3 Social Media Marketing Trends To Watch This Year
Social media has now been an undeniable aspect of digital marketing for over a decade. Brands often try to stay relevant by adapting to the new changes that each emerging platform offers.
As digital creators that brands work with, it is our job to form marketing strategies accordingly. This has an impact on camera angles, props, and even a single word in an IG caption. In this article, we’ll cover the upcoming trends in social media marketing that brands should be aware of.
1. User Generated Content Is On The Rise
UGC is often confused with influencer marketing. While influencer marketing is far from being forgotten, it’s different from UGC in terms of content creation and sharing. User generated content is created by content creators who do not share the content on their profiles, but instead they “sell” their content to the brands. Brands may then use that content for social media or sponsored ads.
2. Social Commerce a.k.a Shop Feature Is Here To Stay
More and more social media platforms incorporate shopping features into their apps, thus allowing businesses to sell products directly to consumers without them ever having to leave the platform.
Facebook, Instagram and now TikTok have been making online shopping quite easy for consumers with just a few clicks. They serve as marketplaces in which the brands can list their products along with all the necessary information. Particularly since the pandemic, the digital audience is ready to shop online more than ever. This trend is likely to continue in the coming months as social media platforms invest more in e-commerce capabilities.
3. Increased Use Of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR):
AR and VR are becoming more prevalent in our lives. They help many businesses develop new ways to show and sell their products. Brands will increasingly use these features on social media in the months to come. As these technologies help create immersive experiences for the users, they are more likely to stand out. It could be a virtual try-on experience (which is great for beauty brands), a Snapchat filter, or an AR powered game!
Technology and social media will continue to surprise us in the following months. As content producers, we are also excited to see what’s coming next. Brands - and their digital agencies - should keep an eye on the upcoming trends and form their marketing strategies around them. However, not every trend is meant to be followed by every brand. Thus, it’s crucial to know your audience and create content specifically for them.