Predicting Social Media Trends for 2021

2020 is quickly drawing to a close, and 2021 is right around the corner. After an incredibly tumultuous year, most people are happy to say goodbye to 2020 and are hopeful for what is to come in 2021. If you run a business, you’ve probably already begun to at least roughly plan your marketing campaigns for the upcoming year. With the vast majority of businesses of all sizes taking advantage of digital marketing, that rough planning likely includes plans for your business’s social media marketing campaigns for 2021. With that being said, social media trends are constantly changing, which can be frustrating—especially for small businesses that rely on these trends to maintain a steady client base and increase their profits. Here are some predictions on social media trends for 2021.

Gaining a better understanding of experts’ predictions for what social media trends will be like in 2021 can help you get ahead of the game and begin crafting your social media marketing strategies for the upcoming year before it even begins. Keep reading to learn more about 5 of the top predictions for social media trends for 2021. 

1. Comprehensive Coronavirus Content 

As much as everyone worldwide would love for the COVID-19 pandemic to end as soon as 2020 ends, the reality is that the world will likely be dealing with the consequences of the novel coronavirus pandemic into 2021 for at least several more months—despite promising vaccine production and administration. 

With that being said, consumers are expected to look for comprehensive coronavirus content on social media in the early months of 2021. That means that, if you run a small business, your social media followers will want to know how your business is helping slow the spread of the virus. 

That involves publicizing everything from how your business is providing contactless services to demonstrating increased cleanliness and sanitization to offering compassion to the community—and especially to specific populations who are struggling most through this pandemic.

2. The Big Three Will Stay on Top 

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are currently the top three most popular social media platforms worldwide. Facebook has 2.5 billion monthly active users, Instagram maintains more than 1 billion monthly active users, and Twitter reports more than 300 million monthly active users. 

These three social media platforms are expected to remain the top three most popular platforms throughout 2021, so they are definitely the platforms to focus on when it comes to investing in social media marketing campaigns for the next year. 

3. Increased Value of Conversational Marketing 

The world is becoming more and more automated as time goes on and technology continues to advance. There are many advantages to automation and artificial intelligence, especially when it comes to marketing, but conversational marketing is actually very likely to make a comeback next year. 

In 2021, consumers are expected to place a higher value on real conversations with real people—especially when it comes to businesses. Ensuring that customers have ample opportunities to have personalized conversations with real people when they interact with your business will likely help you increase sales and profits throughout 2021. 

4. Decreased Disinformation 

Misleading information on social media is a major problem that has become even more prevalent throughout 2020. Many social media users have recognized that the information they read on Twitter or on Facebook, for example, might be misleading or—in some cases—completely incorrect. 

Countless lawsuits have been filed against major social media platforms for their negligence in stopping the spread of misinformation among users across their platforms. As such, many social media platforms have already begun marking inaccurate information or information with unknown accuracy as potentially misleading. 

Consumers care about disinformation on social media now more than ever before. This means that, in 2021, it will be important for businesses to ensure that all of the information they post or repost on their social media accounts is accurate and fact-checked in order to maintain the trust of their customers.

5. Increased Interest in Social Consciousness 

Consumers are expected to show a greater interest in the social consciousness of businesses in 2021. In 2021, your social media marketing campaigns should spread wider than just including content about your business and the products or services it offers. 

Your social media content in the upcoming year should focus on how your business is working toward having a more positive impact on major social issues such as mental health, equality, education, etc.

Tune in to the Off The Clock podcast to hear more on what we think is going to be key in 2021.