Social media trends present a great opportunity for brands to capitalize on them without investing much. However, sometimes, these trends come and go so quickly that it’s natural to miss out on them. Not all trends are worth following unless they offer some value to your business in terms of popularity, brand awareness, positive reputation, or leads.
With so much information easily accessible today online, users’ expectations are at an all-time high. They tend to skip ads very often (c’mon, we all do that), but one engaging social media activity can do wonders sometimes. The main reason why so many brands are moving to social media marketing nowadays is that with great content, you can prompt people to watch your content, share it, and give your brand a big boost. With this goal in mind, many creative agencies and brands around the world are pushing their creative limits to stand out in the crowded social media space, and trends are key to reaching the hearts of users. If you’re also investing efforts into social media marketing, these are the trends you must be aware of and follow.
Short Form Video Content Still on Rise
Remember last time when TikTok started pushing longer form videos as it started supporting one-minute videos and within time 10 and eventually started testing 30-minute uploads? That’s when everyone started saying the tables have turned; from now onwards, longer-form, video content will reign supreme. However, this turned out to be faux. It seems people don’t have much time, so they always seek something short, fresh and catchy.
If this much does not convince you of the fact that short-form content is on the rise, listen to what Instagram’s Head, Adam Mosseri, has to say on this:
“We’re going to double down on our focus on video and Reels, which continues to grow significantly.”
This assertion underscores Instagram’s commitment to short-form content. According to Mosseri, short-form videos align with the platform’s core objectives, facilitating:
- User connections and community building
- Exploration of shared interests
Here are some key takeaways
- Short-form video prioritization: Instagram favors short-form content over long-form videos.
- Connection-driven approach: Short-form videos foster user connections.
- Engagement-centric algorithm: Content-driving engagement, particularly shares, is favored.
- Creator-centric features: Instagram develops features for creators, not publishers.
Social Commerce
Social commerce is another important rising trend, and the numbers are impressive! The global social commerce market size was valued at $727.63 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.6% from 2023 to 2030.
This growth is driven by increasing social media advertising, a rising Generation Z population, and the ease of shopping on social media. More people are spending time on social media platforms, making it an ideal space for businesses to reach their target audience. Apart from this, the widespread adoption of smartphones has made social commerce more accessible.
Also, social commerce platforms provide a seamless shopping experience, making it easier for customers to discover and purchase products.
In 2022, live-streaming and prerecorded videos were dominating the social commerce space, with a market share of 42.5%.
Performance marketing is levelling up social media marketing
Social media marketing is changing. Instead of just focusing on likes and followers, businesses now want to see real results like sales, leads, and revenue. This new approach is called performance marketing.
Performance marketing uses data and analytics to understand customers better. It helps businesses identify trends, measure return on investment (ROI), and make smarter decisions. With performance marketing, businesses can work better with sales teams, make data-driven decisions, and show real business impact.
To succeed in performance marketing, marketers should set clear goals, like sales or leads. They should also use social listening to inform their strategies and track and measure ROI. Focusing on meaningful metrics, rather than just likes, is crucial.
Why is it important?
According to Hubspot, most marketers care more about lead generation rather than brand awareness.
You need to get on Reddit.
Reddit is becoming increasingly important for businesses. With over 430 million monthly active users, Reddit offers a vast audience to connect with. By joining Reddit, businesses can tap into 1.5 lakh active Subreddits.
Did you know Reddit has 18 billion page views per month?
Reddit’s users, known as Redditors, are passionate and engaged. They share and discuss content, vote on posts, and participate in communities related to specific topics. Businesses can leverage this by:
- Creating their own Subreddit (community)
- Participating in relevant discussions
- Sharing valuable content
By being present on Reddit, businesses can tap into the platform’s massive user base, build their brand, and drive traffic to their website.
Follow the Trend or detox the trend.
Social media marketers often have the dilemma of going along with the Trend or breaking it. The debate gave rise to two terms: trend jacking and trend detox.
Trend jacking involves jumping on popular trends to stay relevant. This includes using trending hashtags, challenges, or topics and creating content that resonates with current trends. This seems like a great way to make your audience feel relatable to you and engage with you. However, things are not that simple. There are a few things that you need to consider, like whether the trend aligns with your brand values, it is too late now, and so on.
On the other hand, Trend Detox involves taking a break from trends to focus on core messaging. This strategy helps maintain authenticity and avoid over-saturation.
So, when should you trend jack, and when should you take a trend detox? Trend jack when:
- When a trend aligns with your brand values and message (e.g., Nike’s #BlackHistoryMonth campaign).
- If it is new and gaining traction (e.g., #FridayFeeling).
- A trend resonates with your target audience (e.g., Wendy’s #NationalFastFoodDay participation).
Take a trend detox when:
- A trend becomes overly used or loses meaning (e.g., avoiding #MondayMotivation).
- It doesn’t align with your brand voice or values (e.g., luxury fashion brands skipping #TBT).
- You experience brand fatigue from over-participating in trends.
Or you can follow a hybrid approach that balances out-trend jacking and trend detox. You can participate in trends occasionally. But also focus on creating unique, brand-centric content within trends. You can simply monitor trend relevance and adjust strategy.
User Generated Content
Warby Parker launched a UGC campaign called “Home Try-On” where customers could try on their glasses absolutely free at home. Customers were asked to share photos of themselves trying on glasses on social media by using the branded hashtag #WarbyParkerHomeTryOn.
How did they execute it?
Drove targeted social media ads across all marketing channels to promote the Home Try-On program and encourage consumers to share photos of themselves in glasses.
Partnered with social media influencers, promoting the Home Try-On program and encouraging their followers to participate.
Email newsletters were sent on a regular basis to subscribers, featuring customer photos and encouraging them to participate in the Home Try-On program.
In-store, the Home Try-On program was advertised, showing customers glasses to try on and photos to share on social media.
Community Building Approach
Nike has built an excellent commenting community on social media, especially on Instagram and Twitter. This community is based on engagement. Nike always asks questions in the captions, and thus the customers comment on and share opinions regarding their thoughts. This way, Nike makes its customers feel valued and heard.
Nike’s social media team responds to comments and messages, which adds to the community sense. It also gives the impression that Nike cares about its customers’ opinions, hence the increased involvement with the brand.
Responding to comments also gives a sense of attachment to the Nike brand to the customers. When people talk about a particular product, a reasonable response will make sure they feel in touch with it.
Regular publishing on their social media platforms with customers‘ content indirectly allows customers a sense of ownership and encourages others to contribute. User-generated content has been used as social proof; through it, Nike’s products are viewed in different settings in people’s lives, making them easier for prospective customers to relate to. Featuring customer content makes Nike show customer-centricity, which is an asset to building a loyal community.
AR/VR
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies are increasingly being developed and applied in social media to craft more immersive and interactive user experiences. Popular social media applications like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat have helped brands utilize AR effects, VR experiences, and 360-degree videos to create an even more captivating experience for viewers.
There are numerous ways of using AR/VR in social media. For instance, brands can design AR effects that will be used on the user’s photos and videos. They can also create a VR experience that will allow users to view them either through a head-mounted VR or a mobile device. Moreover, brands can create 360-degree videos that users can view by twirling their mobile devices. AR/VR ads are also rapidly picking up as brands can create interactive and immersive advertisements that users can engage with.
L’Oréal is one of those brands that has already jumped the gun in social media using AR/VR. The brand has developed an AR effect on Instagram, through which users can virtually try on makeup looks. The effect uses Instagram’s AR technology to superimpose digital makeup onto the faces of users. L’Oréal also developed VR experiences on Facebook, such as virtual makeup tutorials and product demonstrations. This experience uses Facebook’s VR technology to make the experience very immersive and interactive.
What’s something you’re looking to accomplish or try?
Engagement? ROI? Or Hypertargeting? Kinex Media can be your partner in helping you achieve desirable results with social media marketing. We are pros at leveraging the ongoing trends and measuring the results of marketing efforts.
If everyone else out there is doing it, what’s stopping you? Don’t let social media overwhelm you – with a solid plan and some expert know-how, you can crush your online goals. Ready to level up your digital game? Let’s do this! Get started today!