2021’s Digital Marketing Trends You Need to Know

Social media evolves constantly, and it can sometimes be hard for any of us to keep up. But that doesn’t mean we don’t do our best to at least try predicting what’s going to happen in the weeks or months to come. For those who are setting their marketing goals for 2021, they might be asking themselves what kind of digital marketing trends they can expect to see.

Some changes are going to be completely unpredictable, whether for better or for worse. Remember when Facebook announced that it was changing its algorithms to bury content from pages? Or when Twitter expanded the length of tweets from 140 characters to 280 characters?

But there are some trends that we can expect to see across all platforms, regardless of what changes the powers that be at each of those platforms decide to instill.

Here’s what you should expect from social media in the year ahead:

Quality content will be even more important. 

Quality has always been an important guiding principle when it comes to social media content, but it will be even more important throughout 2021. That’s because feeds are getting more heavily populated as more users become active on social media—and so getting your content seen becomes an even more competitive game.

Aim to create content that will actually appeal to your followers. This not only gives them a reason to continue following your page but also increases their engagement. More engagement means that your posts will naturally find their way into more feeds. However, on that note…

Valuable content is better than high-quality content. 

How do you assess what is considered “good” content? Think about it this way: Does your content make a difference to your followers? Do they gain anything from seeing it?

In some cases, the value to your followers might just be lighthearted entertainment. They get a chuckle out of it. Or they find it heartwarming.

In other cases, it might be educational. They learn something about your industry, and they hear it from you or someone on your team (aka the experts).

People want to stay on social media because they’re getting something out of it. Make sure that your content is contributing to their experience instead of distracting from it.

Videos are becoming more popular 

While text and photos have their proper places, video continues to grow in popularity. It’s entertaining, and it appeals to both our visual and auditory senses. Plus there’s so much that can be conveyed with a video that can’t be conveyed with simple text and photos.

This doesn’t mean that video will always be the best option. Some people might be in a place where they can’t turn their sound on, or maybe they just don’t have the time to sit and watch something for five minutes. Therefore, it’s always important to include a small summary with each video, ideally in the captions, so people can still get the value from your post.

Niche platforms are great places to go for relevant content. 

Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are major players in the social media game. Nearly every business is on them. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some lesser-used social media platforms that still hold sway, particularly for businesses that find the platform’s niche relevant to what they do. TikTok, the platform for easily consumable video clips, could be a great option for a dog trainer who wants to show off tricks that their client’s pets have learned. Similarly, Pinterest could be a great platform for an SAT prep tutor to link a list of top 10 study tips. If you can find a way to use these platforms, go for it!

People’s attention spans are getting even shorter. 

Social media has been around for more than a decade now. Society’s pace is getting even faster. This means that people’s attention spans are getting even shorter. For savvy content creators, this means it’s important to keep what you’re putting out there on social media as succinct and as easily consumable as possible. Get your message out quickly and let them scroll on.

Stories will be more popular than ever. 

An estimated 500 million people post stories to Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp every day, and that number is expected to continue growing. Take advantage of the Stories feature on these platforms, and provide your followers with an interesting mix of pics, text, video, boomerangs, and other creative content.

Live video is also popular. 

We’ve talked before about how people like live video—they love to know they are getting information in real-time. Take advantage of this novelty and stream a live video whenever you have a good excuse to do so, even if it’s just to answer some questions or talk about new developments in your business.

Digital commerce is here to stay. 

Those businesses that weren’t selling their products online before the coronavirus pandemic struck quickly learned they had to adapt to life under lockdown if they wanted their businesses to survive. After a year of having so many products easily ordered with the click of a button—whether that’s carryout food or retail goods—many consumers won’t be keen on giving up that convenience. Digital commerce is the new normal, and smart business owners would be wise to continue promoting their offerings.

People want authenticity. 

Authenticity has always been important, but as social media continues to play a prominent role in society, consumers become increasingly distrustful of anything that seems too polished and poised—in other words, anything that seems like it’s trying just a little too hard to impress you. Instead, users would rather see you be your real self. So go ahead and laugh. Crack a joke. Admit when you don’t know something. Let yourself get tongue-tied. By no means should you be sloppy, but you shouldn’t get hung up on minor imperfections. These are the aspects of your online presence that make your followers feel as if they can trust you.

Are you ready to take advantage of some of these trends throughout 2021? The team at Ann’s Social Media & Marketing wants to help you provide stellar content to your followers. Reach out today by calling 443-679-4916 or emailing ann@asmmdigital.com.