Knowing how to effectively cobble together a social media strategy that works consistently can be a tricky thing. If you discover that your current social media strategy is not bringing you the returns you were looking for, it may be time to shift your direction and create a more effective plan. In a recent research report published by InfluencerMarketing, it reveals some hidden nuances regarding the flow and direction of current social media. It just may end up suggesting that a new direction may be in order. The following is taken directly from those published findings:
- Given the importance of social media in consumers’ lives, marketers and businesses flock to social platforms in the hope of connecting with their target customers. However, there is a content overload on social media, and the competition is very high. It can be challenging for you to stand out unless you have a clear social media marketing strategy. Staying updated on the latest social media trends can help fuel your strategy and make you stand out in the crowd.
- Today, people’s attention spans are short, and the way they like to consume content has also changed. This is why content formats like Stories have become popular. They are short, engaging, and addictive in a way that people can spend hours scrolling through one Story after another. According to this recent report by Hootsuite, 64% of marketers either already have incorporated Instagram Stories into their strategies or plan to.
- Facebook and Instagram have continued to be popular with their users in 2020. Hootsuite surveyed businesses about where they intended to increase their social budgets in 2021. 60% stated that they intend to increase their Instagram budget in 2021, and 46% plan to increase their Facebook budget. YouTube (45%) and LinkedIn are also popular. Only 14% of the surveyed firms intend to raise their TikTok marketing. The same survey asked respondents which platforms they saw as being most effective for their goals. Again the more traditional social networks stayed popular: Facebook 78%, Instagram 70%, LinkedIn 42%, and Twitter 33% led the pack.
- Hootsuite recently asked their clients what they were trying to achieve with social media. By far the most popular reason for businesses using social media was for increased acquisition of new customers (73%). This was followed by increasing brand awareness (64%). Driving conversions (leads, purchases, and product inquiries) came in third with 45%.
- According to a Cisco study, by 2022, 82% of all online content will be video content. This clearly shows how important it is to start utilizing video content to stay relevant in the social media domain. If you’re not currently creating videos, it is time that you include them in your content strategy. In the near future, videos will dominate social media and anyone who doesn’t realize that will have a tough time.
- Suddenly everybody has had to carry out everyday business online. People who may have never used their video cameras before now participate in Zoom calls like seasoned videographers. Even the elderly who may have never owned a mobile phone before 2020 have had to adapt to live streaming and online chat. People are now used to being able to interact with brands in real-time online. They can examine a product without leaving their home.
- Investing in influencers is much cheaper than running paid ad campaigns, and yet it delivers good results. Moreover, influencers can help marketers achieve a variety of marketing goals and not just generate leads. These are the two main reasons why it has become so popular and is continuously getting stronger and bolder. Marketers are not just collaborating with 1-2 influencers now but are working with a whole network of small, relevant, niche influencers. This kind of influencer gets much higher engagement and costs much less. Going forward, more and more marketers will use this strategy and work with multiple smaller influencers instead of one celebrity.
- Personalization is a global consumer trend that has been there for several years now. However, it is still a recent one when it comes to its adoption for social media. The key aspect where businesses and marketers are leveraging the personalization trend is their delivery of social media ads. Social media platforms have started providing advanced targeting and customization options for marketers. These let you show the right ads to the right people at the right times.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer
