4 Social Media Marketing Trends to Keep Your Eye on in 2021
Author: Oshi Paranavitane

Social media marketing trends are much like fashion trends; they change every year, and you must stay on top of them if you want to remain relevant. Regardless of the platform you use, it’s undeniable that any form of social media marketing is helpful for business. The reach of a social media platform outshines the reach of traditional marketing methods, which is why businesses need to keep abreast of social media marketing trends every year.

Year after year, social media platforms change their algorithms and add new features, which is why trends change annually (and even monthly!). It all depends on the timing of these changes and the natural cultural shift of its users. Businesses that utilise social media marketing often don’t have the time to keep up with social media trends. This is where a social media marketing agency can help.

Why should companies pay attention to social media marketing?

Before we dive into social media marketing trends, let’s first look at why social media marketing is important. Here are a few reasons why your business will benefit from hiring a social media marketing agency.

  • Uncover contemporary industry trends
  • Provide better customer service
  • Curate content to the target audience
  • More comprehensive competitive analysis

These effects will only come to fruition if your social media marketing takes advantage of current trends.

4 social media marketing trends you should be aware of in 2021

1 – Live streaming

The popularity of live streaming on social media platforms was born out of the pandemic. The lack of physical connectivity with users’ favourite brands made the feature more relevant as the need for personalisation and human connection increased while people stayed at home.

While the situation has improved in Australia, and there’s no longer a need for people to stay home the need for a human-virtual connection has become unnecessary, however, users on social media have gotten used to it. Most social media platforms still heavily use this feature as well as it has become helpful for international brands and vloggers to stay in touch with their followers. For local businesses, this feature remains effective.

2 – Using stories for video content

Although ‘Story’ is not a new feature on either Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or even YouTube, utilising it as a format for video content is fairly new. In reality, photos have a higher tap-forward rate (the number of people who saw your Story and moved on to the next one before finishing it) than videos. Video content on your story also makes it much easier to connect with your audience rather than mindlessly posting image content on your story.

This is not to say that image stories are ineffective, however, video content should be utilised so that customers more actively and willingly engage with your brand.

3 – Augmented reality

Augmented reality technology has started to infiltrate social media platforms. The feature prompts interaction with followers on your brand and is more likely to give you a high engagement rate.

Augmented reality is an excellent vehicle for promoting new products while also keeping your followers actively connected to your business. Try to capitalise on these advantages by creatively incorporating augmented reality into your business’ promotion. You don’t even have to develop a customised augmented reality filter, by simply utilising the feature, you’ll engage your audience.

4 – Purpose-driven campaigns

As the world has been rocked by crisis after crisis, smart navigation of purpose-driven campaigns has become incredibly important. Whether it is a large conglomerate creating their campaigns, or small businesses backing fundraisers, brands must be careful to appear as if they are profiting off an issue.

Instead, sensitivity, thoughtful leadership and meaningful action should be given to the issue. Don’t get behind every issue without actually doing something about it as it may appear exploitative. Knowing when to engage and when to back off is what avoids much of the social media user criticism that a few brands fell victim to in 2020.

We hope that we’ve convinced you of the importance of social media marketing. While these trends are incredibly important for maintaining a strong social media presence, they can be difficult to keep up with. The best way to manage your social media is to hire a social media marketing agency.

If you’d like more information on our social media marketing services, then have a chat with Ava, our friendly assistant. To speak with a member of our team, give us a call on 1300 670 998.

About the Author
Oshi Paranavitane
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