From updating their algorithms and introducing new features, social media platforms are constantly undergoing an evolution. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have recognized social media as an ultimate tool for enhancing relationships between brands and their audiences. Studies have shown that the Canadian social media growth stands at almost 26 million and is expected to reach 80 percent penetration by 2025. If you’re not sure where to focus your efforts this year, here are four important social media trends for 2021.
Quality, not quantity
The odds are your brand is posting several times daily or weekly. However, it wouldn’t yield many results since social media users don’t only care about your post frequency. Your content quality is also crucial; rather than filling your buffer slots with generalized, non-specific content, focus on posting relevant and detailed posts. This could mean creating a podcast or videos rather than texts, sharing customer reviews via compilation posts or sharing behind-the-scenes content. Making quality posts may seem like lots of work, but it’s just about refocusing your efforts into creating smaller improved ones to generate more engagement.
Social commerce
US social commerce generated $22 billion in 2019 alone. However, the pandemic in 2020 caused more people to spend time on social platforms. Stay at home orders meant many people fell on these networks as an antidote to physical distancing, with 94% of Canadians using at least one of these platforms.
As a business, it’s best to be aware of where your audience spends most of their time to enable you to promote your products and services effectively. Social media is critical for your digital marketing strategy, so why not try out Facebook and Instagram social commerce features?
Take advantage of the trend, create shoppable Instagram posts or a Facebook shop. With the inbuilt e-payments and enhanced customer experience, there’s less friction in the sales processes, which is excellent for boosting sales.
Virtual reality will grow
The need for social distancing has led many people to search for ways to create more meaningful engagement virtually. One of the best ways to offer them the interaction they seek is virtual reality (VR). This current trend provides people with interaction that feels as though they’re physically together even when worlds apart.
This year VR will likely gain popularity on social media with the various platforms pushing for tech integration. For instance, Facebook Horizon is currently leveraging the Oculus VR to test a virtual space that permits its users to connect with others, explore and play games together.
Live streams will stay popular
Many businesses have taken to remote working and physical distancing to check the COVID-19 spread. Workplace meetings and face-to-face interactions have turned to video-conferencing, while live events like musical concerts have artists playing from home and streaming online. This has contributed to the growing use of the live streaming feature on social media. Although situations are improving, people are growing accustomed to watching such events from their homes. This development indicates that live streaming popularity will continue to grow and be a crucial part of your marketing strategy.
Navigating your business through social media can be pretty challenging due to the rapid, constant changes. Although 2020 was a difficult period for almost every business sector, it caused progressive innovation in the PR world. With customers depending on social networks, your business must be ever-present in their feeds. These trends should help get you started.