Five social media trends you need to know about

Over the past decade, social media popularity has grown so much that it’s become an accepted part of our everyday life. For some people, the first thing they do when they wake up is to check their social media accounts.

There are 3.484 billion social media users today, which is about 45% of the world’s population. And for entrepreneurs, that’s a good thing as social media enables them to organically connect with their audience. For example, social media platforms allow them to boost their essay writer service business by reaching larger audiences without a huge budget. 

But social media platforms are constantly evolving. So just when you think you are getting the hang of a new feature, it changes. As the current platforms evolve, new ones are coming up. This affects user habits, responses to online marketing, and the ways advertisers reach their target audiences. 

These changes mean that businesses need to keep up with changing trends to get the most from their social media marketing. So, let’s look at the top five social media trends every business should know about. 

1) Live streams 

The 2020 global pandemic meant that people needed to practice social distancing. As a result, webinar platforms like Zoom and Webinar Care replaced face-to-face meetings, while live concerts turned into live streams, with artists playing from the comfort of their homes. 

Naturally, social media companies worked to include the live stream feature into their platforms. So now people can live stream on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, either individually or as a group. Twitter partnered with Periscope, enabling people to stream live with their followers. Facebook, meanwhile, integrated an easy feature that notifies your audience that you are live. 

As well as the classic functionality, Instagram added an extra feature that allows people to collaborate with another account for a joint live stream. So, if your brand is on any of these platforms, you can live stream with your audience to better understand their needs and preferences.

While the Covid situation continues to evolve in 2021, live streaming’s popularity is unlikely to decline. It will probably become even more popular as people have become used to interacting with brands without leaving their houses. As a result, businesses should integrate live streaming into their digital marketing strategies. 

2) Instagram stories 

While stories are available on almost all social media platforms, Instagram stories seem to be the most popular. Data shows that over 200 million people use them each month, 50 million more than those using Snapchat.

About 500 million people interact with Instagram stories every day, which is slightly higher than half the total number of Instagram users. So any brand wanting to connect with its customers on Instagram should embrace Instagram stories. 

When it comes to Instagram stories, brands need to take a more organized approach. If you are not already doing so, you should develop publishing calendars and create content to a carefully considered plan. 

Most importantly, they should use videos as they seem to outperform pictures. Images have a higher tap forward rate than videos. Photos also tend to have a higher drop-off rate than videos. Already, 51% of brands use videos instead of photos, with this number being likely to increase in 2021. 

3) Social media as a publishing site 

You can now publish, post, and share your content on many social media platforms. Many companies have been using LinkedIn to boost their following by regularly posting influential articles. 

On Instagram and Snapchat, users can access your content by the provided links. Facebook, meanwhile, has come up with an Instant Article functionality that allows creators to publish their pieces directly on the app. 

Your role is to advertise, taking advantage of the analytic tools to ensure you reach a larger audience and provide contact information or a link to your website. Then watch as customers contact you seeking your services. 

Social media platforms have not forgotten students, either, who can now conveniently get college essay help or find hundreds of interested tutors that can help them with complicated assignments. All they have to do to get advice is to take a photo of their question and post it on social media. The problem is – as with many things – the expertise.

4) Influencers 

Whether they are bloggers, digital brands, or content creators, influencers can help generate brand awareness on social media. For example, if a student is hesitating about getting academic help, an influencer they follow can prompt them to buy an essay paper or post their question to your website and solve it for a fee.

Work with influencers closely to develop relevant brand content that grows not just brand awareness but also ROI. Make sure you collaborate with micro, macro, and mega-influencers to develop textual or video content that appeals to your target audience. 

You do not have to work with the most famous influencers to grow your followers. Instead, work with influencers within your budget and those with a significant profile among your target audience. 

5) Memes 

You don’t need to be social media savvy to have heard of memes. In recent months, memes have quickly gained popularity; their usage had increased from 19.8 million in August 2019 to 24.9 million in July 2020.

The peak in their use was noticed in April 2020, when the lockdown was first imposed. People turned to social media to lessen boredom, fuelling memes’ use and spread. With the pandemic and movement restrictions set to continue in 2021, it is more likely that memes will remain a trend. So consider how you can use memes as part of your social media marketing strategy.

How can you use social media?

Social media platforms come with inbuilt analytics that give you a clear and precise picture of your campaign’s effectiveness. For this and multiple other reasons, social media is slowly becoming an advertiser’s first choice. How can you use it to grow your brand and sales?