Technology is always changing, and so does social media. It’s important to stay on top of social media trends if you are a business owner using these platforms to market your business. Here are the top social media trends for 2021!
#1 – SEO For Instagram?
You have probably heard of search engine optimization (SEO) of blog posts and website content. In November 2020, Instagram announced that it would become more search-friendly outside of using hashtags. Now, users can search on Instagram using keywords, which is huge for social media marketing! If you type a keyword into the search bar on Instagram, users will find relevant videos, reels, profiles, and posts.
Start using keywords in your posts right away, and make sure the keywords align with your niche and your target market. If you are a real estate professional posting about commercial properties for sale, make sure to post content using the words “commercial properties for sale.” Another example would be if you own a piano tuning business, you would want to focus on posting content about piano tuning. Your content may catch the eye of a user who is searching on Instagram for piano tuning tips.
#2 – Video Content And Reels Are A Must!
There are multiple ways to add video content to your posts. YouTube continues to be a popular trend in video content. TikTok became such a massive trend for video content that marketers quickly jumped on that platform. Next, Instagram Reels have become a huge trend. Reels can be uploaded to stories or used on your post.
Whether using Instagram Reels or TikTok to create video content, keep in mind that shorter is better. Just a 15-second video will do the trick over a 30-second or longer video. When people are on social media, they want to consume a lot of information over a short period of time. Most users do not stop and watch a long video, so keep your videos informative and entertaining.
#3 – Stories Are Still Wildly Popular
Facebook, Instagram, and now LinkedIn (limited markets) all have the option for stories. Look at stories as the pathway that drives viewers to your profile. Don’t post everything in your stories that you have already posted to your feed. Use stickers, music, text, polls, anything to make your stories interesting and entertaining. Many times people will check stories because they are fast-paced ways to get information about a profile. If they like what they see in stories, they will go check out your profile. If you have a post that you want people to see, you can post a teaser to your story to drive traffic to your post.
#4 – LinkedIn Networking
LinkedIn is known as the networking social media platform for businesses to business. LinkedIn users started experiencing a rise in spam and desperate business owners utilizing it to make a sales pitch, driving users away from both the business owner and the LinkedIn platform. It can still be an excellent tool for marketing your business. However, the focus should be on building relationships, not making a sale. This should be the goal for all social media platforms. Make your connections feel valued, and they will stick around. Another big trend with LinkedIn is conversational marketing. Use open-ended questions in your posts to get people conversing with you. Create a poll asking readers to vote on a topic. Make your posts personable by including a photo of you in your work environment, making you look more like a friend than a stranger.
#5 – Facebook Ads For Your Budget
Facebook ads are getting more creative, and you can create content on any budget. Marketers are creating gifs and collages for ads, which draw attention and stop the viewer from scrolling to take a better look. GIFs are fun to use, and they count toward video content. You can make your own GIF by going to Giphy.com and uploading a 3-15 second clip of a video. You can create your own collage with a variety of photo editing apps. Simply select several photos that represent your brand and go create! Using colorful and eye-catching images is a must, so be sure to choose well.
User-generated content (UGC) is trending more as well. For example, this can be testimonials or other content from your clients. You can create reels of a testimonial or use reels to showcase how to use a product. If you are using UGC, you will need to have permission to use the content that others create.
If you want to use Facebook ads, you may have heard it’s quite expensive, but you can still use Facebook ads on a budget. You will need to do your research on Facebook Advertising and follow your client trends to see what ads they respond to the most. You may not see a return on your investment right away, so it’s best to think about your strategy and don’t solely rely on this outlet to obtain clients.
Think About Which Types Of Social Media Ads Draw You In
Take a moment and think back to times when you were tempted to buy a product or service you saw advertised on social media. What attracted you to stop and look further at the ad? Can you think of ways you can incorporate them into your social media ads?
Share your thoughts or questions on social media trends by commenting here!
