Social media in 2021 will play a bigger role for brands looking to maintain their market share and enter new markets. The COVID-19 pandemic, the hotly contested US presidential election, and racial justice protests are the highlights of 2020 that have spurred unprecedented changes in social media usage and customer behaviors. Market reports reveal a considerable number of people spend more hours on social media platforms due to COVID-19 in 2020 than ever recorded in the past.

However, even with such opportunities, there are still many challenges that social marketers have to counter: how will I keep my social media audience well-engaged in 2021? What will be the next big thing in digital advertising for 2021? What content and platform will bring me a better ROI in 2021? To answer these pertinent questions, this piece will dive into significant 2021 social media trends and tips to help you update your social media marketing strategy for 2021.

Organic social media relationship funnel

Trust will be a big issue in 2021. Businesses need to invest in solid relationships with everyone that matters, including employees, customers, and influencers. Strive to leverage on the voices that customers trust and value the most to back up and give authenticity to your essential brand messages. 

A working strategy would involve optimizing organic social media marketing through collaboration with social media users, including customers and influencers. This collaboration will help establish a relationship funnel that will trigger viral word of mouth marketing for your brand on most of the social media platforms.

People-first social media

Ideally, social media algorithms are designed to favor people first, and you should craft a unique social media strategy driven by the trusted voice of your customers, influencers, and employees. A two-way social media communication will be important in boosting your organic posts so that they become the top feeds of your target audiences. Aim at a strategy to help engage your online community so that they like, comment, and share your content. Your online community is an essential channel that customers trust and their interactions with your brand help amplify your content to reach a wider audience.

 

Diversification

The year 2020 saw a massive shakeup in social media platforms popular with marketers. For example, the meteoric rise of TikTok this year, with over 76 million downloads, triggered a new approach to social media engagements. TikTok is a viral platform popular with a younger audience between ages 16 and 24. It enables brands and influencers to create and share user-generated content that could integrate brand marketing aspects.

Late this year, Instagram rolled out Reels, a platform that gives a unique opportunity for fans, brands, and influencers to create short, engaging videos. Instagram boasts a vast following of over 1 billion users and its presence can be felt among many age groups.

All these changes mean from now on, you have to reconsider your choice of the traditional social media platform for your content. COVID-19 has already impacted your marketing projections, and to catch up, you need to utilize every channel available. The rise of new sensations may mean you have to invest in social media platforms you previously stayed away from in the past.

Live social media

The year 2020 saw a considerable rise in the uptake of live social media, and it is rather apparent this trend will hold steady in the coming years. How can it benefit your social media marketing prospects in 2021? You should leverage live streaming to fill the physical void and meet your customers live online. Maximize your live engagements and interact with your customers through the following ideas:

• Use office hours for Q&A sessions.
• Provide coverage for launches and announcements
• Design sessions where you take customers behind the scenes on crucial company operations
• Interviews, collaborations, and takeovers.

Social media live sessions enable house-bound audiences to attend virtual demos and interact by asking questions and posting comments. Photo credit: Facebook Live event by Cosmopolitan, featuring Lauren Conrad, fashionista.  

ECommerce trends for Facebook and Instagram

Facebook and Instagram shops are arguably the most recent trends in social media eCommerce. These shops are a simplified version of an online store running through Instagram and Facebook apps. These apps are already optimized for various devices, therefore only requiring the need to customize and activate the “shop” section on your Instagram or Facebook profile. This will allow current followers to easily purchase, save or share.

There are also other eCommerce technologies that are beginning to take shape and will certainly define the future of eCommerce for both Instagram and Facebook. One specific technology being voice commerce, which will enhance voice shopping. With many homes adopting the use of smart speakers, voice shopping will likely become more popular.

While complete recovery may take a little longer, businesses need to equip themselves with top-notch marketing strategies for 2021. 

Keys to Success in 2021

If you are interested in leveraging social media to create better connections with your customers this year, we can help you develop a strategy that is customized to your audience and marketing budget. You can even reach new audiences! Schedule a consult with Tomo360 now to learn more.