Social media trends in 2021
2020 is a year of uncertainty. Everyone counts down the days to its end, as if changing the date would symbolically return to normal life. Of course it won’t. Maybe in 2021 we will know more certainty? What can be predicted about global trends in social media marketing and the overall situation? This year, identifying trends in social media for the next 12 months is a bit more demanding. Everything, of course, is due to the Covid19 pandemic, which in fact is not known how long it will last. Last year’s trends took a toll back in March. I base my work for 2021 on the belief that the restrictions resulting from the pandemic will stay with us at least until spring. In 2020, I predicted a detox from social media. Of course, this trend has not worked out. When we were forced to sit at home, it was social networking sites and applications that filled our time and allowed us to contact our loved ones. Should we still forget about detox? Of course not! He will continue to be a growing trend. Especially when the coronavirus threat is over and we all start enjoying the freedom and delights of offline life. In addition, we will feel the excess of websites such as Facebook or Instagram.
What will change in social media in 2021 in terms of marketing activities? A few things for sure.
The quality of communication on social networks will drop
The pandemic has hit almost every company and agency with hiccups. The losses are large in most cases, so you need to cut expenses wherever you can. Of course, it is easiest to do it where it is difficult to measure success and translate it into results. Therefore, the activities focused on communication and content production go first (I have even suggested how and why above ;-). Nobody will subtract budgets from SEM or even advertising in social media. There you can see how much we are in the plus (usually) for each zloty spent.
Automation of advertising processes
The tools for creating and running paid social media campaigns are… extremely simple. All you need to do is learn a few tips & tricks and anyone can do at least a decent job with publishing an ad. In addition, the Facebook and Instagram advertising system optimizes campaigns for us.
There is one problem with this optimization. I have always been puzzled by the mythical phrase “we will show your ad to those who are most likely to click on it”. I don’t know if I want to reach and spend the budget on people who are “eager to click”. Are such “clickers” promising customers? You may remember how Facebook defined the effectiveness and quality of ads on a 10-point scale. Agencies swam in reports that their ads each have 10 points, which is the maximum score. Social media specialists recommended turning off each ad, which result was below 8. Meanwhile, in complex e-commerce campaigns the best conversion was achieved by ads with a quality index of 1. Why? Because Facebook measures the effectiveness of an advertisement with the degree of engagement (left by reaction or comment). Sometimes it’s better to have one specific lead for a few euros than 10 likes under a post or a herd of “clickers” for a few cents per piece.
What will the immediate future of Instagram look like?
Experts are now wondering if Instagram will overtake Twitter in 2021.
It’s been known for a long time that younger audiences are more likely than older generations to value visual narrative formats in messages that are well suited to Instagram.
Both of these platforms feature short and quick-to-read posts, which is in line with today’s trends. On Instagram, many people browse profiles of famous stars, influencers or friends. Most of these people also observe news websites, people who are politically engaged. Today, it is through Instagram that the well-known and liked can influence younger people – encourage them to vote, climate change, sign petitions, etc. Instagram is also a great advertising platform, thanks to which its owners earn huge money today.
If Instagram focuses more on the news profile, then there will be significant changes in brand recognition.
Currently, Instagram is a more lifestyle-oriented portal, which makes it safe for brands that want to advertise on the platform with less political burden.
Changes in this matter can be both beneficial and harmful to Instagram.
Social media trends in 2021