Six Social Media Trends of 2021
The way consumers use social media platforms is constantly changing! From online shopping to VR, here are six social media trends to keep in mind as we head into the end of the year.
1. Shopping on Social Media Platforms
Social media has become a shopping hub during the pandemic. Social distancing and quarantine drove shopping onto the internet, and more and more people are making purchases via social media. Social Commerce buyers in the US has reached over 80 million, and is forecast to exceed 100 million by 2023. If you haven’t started using Social Media as a shop platform, now is the time to check it out!
2. Short-Form Video Content
Short-Form Video Content is growing more and more popular. Tik Tok started the short-form video trend, with 315 million downloads during the first 3 months of 2020. And, with Tik Tok’s popularity, other Social Media platforms have followed suit. One study suggests that 82% of online content will consist of videos by 2022.
3. Facebook as the Big Platform
Facebook retains its crown as the most used social media platform. Despite the success of new platforms, Facebook is still growing. With approximately 1.845 billion daily users, Facebook remains the social media platform that people are looking at the most. The average user spends about 1 hour on Facebook each day, making it one of the best platforms for marketing.
4. An Appetite for Bite-Sized Content
People are spending less time engaging with individual social media posts, while the average amount of time spent on social media has gone up. It seems that people are spending that time skimming many posts instead of engaging with one long post. Studies suggest that the average person’s attention span is about 8 seconds! Short content is here to stay.
5. Looking Towards Augmented Reality
The pandemic has accelerated Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) content. Although AR and VR are still in their infancy, more and more people are searching for social media AR, and social media sites are incorporating AR via filters and other means. Keep an eye out for more developments to come!
6. Using More User-Generated Content
Brands that incorporate user-generated content (UGC) see a 20% increase in return visitors and a 90% increase in the time that consumers spend on their websites. Users are more likely to engage with UGC, which makes it appealing for businesses and their social media marketing strategies.
These six trends are likely to affect your social media strategy! Be sure you’re stating up-to-date by following Minute Marketing here on our blog and on social media. And if you have any questions about improving your social media game, reach out to us anytime!