We can all agree that 2020 was an experience that kept us on our toes. Moving on into this new year, 2021 is an opportunity to be ready for change and work on our adaptability.
There are a few trends that we have noticed over the past year that we find important to digital marketers and social media managers that will help keep us one step ahead. By keeping these in mind, adaptability will come with ease.
- Influencers Are on the Rise
Having to go virtual for practically everything in 2020, consumers needed somewhere to turn for recommendations. Influencers have become very
effective in marketing content for businesses whether they have been sponsored or not.
There has also been another rise in user-generated content, mostly by everyday people like you and me. During the pandemic, people have been exercising their skills in finding their social media voices. All of which create honest reviews and recommendations for businesses virtually.
The best thing you can do for your business with this trend is to gain an understanding over how influencers could fit into your advertising and marketing goals. Just like there is a blog for everything, there is an influencer for every product or service. With user-generated content, we suggest taking a look at how Ocean Spray did an amazing job at capitalizing on organic content for their product in 2020.
- Social Listening Does Not Mean “Hop on the Bandwagon”
Last year brands went face to face with issues that never were addressed before. This ranges from global crises, racial injustices and much more. Before, brands usually stuck to their own “corner” of the market. They never felt pressured to comment on these topics or conversations. However, 2020 turned up the heat for many brands and unfortunately many of these messages brands sent out seemed ingenuine and much more like a bandwagon response.
The difference this year is how brands learned their lesson. By taking the time to invest in tools like Talkwalker that help to join in on social listening, it will help brands guide their way through the ongoing conversations. This will help to determine the best times to speak up, and the best times to simply listen. Having an understanding on topics that matter to your targeted audience will help you to align with their values. It also will help in creating advertisements that will resonate with your audience. To do all of this however, will depend on how much the brands are willing to listen.
It is also going to be important to ensure that your PR department is prepared with a response plan for the next social issue. By having a response plan you avoid the problem of resorting to hastily written responses. You also will be able to avoid taking too long to create a response and end in a disaster like the Dominos scandal from 2009.
Instagram Ads Are the New Facebook Ads
In past years we all took the time to educate ourselves on Facebook Ads. This was because it helped to promote businesses and brands where you could monitor changes easily. Instagram has these same features, so the first step is to learn how it works and the differences between Instagram Ads and Facebook Ads.
As a consumer, it is easy to follow a business for new products and product promotion on Instagram. 2020 was the year that businesses really started to take note on this since 90% of accounts on Instagram follow at least one business. Another interesting fact is that only 1% of Instagram users were using this platform as their only source. That means there is a huge percentage of other accounts you will be able to reach through the varied social media platforms.
As a business, creating a digital foot in social media will help your brand stay competitive. Here at Boiling Point, we want to offer our assistance in this creation by staying ahead of all the latest trends. We are a full-service advertising, marketing and film production agency that partners with businesses to achieve their advertising and marketing goals through innovative strategies, creative advertising solutions and transparent comprehensive reporting. Boiling Point Media is your Social Media Management expert and we will want to keep you ahead of the game against your competitors! If you’re interested in working with us, feel free to contact us by emailing us at info@boilingpointmedia.com or giving us a call at (405) 652-9033.