5 Social Media Trends to Watch in 2021
Psst... here's what you need to know.
Photo: Color Joy Stock
For years the social media industry has been constantly evolving, but when you throw a global pandemic and stay-at-home orders in the mix, well… buckle up! Social platforms really hit the gas in 2020 on coming out with new updates that would accommodate and entertain the sudden spike in online traffic and high demands of consumers.
As Tyra Banks once said, “You want to be on top?” Then you HAVE to prove yourself as a powerful force in the digital space by keeping up with the latest industry trends and features. Your foresight on exactly where the field is heading and implementation of that insight in the present will position you as an expert in the industry, boosting your credibility and the value you provide to your audience. With that being said, read on for five social media trends to watch out for in 2021!
Video Content
If you’ve ever doubted the value of video content on social media, wait until you hear this: our agency saw a 91.7% growth rate in our Instagram following during 2020’s Q4 alone as a result of using Instagram Reels. If you aren’t aware, consider Reels as Instagram’s version of TikTok. You essentially share short videos paired with existing audio. Thanks to their appearance on Instagram’s Explore page (and for some, an exclusive Reels feed), this new feature is a great way to organically expand your reach to thousands of new accounts.
Plus, let’s talk about the Instagram algorithm for a second. We have to understand that Instagram is a business and wants users to stay in the app for as long as possible. Because of this, your goal as a creator is to post content that users will spend an extended amount of time-consuming. When you do this, the algorithm will “reward” you by showing your content to more users because it has been deemed as valuable.
The easiest (and sneakiest) way to accomplish this? Video! While a static photo may capture your audience’s attention for a few seconds to a minute, video can keep them engaged and entertained for minutes on end. Because of this, be sure to use video to your advantage in 2021, whether it be through Reels, IGTV, IG Live, or regular videos shared to your feed.
Nostalgic Content
This second trend proves that you and I aren’t the only ones longing for the good ole days, and we’re not just talking pre-COVID.... we’re also talking ‘90s and beyond! Now more than ever, audiences, especially those that include millennials, are loving nostalgic content because of the comfort and familiarity it carries.
In 2021, expect to see brands putting a fun, retro spin on their graphics, imagery, and storytelling. After all, you want the positive emotions connected to this content to be tied to your brand, right? Then put your creative caps on and start embracing the old as new! Whether it be a Britney Spears GIF, a graphic depicting a ‘90s computer aesthetic, or bringing back some of your brand’s past campaigns, your audience is going to love mixing in the old with the new!
Gradient Imagery
One specific ‘90s trend that has been revitalized is gradient imagery. Gradients are essentially color transitions that depict one color blending into another. This design trend is often used to enhance various graphics by adding dimension and texture to an otherwise flat image. Here are a few ideas on how you can incorporate them into your next graphic:
Use it as your background image. You can find an example here!
Make it a color filter to put over an image.
Use it to accentuate headings or specific details like this post!
Make it the focal point of your graphic. (Psst… the Instagram app logo is the perfect example!)
Humanization of Brands and Influencers
After an unprecedented year like 2020, brands have had to embrace authenticity and vulnerability on social media in order to avoid coming across as tone-deaf. What we believe a majority of brands and influencers have realized through this, however, is that the best way to ultimately grow and convert an audience is by fostering a relationship with them.
Consider the know, like, trust factor. First, an audience has to know about you. Once they know about you, they can come to like you. Once they like you, they can grow to trust you. Once they trust you, they’re sold! Consumers purchase from brands they trust.
In 2021, we can expect brands, both personal and corporate alike, to connect with their audience by sharing their faces, mission, values, and behind-the-scenes on social media. Don’t expect it to stop there! We can also see brands placing an emphasis on engaging with their audience via comments and DM. Through this trend, brands can speak to the hearts of consumers by allowing them to fully know and trust the faces behind the brand.
Inclusivity and Social Consciousness
We saved the best trend for last and may have fibbed a bit because our fifth one is hardly a trend at all. It is not something that will come and go like the seasons—it is a movement that is here to stay.
In 2021, we believe both business and personal brands will continue to advocate for and promote inclusion and social consciousness on social media. 2020 ignited an eye-opening fire for many, and 2021 is the opportunity to continue making that change. In addition, we can expect to see an overall increase in real conversations and standing up for various beliefs and causes across social platforms.
I hope this blog post was insightful for you in understanding what social media trends you can expect for the year ahead! Position yourself as a leader in the digital space and give these a try for yourself.
“After an unprecedented year like 2020, brands have had to embrace authenticity and vulnerability on social media in order to avoid coming across as tone-deaf.”
—Becca Booker, Founder of Homemade Social
About the Author: Northern-California made, Becca Booker received a double-major in marketing and journalism from Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, and now lives under the sun in Phoenix, Arizona. Shortly after graduating, Becca created her business, Homemade Social, and quickly became a respected entrepreneur in the valley. Dubbed the “modern social media queen” by AZ Foothills, Becca is revolutionizing the social media game and inspiring brands to use innovative tactics to grow their social media.
As an advocate for healthy relationships with social media, she recognizes society’s obsession with vanity metrics and believes it is important to utilize her platform as an opportunity to provide others with the resources they need to take a better approach towards social media with their business. Becca is also a loving dog mom of Jojo the Cattle Collie mix (why yes, her dog has an Instagram), and can be found with a Venti Iced Soy Matcha Latte in hand at almost all times.
About Homemade Social: Homemade Social is a boutique social media marketing agency based in Scottsdale, Arizona that specializes in social, digital, and influential campaigns for lifestyle brands. The company's mission is to advocate for a healthy relationship with social media while providing small to medium-sized brands with exceptional social media management, advertising, and email marketing services to help them grow their businesses and digital presence.
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Want to Grow Your Brand on Social Media? This Is Critical
Beat the algorithm.
Written by Sarah Boland, Founder and CEO, Life Lapse
When you consider that 84% of people say that they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video you know it’s time to jump on the new media trend. But for many of us, video content can seem intimidating without professional help. As TikTok continues to gain popularity and Instagram launched Reels, we’re seeing a shift in perceptions of video content.
Gone are the days of polished looking, scripted videos. Instead, we’re seeing platforms provide all the tools for you to create authentic, short videos natively in-app without paying an expert. Instagram is also known to favor video when it comes to their algorithm—a video post on Instagram will see 39% higher engagement compared to a photo post—so that’s all the more reason to start creating video content.
If you’re stumped on how to get started, I did the leg work for you. Read on for some video content ideas that will help to build your brand on social media.
Behind-the-scenes
Take your customers behind-the-scenes of building your business to turn them into your very own cheerleaders. While you might think that no one will care about the not-so-glamorous parts of growing your business, this actually gives you the opportunity to showcase more of your values and personality which resonates with today’s consumers. There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has shifted consumer behavior. In fact, a report found that customers are prioritizing trusted relationships over price when it comes to shopping with brands and “paying closer attention to the social activism, outreach and investments of companies during the pandemic.”
Show them the progress in building your brand, get to know the team that makes up your business or how you create the products or services you are selling. The more you show, the more invested they will be in your journey as a brand. Our behind-the-scenes content on Instagram at Life Lapse are some of our most engaged posts and it is incredibly rewarding that our users are also our cheerleaders. When we make announcements about new product updates or reach new milestones as a business they cheer us on.
Your videos don’t have to be staged or highly produced videos. Shooting on the fly in-app on Instagram for stories or reels or capturing a video with your phone will resonate with your audience—it’s more authentic. A great example is Marissa from @StilClassics. TikTok is also a platform where a number of businesses are blowing up because they are sharing the behind-the-scenes of their business like @ErinnDubs and @xxl.scrunchie.
Types of behind the scenes video you can post:
Show the process of how your products are made
Give an office tour
Introduce team members
Provide sneak peeks of what you’re working on or new products in the pipeline
Show your team packing orders
2. User generated videos (UGC)
Customers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created by brands. Having customers do an unboxing video, give a review, or show it in action is an incredible way to build trust for future customers. So how do you integrate user-generated video into your social strategy? Ask for it. Ask for it on social media, in your email marketing, and if you're a CPG brand, ask for the review in a nicely designed postcard that goes in your mailer.
UGC strategies:
When customers tag your brand in Instastories… restory, restory, restory! The more your followers are seeing you share user content, the more it encourages others to do the same
Get influencers to do a product review on YouTube which will help your search engine optimization because Google owns YouTube and will favor this content
Repurpose videos to different platforms and always be sure to give credit to the original creator. For example, a customer tags you in a video of them trying on your product. You can share this video to your Pinterest and link it to that product on your website while giving credit to your customer
Embed user generated videos to the product pages or throughout your website with customers permission
3. Product videos
Product videos are a great way to show the details behind your product and tell your product story but there are a couple of things to keep in mind when creating your product videos for social media:
1. Does the platform have a sound-on (ex. TikTok) or sound-off (ex. Instagram) environment?
2. You only have 1.7 seconds to capture your audience on social media as they’re scrolling
Our favorite type of video to showcase product is stop motion because the narrative is visual so you can tell your story without relying on sound and the content is short, loopable, and looks like magic to capture your audience within those 1.7 seconds. Plus, they’re easy to learn and create from your phone using this app.
Stop motion is also perfect for creating Facebook or Instagram ads and posting even posting on Pinterest. Yes, I said Pinterest! It is not just for finding recipes and planning your next home décor project. It has become a visual search engine and is a very underrated platform for driving traffic. In the past 30 days at Life Lapse, we had over 3 million impressions and 1.7 million views without any paid spend and our secret is posting stop motion video pins. Video views on the platform have increased more than 3 times in 2020 over the same period in 2019 while Pinners are also 2.6 times more likely to make a purchase after viewing brand video content on the platform too.
4. Educational content
Increase the lifetime value of your customer by keeping them engaged with educational and informative videos. I know you’re thinking, *BORING*, but hear me out. Educational content does not have to be boring. Glossier does this well by showing educational pieces on how to apply different types of beauty products in a fresh, approachable and informative way.
Our business has seen the impact of educational content first hand and the content has helped us grow our business year over year. Showing your customers how to use your product in different ways will leave them feeling confident and happy with their purchase decision. It will keep them coming back for more. Video tutorials are the most engaged pieces of content we have when we post to Instagram and it goes beyond the number of likes on our posts. We’re seeing people share these videos with their followers and bookmarking them to come back to later.
Educational videos perform well on social media but you can also repurpose the content for other uses including:
Email campaigns after your customer has purchased your product or service
On your website (product pages, FAQ’s, landing pages, etc)
5. Video direct messages
I’ve made so many valuable connections with customers, collaborators and even formed friendships through this method. It’s not the most conventional way to do business which is why it stands out among the crowd of DMs. I predict we’ll see more and more of this because of the impact of COVID-19. It’s another way to almost achieve that face-to-face interaction and as the world accelerates to a more digital life with remote everything, surprising and delighting customers and collaborators through video is another way you can inject a human aspect into your brand. An example of using video as a customer service tool is Mejuri and their digital styling appointments through video.
6. Thought Leadership Videos
I don’t know about you, but I personally love learning from people who have succeeded. Everybody has a wealth of knowledge and sharing your learnings from growing your brand can help build your brand story. Now you don’t need to start a YouTube channel, become a business coach, or share all your insider secrets, but keeping your business community up to date with short videos where you share learnings and achievements will keep you on the radar of potential investors, potential hires, mentors, and mentees. Think collaboration over competition! A great place to post this content is on LinkedIn and when you upload videos natively to their platform, it will get you 3 times the engagement compared to a text or link post.
Personally, I share the good, the bad, and the ugly with my entrepreneur journey at Life Lapse. We are living in a world where people are, for the most part, posting only their highlight reels. Even though I know it’s just the highlight reel, it can feel pretty disheartening when you only see other #bosses getting awards, expanding their teams, and living the high life. So I share my failures and I share them often in hopes of helping another entrepreneur prevent the same mistake I made. My vulnerability in sharing my failure on Dragons’ Den when I was humiliated on national television while pitching my business. This has gotten me many opportunities and has become a part of my success story.
7. Video Meetings
Your people make your brand and while this category might not necessarily be for posting on social media, how engaged your employees are will help build your brand on social media especially when it comes to what they’re sharing on their own platforms. I have been managing a remote team of workers for the past three years, so you can say that I was prepared for the shift to working from home. It’ll be hard to replace the in-office atmosphere with hallway and kitchen banter but video meetings will be your next best option for keeping your employees engaged and happy. You’ll know when they aren’t when you start seeing the trickle effect into your product, service, or brand growth as a whole.
About the Author
Sarah Boland is the Founder and CEO of Life Lapse, the easiest stop motion app empowering small business owners, creators and influencers to create eye catching videos for social marketing using their phone. As a former professional videographer and marketer, Sarah helped brands create and integrate video into their social media strategies. She knows firsthand how expensive video marketing can be and set out to help small brands create eye-catching videos using their phone by creating Life Lapse in 2017. Now, Life Lapse has over 1 million users from around the world.
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