You can take advantage of social media marketing trends in 2021 to take your marketing to the next level.
As more people are moving towards online shopping, the post-covid era proves beneficial for marketing your products. People are spending far more time indoors, they are more active than ever on social media. This means that social media can be a lucrative avenue for winning more sales for your business.
Here are the social media marketing trends in 2021 to look out for.
1. TikTok and Short Videos
Short videos are now the preferred mode of entertainment and the future of social media. People love to watch short videos to relieve boredom, especially on TikTok as Gen Z is, without a doubt, obsessed with TikTok.
Other social media platforms are following suite to capitalize on short videos. Facebook has initiated Instagram Reels to this end. You can expect more support for short videos since all generations are now watching more short form videos on social media.
Marketing managers have taken note of increasing social media activity and higher consumption of short videos. In 2020, 25% of the online marketing budget was allocated for social media, a boost of 13% over the same figure in 2019.
If you are serious about winning more customers through social media, you must try making short and sweet videos that are preferably hilarious or intriguing. This is what will draw social media users to your brand.
TikTok is not just fun and games for teens and kids. It is now serious business. TikTok for business is available for savvy entrepreneurs who are smart enough to take advantage of funny short videos for brand promotion.
2. Increased User Privacy
The California Consumer Privacy Act was implemented in 2020 to protect user data and privacy. This may sound like a win for customers. However, brands are unable to target millions of California consumers. As a result, their ROI and sales have taken a steep downward plunge.
The California Consumer Privacy Act reflects the misgivings that consumers have over how their data is collected, scrutinized, and used by third parties. Well over 80% of consumers are deeply concerned about data privacy. Gen X and Baby Boomers showed the least trust over how their data is used.
The big concern here is that other states and countries could soon enact austere laws that will greatly restrict the ability of brands to gather and harness user information.
In fact, Apple now provides a way for its users to protect their data and privacy from corporations. iOS 14.5 now provides a simple setting that users can activate to stop companies from following them across the internet and collecting their data.
Companies and brands will have to change their strategy to cope with this massive disruption. They must build trust and credibility so that users allow them to collect and use their data.
3. Marketing Automation
Social media marketing automation is becoming more sophisticated with time. Brands can take advantage of automation to reduce their workload. Marketing tools are now able to automatically assist users at all stages of the customer journey. The use of such technology can help to improve customer experience.
It is not possible to track each and every individual when there are so many users. As a result, about two-thirds of marketing managers said they had deployed marketing automation tools in a survey.
The technology is evolving, and it will allow brands to target leads more effectively, especially on social media.
4. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has changed just about everything, and social media is no exception. Hence, AI tools are being designed that will automate the task of generating effective social media messages.
Persado is one such AI suite that utilizes machine learning for producing messages that resonate with targets. The tool can infuse emotion and language nuances into its messages to improve audience engagement.
Brands and companies must seriously think about AI tools that could prove feasible for social media marketing. With so much work to be done, there is no doubt that companies can save money and accomplish more by exploiting AI tools.
5. Virtual Reality is the New Reality
At one time, VR was just a technological marvel. However, in the wake of covid, VR is becoming increasingly mainstream since people are forced to stay indoors but yearn to see the world.
Brands are now taking advantage of VR on social media to drive user engagement. For example, Patron Spirits did well to increase curiosity via its Virtual Hacienda Tour. Customers and prospects alike get to see all stages of production, from fruit picking to aging to bottling. From this example, it is clear that VR is fast emerging as a viable method of influencing leads and prospects.
6. Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is creating a real impact on the social media front. For quite some time now, kids and teens have been using (or abusing) AR to add funny effects to photos. AR has a lot of potentials to boost social media marketing strategy.
Savvy brands are already using Augmented Reality to augment the customer experience well. Ikea launched an AR app that lets customers see what furniture will look like in their homes. Likewise, Converse made an app that creates AR pictures showing exactly how customers will look wearing their shoes.
Bottom Line
There are several exciting social media trends in 2021 that brands should include in their marketing plan to boost ROI. Taking note of the trends can help you to make a more effective social media strategy.
