The popularity of social media is still increasing rapidly each and every day. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the world to collectively go into lock down, growth in the average hours of screen time per day further accelerated the power social media holds over the consumer. However, consumers today expect more personalized content delivered in the fastest way possible to provide for what they perceive as the best overall experience.
People's lives and everyday routines have grown increasingly intertwined with social media. Despite this, many still have trouble predicting what the next big trend might be. Some things become a global sensation overnight. This is one of the major reasons most people can easily become addicted to checking their social media feeds first thing after waking up, a fear that they may have missed something while they slept through the night. While social media has become an integral part of society, the “face” of social media is always in flux and there are certain trends that are dominating how we see social media today:
- Social Media is becoming a social shopping center
The shopping trends in social media are already dominating the space and are likely to grow even more in the coming year. People are shopping online in greater numbers than ever before, with the COVID-19 pandemic speeding up the process even further. Instagram now links their users to online stores where they can purchase apparel goods seen in posts across the site; this is one big example of how social media has grown to be the most convenient way to market things. Platforms across the internet are now focusing even more on “social selling” by reducing barriers and making it simpler to click through to buy right from your feed. Brands must maintain an active presence on social media in order to engage with customers and generate further brand visibility. It is now expected that all brands have their company pages on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms to handle customer support queries and relay important brand information.
- Short videos are taking over
Do you remember the social phenomena that was “Vine”? While Vine itself did not stick around for a long time, its 7-second short form video content became a lasting trend across all social media platforms. During the lockdown, live video streaming on social media platforms climbed significantly. As a result, video content production rose and will continue to rise as the most popular social media memes in the coming year will certainly center around video trends/dances. It seems that Vine and Snapchat have slowly become a thing of the past, with TikTok and Instagram Reels taking the spotlight and continuously growing in popularity on social media. Following in the footsteps of Instagram Reels and TikTok, YouTube recently released the 'YouTube Shorts' function. Consumers now have the option to jump from one social platform to another, while still receiving short-form video content. The result is content sharing and content diffusion across multiple channels. Having a presence across multiple platforms is especially important for any kind of development and effective marketing.
- The rise of the micro influencers
Brands have always relied on larger and more well-known influencers to sell their products. These individuals are known as "macro-influencers" and are often defined by having more than one million followers on social media. Despite their millions of followers, digital marketers discovered that collaborating with macro-influencers was often not worthwhile. Brands will have a bigger say in what social media will look like in the future, as brands increasingly invest in small creators they will essentially be choosing which new creators have financial success (and therefore longevity). However, consumer interests can easily police a brand’s behavior. For example, in 2022, brands will increasingly need to take a stand on the social causes that matter to their audiences. Consumers also now have a powerful voice, amplified by huge global social communities. The most successful brands in the future will be the ones that learn to listen now.
Overall, social media marketing will continue to develop and become more competitive in the future. You must be on your toes to keep up with the world of social media, which changes every minute. Most importantly, you should try and take advantage of current top social media marketing trends in order to properly engage your audience on social media.
