Social media is a critical marketing tool for reaching and engaging customers, especially for small businesses with tight budgets, and it looks to be more important than ever in 2021. Social media is also in a constant state of change, with new social platforms and trends appearing and disappearing seemingly every few months. If you want to stay on top of your digital marketing game, keep tabs on what is new about social media marketing and how social media will change in 2021.
Here are just a few social media trends to track in 2021
Organic Social Media Campaigning
There was a time when clever social media advertising had a chance to gain lots of traction and expand organic reach. Advertising remains a valuable part of social media marketing for expanding awareness and generating site traffic, but research finds that as many as 75 percent of people don’t place a lot of trust in ads on social media platforms. On the other hand, they still trust what other people are saying about businesses online. Consumer ranking and reviews have greater conversion impact than advertisements. So that won’t change – Businesses still need to invest in relationships with customers and local influencers if they want consumers to come to trust their key brand messages.
Should You Add TikTok to Your Marketing Mix?
Facebook is still the the first thing that comes to mind when people think about social media, but it’s far from the only platform out there. In addition to social media heavyweights such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, TikTok could continue to build relevance in 2021, especially for businesses that target young people. TikTok videos cover everything from new dance trends to cooking demos to makeup tutorials to cute animals. Instagram has stepped up its game to match the TikTok threat, with its introduction of Reels, short videos not unlike those seen on TikTok. Instagram already has over a billion users, so marketers who want to reach younger audiences with short videos can test the short-video market there before deciding to add TikTok to their marketing mix (always a big consideration, given the need to juggle management of marketing channels.)
The bottom line here is that there are far more social media channels than a small business can manage, so you have to pick your channels and stay focused. Where is your target audience hanging out online? Show up there. And BE INTERESTING!
Live Social Media Event Marketing
Thanks to the ongoing COVID pandemic, people have gotten used to communicating remotely via Zoom and similar platforms. This is mostly associated with those who are working or going to school remotely, but it’s become a big part of social media as well. Marketers who previously relied on pre-recorded videos and well-timed status updates are finding that people are willing to attend webinars, Q and A sessions, and behind-the-scenes updates that are broadcast live. This trend will likely continue long after the pandemic is over and people feel safe venturing out into the world. After all, why would you fight traffic and pay for parking to attend a marketing presentation when you can stay home and sit in front of your computer screen for an hour?
Work with a Leading Bay Area Digital Marketing Agency
One marketing aspect that will not change in 2021 is the importance of hiring a great digital marketing agency to manage your social media campaigns. If you are in need of a marketing agency in the Bay Area, KO Websites will be happy to provide you with the assistance and expertise that you need. Contact us today about our services, whether you need to tweak your social media marketing campaigns for the new year or you want to start fresh in 2021.