Social media trends in 2021

More people are aware of the social and political climate in the United States now than in years past. This means social awareness will continue to be an important element in social media marketing in 2021. According to Sprout Social, 66% of consumers said they want organizations to take a stand on political and social issues. In 2021, brands will have to be mindful of the content they’re publishing as well as any political or social undertones connected to those posts.

Recent updates to Instagram’s algorithm means searching for content with key words will become a trend in 2021. This also means marketers will need to optimize their content for Instagram’s new search capabilities. This change will cause marketers to focus content around their companies, and we will see less content published unrelated to a company’s business goals.

In 2019, Instagram released Reels to compete with the popular social media site Tik Tok. In 2021, marketers expect the Reels algorithm to become more sophisticated, and it is expected Facebook will introduce Reels as a placement option for advertising. It is predicted consumers will watch 100 minutes of videos online daily in 2021, so there’s no doubt video content will be king in 2021.

With an increase in video content leading the charge into 2021, it must also be mentioned live video content will continue to grow in 2021. In 2020, we saw a significant increase in live videos on social media with an increase of more than 79% in streaming in the United States. This is because advertisers were aiming to bridge the gap created by Covid-19 restricting the ability for companies to host in person events. This trend is expected to continue into 2021.

For some, the popular video app, Tik Tok, seemed to burst onto the scene of social media overnight. In 2021, Tik Tok is expected to surpass 1 billion active users. Tik Tok’s current number of monthly users is up 800% from 2018, and their success is expected to continue in 2021.

Covid-19 caused a swelling of content that reminded us of life before the pandemic. In 2021, marketing will continue to tap into familiar trends that call back to the past. A study conducted by the Journal of Consumer Science found people were willing to spend more for products when thinking about the past.

User generated content (UGC) has become a major trend for brands on social media. In 2020, we saw more brands turning to their customers for content. It’s no wonder user generated content saw an increase in 2021, as it helps brands increase their credibility, develop closer relationships with their customers, and generate easy and cheap content. UGC should be an important part of your marketing plans in 2021.

As social media trends continue to shift due to emerging technologies and platforms, it’s important to stay on top of them. Connecting with your targets where they are online will help ensure more powerful marketing that will generate better results.