Some social media websites have been in use for ages, and today, businesses can’t survive without them. Social media platforms use different features and updates to attract new users. As a marketing expert, you must use the updated features for your business advantage.

For example, with the introduction of reels on Instagram, most companies use the reel feature to promote their products. If you have a clothing brand, you can utilize the power of reels to generate leads.

Social media marketers keep an eye on emerging trends and make changes in SEO strategies accordingly.

Adopting new digital trends in social media is no longer a choice, but it has become a need for marketing. Thus, if you’re not aware of the latest trends, you won’t be able to ace your marketing game online.

Every year brands and companies review their marketing and promotional strategies. And, this mostly happens in the first three to four months of the year. As such, to keep up with the latest social media algorithms and consumer preferences, here are the seven crucial social media trends that you should know.

Social Media Trends You Need to Know

1. Nano Influencers

Influencer marketing is popular on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Brands are getting savvier when it comes to working with influencers. Most marketing experts develop a strategy based on the reach of an influencer. If you’re planning to adopt this trend, it’s essential to watch out for fake influencers.

Since most influencers charge a lot of money, you need to rationalize their fees according to your marketing campaign. If you have budget constraints, you can contact nano influencers as they have a dedicated follower base.

Some big brands also contact top influencers with a dedicated following for good results. So, leverage the power of influencer marketing by choosing the right influencer who would help you to reach your target audience.

2. Augmented Reality

AR technology can be integrated across all devices. It does not require an added hardware beyond a smartphone, which makes it more accessible compared to VR. Plus, AR experiences are not only interactive but also highly engaging.

You’ll be able to attract a large number of customers using the AR technology integrated with your marketing policies for social sites. With AR filters, you can promote new products and enhance your customer interaction. It keeps your audience entertained and attracts new customers who don’t know anything about your brand or business.

The filters that you see on Instagram use AR technology. Thus, by implementing AR technology, you can make your brand stand out.

3. Virtual Reality

Moving on from AR, virtual reality or VR is an equally popular social media trend. Due to the COVID pandemic, most people are resorting to stay-at-home orders and social distancing. Here, VR can help brands provide meaningful interactions in the webspace.

When you use interactive VR technology, it gives you a sense that you’re there with the people you are talking to.

In 2021, Virtual reality will gain more popularity as brands incorporate them to engage their existing and potential new audience. You can use this as the next stage of social media marketing to boost brand awareness on your social media pages.

VR gives you the advantage of displaying new products and attributes on your page. By hosting special events using VR, you’ll also be able to enhance the brand experiences.

4. Purpose-driven Campaigns

When your focus is on purpose-driven campaigns, you’ll automatically attract a new audience. Most people want to pitch in for a cause that affects society positively, and the audience expects brands to show meaningful actions on social issues.

• In a Twitter survey, more than 70% of people wanted brands to show kindness.
• More than 77% of people feel that brands should show support towards social issues.

For example, during the pandemic, there were notable brands that started with charities and donations. Even restaurants urged their followers to donate food to people who were in need.

As a result of which more people came to know about the good cause. Knowing when to engage should be your primary feature. If your company’s focus is on sensitive issues, you will be able to forge a connection with your audience base.

5. Stories as Content

Marketing your product or brand on stories is the next big trend you need to follow. Market your product on Insta or Facebook story with attractive taglines. The best part about the story feature is; it offers a limited-time update. They disappear in twenty-four hours, allowing you to market your product depending on individual campaigns.

• Stories as content forms will let you organize better. The use of stories will increase in the year 2021, and they may outperform photos.
• Most stories have more than a 5.6% of forwarding tap rate, which is higher than videos.

It means that people spend more time viewing stories than watching videos. As an integrated effort, you can use videos in stories to maximize your brand reach.

6. Live Streams

Again due to pandemic, most companies leveraged the power of live streams and video conferencing. Live concerts turned to live streams, and people connected in a big way.

2021 will see a significant surge in the live stream feature on various social media platforms. As the situation is similar to that of 2020, despite the availability of vaccines, most brands prefer live streams to introduce new products.

If live-streaming is not a part of your social media strategy, then make it a part of your marketing campaign today. The live stream will let you reach the pulse of the audience and allow you to know about their preferences. This will enable you to provide better customer service.

7. Complete Authenticity and Transparency

Customers want brands to be authentic and transparent about their products. So, you need to maintain authenticity about the products and services that you offer.

Any fluff or fake information can result in you losing your followers on social pages. You don’t want that to happen, right? So, follow a transparent approach and let them know what you’re thinking.

On a social page, if you start a poll and ask customers about how they perceive your brand, you’ll get honest replies.

• The more you’re transparent and interactive, the more it will improve your sales.
• Allow customers to reach out to you if there are issues.
• Don’t delete negative comments, rather address those comments as a part of the transparent approach.

Wrapping up

Social media marketing trends give you an insight into what you need to do. You need to incorporate all the above marketing strategies to increase your reach. Offline customer experience has been affected due to the COVID pandemic, but online marketing has breathed a new life into it. New trends will also give you more reasons to focus on actionable marketing practices.

Author’s Bio

Sudhir Bhushan is a Tech & Social enthusiast. He is also a Web Entrepreneur by Profession and loves to write about the latest trends in Social Media & SEO. You may also follow him on Twitter | Facebook