Would you like some predictions for 2021 in the social media space? There’s no doubt about it!
Business owners and influencers alike had a challenging year in 2020. We have compiled a social strategy forecast for 2018 to give you a head start.
1. Videos Will Rule the Internet
No matter the format or platform, video content will be king in 2021! Whether you are using Instagram Reels or TikTok to create video content, or the original video giant YouTube, video content is a great way to engage your audience.
As a marketing tool in 2021, video requires strategic consideration and reaching your audience in their natural environment.
Among other options, TikTok might be an attractive option if you want to tap into Generation Z’s market. If you already have an active and engaged audience on Instagram, IGTV videos and Reels may allow you to extend your reach when you want to buy hash.
2. Shopping on social media
In a new era of social media, e-commerce takes center stage!
Shoppable features such as Instagram Reels Shopping and Instagram Live Shopping will make consumers feel comfortable buying products on social platforms, and TikTok has announced a partnership with Shopify and a live streaming event with Walmart.
COVID-19 presents a new revenue stream for small businesses through their digital storefronts.
From optimizing your profile (whether you use Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Pinterest), you will benefit for months and even years.
What is the reason for this? The customer used to start their journey on your online store and social media. The journey to discover your Instagram account and buy your first product is now much shorter – a new customer can purchase a product without ever leaving Instagram.
3. Good-purposed brands will go far
You read that right, we expect businesses and brands committed to social, environmental, and ethical responsibility to grow in 2021!
Social media provided a platform for people to communicate and express themselves during the new year. Brands did not hesitate to support the uprising (Thank goodness).
In this changing social environment with brands products such as hash, brands will leverage voices even more this year and elevate them further.
Today, brands need to be supported and embraced for their missions. Moreover, it showcases their values, which is particularly important to millennials.
Choose the values that will define your brand in 2021
Now is the time to consider what causes your business or brand supports, and how you can communicate this to our audience all year long.
4. Corporate citizenship will remain a major discussion topic on LinkedIn
People found their activist voices on social media in 2020, as we mentioned in our previous post. The event provided many brands with the opportunity to pause, reflect, and act to improve diversity and inclusion in their business models and content.
Trust must be built through transparency on social media. This cannot be accomplished overnight.
In 2021, we hope for more open discussion and effectively representing brands’ missions and communities.
Engage in LinkedIn sharing in 2021
It can feel vulnerable to talk about your brand’s problems online. You can use it to become an industry leader and build trust.
5. Engagement will remain a top priority for education
How important is it to you to engage your audience? Educate others by sharing content!
You can also share educational content easily and grow Instagram with Instagram carousel posts. With the abolition of likes in 2021, shareable and saveable content will become even more critical.
Schedule a 2021 educational carousel post
You can use apps like Canva and Over to create an educational Instagram post – they offer ready-made templates. All you need to do is connect the content!
Using your Media Library, you can choose which images you want to use after you have designed them. Your turn will come when we notify you!
6. The meme culture has arrived
Memes provided the comic relief we all needed this year on social media.
Brands have jumped on memes for more than just fun – they are also a great way to increase attendance and engagement.
Spend time creating original memes and posting them on stories in order to create memes that are likely to go viral.
7. Story Content on Every Platform
We are consuming content in a completely different way with social media and stories are a perfect example. As of 2016, 150 million people were using Instagram Stories.
Every major social network is working on some form of story-like feature – with over 500 million people using stories daily.
Creators with over 10K subscribers were able to view YouTube Stories in 2018, which have a seven-day lifespan rather than a 24-hour window.
With LinkedIn Stories, we can add a professional twist to our beloved 24-hour stories.
The story doesn’t end there. The stories format is also expected to grow in popularity as users choose to post in the moment content with Twitter Fleets, Spotify Stories, and Pinterest Story Pins.
What should brands be doing in 2021? Concentrate on repurposing content across multiple channels and one main story channel.
Even with all of the new story-based platforms, Instagram still reigns supreme, so it makes sense to nail down your Instagram Stories content in 2021, and then consider how you can cast your net further on the rest of the platforms.
Make Instagram Stories a priority in 2021
With Instagram Stories scheduled, you can focus on other goals, such as learning Twitter Fleets!