The year 2020 has been a memorable year for people all over the world. The COVID-19 outbreak led to social distancing measures and lockdown protocols. A lot of changes have happened as people were forced to stay at home. One significant shift is the switch of physical stores into digital shops. Such a switch brought about changes in the marketing strategies among social media platforms. To guide brands and marketers, here are the top social media marketing trends for 2021.

Ephemeral Content

People nowadays work from home and are very busy. They spend a short time browsing on social media platforms daily. According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, most people spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes on Facebook daily. YouTube receives an average daily time spend of 40 minutes. On the other hand, Instagrammers spend 28 minutes on the platform daily. The way people consume content also changes. Modern social media users have the shortest attention span. These are the reasons why ephemeral content is trending. 

Ephemeral content is rich media content accessible for only a short period. They can be photos, live streams, product demos, stories, or videos, etc. They only stay in a social media post temporarily, typically disappearing after 24 hours.  Ephemeral content takes advantage of the FOMO nature among consumers. Short but engaging creatives create a sense of urgency and fuel the fear of missing out among consumers. As such, they trigger conversion as a marketing strategy. A social media agency Hong Kong commonly engages its audience through Facebook Stories, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. They also host live broadcasts to drop teasers or launch a product. Infographics and memes have also been very popular among social media communities.  

Live Streaming

A video marketing agency Hong Kong has noted the increase in the consumption of live streaming. Influencers, social media marketers, and vloggers use them to connect to their audiences in real-time. They authentically engage viewers. Around 82% of social media users preferred live videos over a blog or a social post. Live streaming also has the power to expand an event’s viewership. They can connect global fans and worldwide offices during an online broadcast. They are also effective in driving sales. Reports show the 73% of B2B marketers enjoyed a positive ROI result during live streams.

The top 5 live streaming social media platforms for 2021 are YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The best ways to use live streaming among social media platforms to market a brand or product are:

  • Announcement of limited discounts, promotions, and sales
  • Casual Q&A about a brand or product
  • How-to guides for products and services
  • Influencer interview related to a brand or product
  • Product unboxing
  • Ratings, reviews, and testimonials
  • Sharing a day in a brand or behind-the-scene stories

Micro-influencers

Influencer marketing is a type of endorsement or product mention coming from famous celebrities, industry experts, popular TV personalities, sports champions, etc. Influencers are categorized based on the number of followers they have. 

  • Nano-influencers have 1K to 10K followers.
  • Micro-influencers have 10K to 50K followers.
  • Mid-tier influencers have 50K to 500K followers.
  • Macro-influencers have 500K to 1M followers.

Modern consumers commonly look for social media reviews among micro-influencers. It’s because they are happy to share opinions about products and services. They also shine well in their respective niche. People no longer focus on the huge number of followers. What they look for is someone who experiences the same level of thinking among products and services. For most brands, micro-influencers are the most affordable ambassadors. 

Private Channels

A private channel is an app or platform that can only be accessed by the members of the channel. Their biggest selling point is privacy. Most social media users today are exhausted from the noise coming from newsfeed notifications and public feeds. They long for more curated and personal engagement.  When it comes to brand connection, most social media users prefer direct chats over public commenting on posts. This is why private messaging apps are also trending. 

An invite-only audio-based app has recently made news in the US market. Launched in March 2020 was Clubhouse. After a year from its launch, the app is almost everywhere. Clubhouse celebrated its first anniversary with 12.5 million downloads. Audio rooms are hosted by a celebrity to boost engagement in the app. Some celebrities using Clubhouse are Oprah Winfrey, MC Hammer hip-hop artist Drake, actor Jared Leto, multi-entertainer Chris Rock, and rapper Lupe Fiasco. Even Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg use Clubhouse. 

Snapchat is a private messaging app where any message, picture, or video sent disappears within a short time. Its goal is to create a more natural flow of conversation. As of April 2021, the messaging app rises to 280 million monthly active users. The biggest growth of Snapchat this year can be accounted to the company’s global investment in improved language support and localized content. The app has also rolled out new features that boost engagement such as AR, Bitmoji avatars, and the TikTok clone, Spotlight.

Reference: https://sleekflow.io/blog/social-media-trend/