The year 2021 is approaching and keeping an eye on social media trends is an essential action for companies in all sectors.
Conversion through digital media is strategic for organizations to increase sales and expand their results, considering the fact that 42% of the world's population is active daily on social media.
As if that weren't enough, Brazilians spend an average of 2 hours and 22 minutes per day on digital platforms. When it comes to sales, 21% of the revenue generated by e-commerce was captured through social media.
It is a sea of opportunities and possibilities that online social channels can represent for a company.
1. Brand advocacy as a marketing strategy
The tone of voice and support for causes arises as a demand colombia whatsapp lead from the public for brands to position themselves on social issues. It is through the positioning of their brand that companies can create a relationship with consumers, present their values and build customer loyalty. In addition, strategic positioning establishes a brand's differentiation and contributes to its humanization process. This is a strategy used by large companies such as Netflix, Magazine Luiza and Natura and has been creating a trend in the market.
2. Focus on Stories
Content in stories is a trending topic on social media in 2021. Practically all social media platforms have already added this feature as a way to engage. Today, it is possible to add temporary content on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter and even Linkedin. This posting model has surpassed images and videos available in the feed, as it is more dynamic and increases audience engagement with brands.
3. Increased participation of new Social Media
Just as popular social networks continue to expand their audience, new platforms emerge and win over the public with their alternative and innovative solutions.
TikTok, for example, has been gaining a lot of attention in recent months, being a strong element in our list of social media trends for 2021. The network currently has 1.5 billion monthly users, with a focus on young adults, aged 16 to 24. This shows the potential that new networks present and why it is essential to keep an eye on them.
4. Video consumption consolidated as the main format
The consumption of video content is a trend in various formats. We have seen the growth of YouTube in recent years, which is now second only to Google as the most trafficked website in the world. TikTok, a growing social network for short videos, has also stood out and consolidated the relevance of video for the coming years. In addition, a recent study shows that videos have on average 2x more comments than static images and a 38% higher engagement rate.
5. The reinvention of digital influencers
Digital influencers have emerged in recent years and have become an acquisition channel for brands looking to reach different, often niche, audiences and expand their brand strategy. However, one of the trends in social media in this market is the demand for innovation on the part of influencers in order to stand out in a currently saturated market.
This continues the trend of focusing on micro-influencers, people with more specific niches and fewer followers, whose sense of community and confidence in the opinions they present is greater than that of audiences who follow macro-influencers. This type of campaign not only has greater results in terms of effectiveness, but also requires lower investment costs.
6. Featured Engagement
Engagement is a very important metric that brands should monitor. It is through engagement that the quality of content, audience loyalty and communication with your audience can be measured. The importance of engagement is consolidating the position previously occupied by so-called vanity metrics, such as number of followers and number of likes per post, mainly because the main consolidated display formats are Stories.
7. Artificial intelligence as a business tool
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a technology hotbed in recent years, particularly in the area of digital marketing and advertising systems focused on consumer behavior rather than demographic metrics. Chatbots for answering questions, for example, have the potential to provide faster service and qualify leads simultaneously, generating increased sales.
8. Sales through social networks
Selling through social media is a strong trend for the future, especially after the pandemic that has forced a huge portion of the population to use online shopping environments. Advertisements, online stores, and influencer campaigns are acquisition channels that have a major impact on audiences, and they also help build branding strategies, build brand loyalty, and communicate with consumers. A strong trend is the migration from the "store floor" environment to the virtual environment, with social media becoming the channel most ready to accommodate this trend.
9. Audio as a resource
The voice era has gained strength and presence on digital platforms, also due to the pandemic, the consumption of audio via streaming, audiobooks and distance learning has increased exponentially. Brands should take advantage of this trend and change in public behavior on social media by investing in the production and/or sponsorship of podcasts and audiovisual material, such as webinars, workshops, video classes, etc.
10. Humanized SAC 2.0
Although the increased use of artificial intelligence is one of the trends on social media in 2021 for speeding up access to information, people also yearn for humanized service, focused on personalization for the consumer, especially with the strengthening of mental health as an agenda on social media.
According to a survey conducted by the Qualibest institute , 31% of respondents do not like telephone service provided by robots and 41% go further: they said they “hate” this type of service. The survey also shows that 51% of people like to be served by a person via chat. 49% like human service via WhatsApp/Telegram and 43% like human service over the phone.
The people interviewed also showed a preference for using SAC through digital channels, as long as they are served by a person and not a robot.
It is important that consumers feel welcomed by brands, identify with the company and are seen as a person and not just as a potential lead or another number in the organization's spreadsheets and dashboards.