Did you know that in January 2021 there were 5.29 million internet users in Singapore alone? That is a fairly large amount, especially considering the fact that the total population recorded then was 5.87 million. Social media started out as a way for people to keep in touch with each other around the globe but over the last five to ten years it has grown to become one of the most powerful tools that exist today. The power of social media is not lost on any of us, and if brands want to utilise it to their advantage, they need to hop onto the biggest trends in social media for 2021.
The customer is always king, and small and medium sized businesses need to focus on creating an all-rounded strategy that encompasses every channel, portal or platform that their target audience needs. Social media trends are a big part of it. As a brand, you need to dedicate enough time into planning your social media look, feel, and strategy to be able to openly and freely communicate with your audience.
So, what are the biggest social media trends of 2021? Read on to find out!
eCommerce with Social Media
This social media trend has been on the rise for the last few years but has seen a rapid and significant growth in the last year and a half. There are small businesses who are marketing themselves as entrepreneurs and using social media channels as a platform to sell their products, and it seems to be a great sales funnel. Popular social media applications such as Instagram and Facebook have now become a marketplace for people to buy and sell goods and services.
Gone are the days where you had to open up a store to sell your devices, jewellery, or food… social media channels provide small and upcoming businesses with relief in terms of rent and equipment costs and create a direct channel for sales.
Brand Engagement Using Social Media
Brands have collectively embarked upon the journey of customer satisfaction as they notice the positive response that comes with being engaged with their audience. Brand engagement with existing customers builds loyalty towards the company, and it also opens up a space for businesses to showcase what they are doing, how they are doing it, and all the new things that they are coming up with.
More and more companies are now taking the time out to converse with their audience and customers, understand their pain points and work towards providing solutions for them. Social media gives these brands a sustainable platform to begin this conversation.
Influencer Marketing as a Part of Social Media Trends
Influencer-driven marketing is one of the fastest growing social media trends in 2021. Hyper-specific, micro and nano-influencers are now collaborating with brands in their niche to help sell their products. Brands benefit from this trend because they get to reach out to the audience directly and make an impact on them. The followers and viewers that these influencers have trust them and listen to them.
If the influencer says that your product is good, it will build as much trust in the viewer or listener as that of a close friend or relative.
Growth of Niche-Driven Communities
The total number of social media users was recorded to be at an all-time high of 4.7 million in Singapore by the end of 2020. 4.7 million people will not sit and use the platforms to just stay in touch with friends and families throughout the day. They must be using the channels to do other stuff too, right?
Trends in social media as of 2021 include the growth in communities. These communities are normally niche-driven and participants use these as a tool to discuss, learn and grow from the communities they are a part of. If a brand sells CCTV cameras and engages with the community that is driven around home and office security, they will have a much higher chance of getting a positive response as compared to if they had engaged with a general audience as a whole.
Niche-driven communities give companies the opportunity to create specific and targeted posts in order to create the most amount of impact possible with their product. Today, social media trends dictate that it isn’t about what you’re selling, it’s all about who you are selling to.
Live Coverage and the Consistent Growth of Video
Visual content in the video format has been growing in popularity over the last few years. A recent addition to this social media trend is the positive response to live coverage. Live streaming grew by 99% in the last year alone and there is a reason for this rapid growth in the industry.
Live streaming offered businesses a way to connect with their customers in real-time in the last year, something that wasn’t possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers really felt like they had a bond with the brand after watching unfiltered, raw coverage. Live videos offered a lot more engagement, viewership and duration of the views as compared to the regular uploaded videos. Brands want to continue to connect with their users and will continue to follow this social media trend in 2021 for a long time to come.
It’s All About the Filters!
Augmented reality isn’t a far-off concept anymore. We use it in our day-to-day lives. If you have ever used the iconic dog ear or flower crown filters (or the thousand other ones) on apps like Snapchat or Instagram, you have used an AR feature. Brands use these AR features available for fun and quirky short-term content in order to engage with their brand.
These filters could be quizzes about the brand or the industry the brand is a part of, a cute look-enhancing filter, a game, or virtually anything you can think of. It is a great way of indirectly engaging with the community and building a focus around your brand without having to do much else. AR filters are a noticeable trend in social media which is only expected to grow as companies get more creative with the tools they have at their disposal.
Stories and Other Ephemeral Content
Social media users show a lot more engagement with stories as compared to posts. This is because they are not static. Stories offer a free-flowing source of content which makes users feel like they are participating with the brand.
The short duration and the shorter lifespan of the piece of content being posted online also agrees with the general user sentiment of today. There is so much content readily available online that people do not have the attention span to focus on something for long periods of time unless it is something that solves a problem for them. Ephemeral content allows brands to showcase and communicate what they have to say without having the longevity of the post’s life.
Rise in Community Engagement for a Social Cause
Tons of communities and companies have been encouraged over the last year and a half to focus more of their energy on social causes. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, more and more large-scale enterprises were expected to contribute their resources into helping out those in need. Social enterprises worked alongside brands to deliver quick and efficient responses to problems.
Social media trends in 2021 are catered towards the greater good. People want to feel like they are engaging with brands and corporations who do their bit to help the planet and its people. If brands start working towards a social cause that is relevant to them and one that they care about, their audiences will know. They will offer their support and believe in the brand, hence increasing the loyalty and trust they feel towards the company.
Enhancement of Consumer Experience with Social Media
Social media is a great tool for improving customer experience. Social media trends of 2021 dictate that the consumer wants a holistic consumer experience, right from the time they hear about the product till the time they receive it (and even after). Social media tools offer small and medium sized businesses the channels to diversify their communication in terms of location and types of content and improve the quality of consumer experience.
The goal is not to sell anymore, the goal is to engage the users. Sales will come automatically. This is probably the biggest change in the marketing dynamic observed in the recent past. The customer is becoming more insightful than ever and can recognise when some services are being sold to them. Instead of creating a platform that simply sells, businesses should focus their energy and resources on creating value through their channels and thereby leading the consumer to make the purchase.
Reviews and Paid Advertising
Let’s face it. There are a lot of products out there. If you go online to look for a washing machine, you will probably find at least 100 different types from 20 different companies with 1000 different features. Going through each one of them is exhausting. This is why more people are shifting to watching long form content in the form of product reviews.
This helps influence their decision making because somebody has already tried and tested the product to see what it is like. These reviews also offer similar alternatives, discuss pros and cons and talk about the features of the product and its functionalities. This is a big social media trend that has gained immense popularity among viewers.
Another noticeable trend is paid advertising. Since businesses are often at cut throat competition with each other to stay on top of the game, a paid advertising campaign on social media will help your company gain the visibility and recognition it needs for that added boost. Paid advertising can also lead to higher sales, more engagement, and act as a push to get you to the platform your company needs to be on.
Does social media marketing sound taxing? Does it feel like it’s all going over your head and there is just so much to do? That is because it is. Sometimes brands end up neglecting their online presence and focus on their product solely, which can have an adverse impact on their reach, and ultimately their sales. There are multiple social media marketing agencies and professional social media managers who you can work with and can take the matter into their own hands.
Platforms like Sabisuu can help connect companies with social media marketing professionals and managers who can boost their reach and use the platforms to their full benefit. They are dedicated professionals who have expertise in different tools who can help your business grow. So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to the Sabisuu app and speak to social media marketing pros today!
