What’s Happening in Social Media?
It is relatively unrealistic for a company to create any type of marketing campaign without first paying attention to environmental trends within the context of the channels being utilized by each campaign. This is especially true for social media, a marketing channel that arguably changes more rapidly than any other medium. In an age of such fast-paced and competitive technological change, companies must keep up with change in demand and learn to at least roughly anticipate new trends, which is precisely why we are here to help do just that! Keep reading for the most impactful social media-related trends we expect to see in 2021.
Avoid Social Burnout
Prior to diving into the trends more directly applicable to social media marketing, we must address the elephant in the room. COVID-19 and other current events have caused a major increase in marketing department dependence on social media. According to , 88% of marketers in social media reported that their work has been made harder since the beginning of the pandemic. Those in charge of social media at companies across nearly every industry have been forced to work extra hard to keep up with the increased demand for consumer-first content. Thus, social media teams have struggled with consistent experiences of burnout and increased levels of stress for everyone involved.
Be wary of this for 2021 as your team decides on digital marketing techniques to meet the high demand. Strategize how best to provide quality, targeted content with the expectation that consumers are looking to your social presence for their optimal forms of communication with you, education of you, and entertainment for themselves. Whether this means budgeting more towards digital marketing or expanding your social media team, ensure that your team is prepared to not only meet but exceed rising consumer expectations while elevating social media to be one of your highest marketing priorities. Do all of this as you simultaneously cultivate a work community that recognizes and rewards effort in support of collective mental health.
‘Pay-to-Play’ Consumption
With Instagram making a strong push for their in-app shopping feature and the adaptation of exclusive platforms like OnlyFans by influencers, the use of e-commerce and microtransactions in social media is expected to continue to rise. Consumers loyal to brands and individuals are showing a higher willingness to pay smaller amounts of money over time in order to gain exclusive access to content and products. The exclusivity creates a sense of perceived value that consumers loyal to said brand or influencer will pay in order to experience a more personal connection, of which other consumers aren’t experiencing.
Take this growing form of ‘pay-to-play’ consumption into consideration when thinking about how your company may benefit from e-commerce and microtransactions. If it suits your company and industry, we also encourage your company to brainstorm ways that you can build exclusive and more personal communities of customers whom you’re delivering content or products to that are not available to those outside of said communities. Strategies such as these are not designed to work for every type of brand. ‘Pay to play’ strategies are only worth investigation for use if you truly believe your company can create content that warrants exclusive offerings. If your main goal is to reach new people, then dividing your current consumer base through private ‘pay to play’ consumption may not be for you.
Marketing to People Through People
A key factor in winning new customers over is through things that they trust, the most personal of these being people they know. Yes, this is most definitely true for the long ongoing and recent heavy use of influencers and celebrities in social media ads. However, not every company can afford to sponsor a celebrity or influencer in their social media marketing campaigns. Instead, many companies can afford to use a familiar face from inside of their company to represent their brand.
The general public are gaining a history of turning to the companies they can attach a trusting face to. A face whom customers can get to know by viewing your ads and thus simultaneously become more familiar with your company. Using a relatable human face to represent your business often leads to consumers feeling more understood, even if the representative isn’t a famous celebrity. Think about what it could look like for your company to begin an investment—even if it’s a small one—in video marketing through a trusted member of your company. As stated by www.brightcove.com, 61% of marketers are already planning to increase their video spending in 2021 and 85% of businesses are now using video as a marketing tool. If not for any other reason, consider internal or external video spokesperson marketing to stay competitive in your industry!
Not sure how to begin applying these trends to your 2021 social media strategy? We would love to partner with you and create a strategy that is sure to result in success. Give us a call today to get started!
