on you creating extra content.
- AI, AR, and VR Make Moves
It’s been an exciting last few years for new technology in the social world. After Snapchat pioneered the idea, other platforms have followed suit with their own filters and effects. Facebook even rebranded its entire overarching company to focus on embracing virtual reality.
With VR, users can meet in virtual spaces with others to engage in social interactions using avatars. This could revolutionize the field of social media and could continue to be a big aspect of platforms in the years to come.
- Influencer Marketing strengthens
By 2025, it’s expected that the global influencer marketing platform market size will reach $26.4 billion. People are more likely to trust their peers over brands, which is why influencers are the perfect group to make recommendations to an audience. Using influencers is cheaper than traditional marketing and you gain access to a loyal following in niche markets if executed correctly.
Overall, 2022 is going to be a big year for content strategies and social media platforms, and you don’t want to lose out on the engagement and potential revenue that comes with it. Getting ahead of the curve and implementing some of the above trends early can ensure your business is on track to success.
