Gone are the days where you can only upload square photos on Instagram, or post a statement on Facebook. Today, not only are there multiple upload formats for you to choose from on every social media channel, you can also host live events, play with countless filters, and even shop without leaving the app.
That’s just a taste of how far social media has evolved, and it looks like it’s going to keep evolving. Despite the level of progress, it’s all the more surprising how quickly we’re adopting these new trends on social media.
The shifting sands of social media trends and algorithms continually present new challenges for marketers. They have to regularly review their strategies and keep their ear to the ground for the latest developments.
If you’re wondering what you should look out for in 2021 – here are 3 new social media trends we believe can make an impact on your business.
1. Livestream Content
Ever since the pandemic, more and more brands have migrated to digital solutions to stay afloat. In fact, according to Sprout Social, Facebook saw a massive rise in messaging and live streaming content, especially around COVID-19 hotspots like Italy and the USA. So much so that the number of views on Instagram and Facebook Live doubled in just a week.
It’s no doubt that live streaming has become a trend since most people are stuck at home looking for ways to preserve the human connection. It is an almost perfect marketing solution because not only does it make people feel less alone, it allows people (especially your audiences) to react or engage with you in real-time. Hosting live streams is an opportunity for you to foster a more meaningful relationship with your customers.
2. Augmented Reality
From beauty filters to trivia posts, interactive games, and so much more; you can hardly avoid the growing trend of augmented reality (AR) on social media. It certainly made an impact when it was first introduced, and its features don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Compared to virtual reality (VR), AR doesn’t actually require any additional hardware besides your smartphone (which makes it highly accessible).
With that being said, brands have quickly adapted to this social media trend by promoting their products and services through interactive AR filters. Needless to say, with your customers engaged and entertained, you’ll be able to achieve a highly effective engagement rate while establishing a degree of brand love.
AR can also be effective in driving purchases. Take Sephora as an example. They’ve incorporated a ‘try on’ augmented feature on their app where customers are able to virtually try on various beauty products in real-time. Through this, they’ve managed to offer a pleasant shopping experience which has streamlined the customer journey and subsequently driven sales via their app.
3. Authenticity & Transparency
Although this isn’t necessarily a trend, more and more brands have realised the value of transparency when it comes to connecting with their customers. Just like most influencers that handle sponsored content, their viewers can usually tell when they are being genuine in regards to what they’re selling or endorsing. This is especially important now that social media influence is so strong, where customer feedback or KOL reviews can potentially make or break your brand.
Being transparent allows you to build a trustworthy relationship with audiences. This means that you’re not only able to build a more loyal fan base, you’ll also improve the value of your brand and drive up month-to-month sales.
In other words, the more people supporting your brand, the more revenue you’ll get.
We hope you found this article to be relevant and useful. If you’re interested in more marketing blog posts, be sure to sign-up for our newsletter.
