Whether you like to admit it or not, we’re all addicted to social media.
Its appeal is just beyond; people from all over the globe can connect with each other with just a few clicks.
And businesses have taken notice.
In recent years, brands have been using social media to reach out to potential customers, bringing tens of benefits that further prove why social media is important for your business.
With 74% of consumers relying on social media before making a purchasing decision, knowing the social media trends is an absolute must.
Read on to find out what’s hot and what’s not in the world of social media!
Table of Contents
Your Uniqueness Is Your Superpower
Trends in social media come and go faster than ever these days, but authenticity is here to stay.
People are realizing more and more that there is no perfect version of ourselves online, and that our individuality is something to be embraced.
In today’s era of overly edited images, fake perfectionism, and overall misleading content, letting your freak flag fly — filter-free — is what people crave.
90% of consumers say authenticity is crucial when deciding which brands they like.
For many influencers, being open and vulnerable on social media has become a cornerstone of building an effective personal brand.
They share their real opinions and stories, even if they might not fit the neat images we often see in perfectly curated feeds.
At the same time, some brands are taking a “less is more” approach when building their presence on social media.
By cutting through all the marketing noise, they are able to offer a unique experience to customers who value honesty.
As a result, staying true to yourself is quickly becoming essential for success on social media—and it's also turning out to be a whole lot of fun!
Short Attention Span Calls for Short Videos
Gone are the days of 30-minute vlogs, as most people prefer content that they can watch in just a few seconds since the average user attention span is 8 seconds.
According to Facebook, it’s even shorter than that. When browsing on desktop, it’s closer to 2.5 seconds, while on mobile, it’s only 1.7 seconds.
Can brands even work with those numbers?
Turns out, those 2 seconds are all you need.; 2-second or shorter videos generate a lot of impressions—38% of brand recall, 23% of brand awareness, and 25% of purchase intent.
Short videos are great for capturing interesting stories or everyday moments when running a business.
You can also use them to show attention-grabbing snippets from an event you attended or something funny that happened in your office.
Plus, if you want to get a bit more creative, tools like TikTok and Instagram Reels allow you to edit videos with music, overlay text, and even add special effects.
All these features make it easy for anyone to create content that stands out from the crowd and gets plenty of likes and comments too—and isn’t user engagement what every brand is after?
To support our claims, let’s take a look at some video statistics:
- People are expected to spend 100 minutes a day watching videos
- 93% of marketers, including those in collaboration with a video marketing agency, claim video helps increase brand awareness
- Videos bring a 157% increase in organic traffic
Influencer Marketing for the Win
Influencer marketing is a form of collaboration between businesses and social media users with a large following to promote their brands.
It can be an effective way to reach out to potential customers and build brand awareness.
However, you have to choose the right influencers to work with and ensure their values align with your brand.
If you make the right choice, there are a lot of benefits you can reap.
Otherwise, you could end up doing more harm than good.
93% of marketers have used influencer marketing for a good reason: 61% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations.
Technically, an influencer is any person with the power to influence the purchasing decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience.
In the social media world, an influencer is anyone with a large following on one or more platforms.
And just like every other industry, there are always new trends emerging in the world of social media. So, what's the current social media trend when it comes to working with influencers?
That would be micro-influencers.
Micro-influencers are influencers with a smaller following (usually between 1,000 and 100,000).
They tend to have high engagement rates and are considered more relatable than mega-influencers (those with millions of followers).
As a result, micro-influencers can be very effective at promoting products and services to their followers.
Personalized Ads Deliver That Extra Something
Whether you're scrolling through your Facebook feed, checking out photos on Instagram, or catching up on the latest news on Twitter, there's no doubt that social media has become a staple in our lives.
And along with this surge in popularity comes a new social media trend: personalized ads.
Thanks to the power of data analytics, a social media marketing agency can now target ads directly to individual users based on their interests, demographics, and even purchase history.
So if you've been eyeing that new handbag online, don't be surprised if you start seeing ads for it pop up on your social media feeds.
Similarly, your audience can see your ads if they’ve been searching for what you have to offer.
Personalization can be a great way to make sure your target audience is only seeing ads
relevant to them, so don’t be afraid to invest a bit more in your social media ad design to make them personal.
There are a lot of social media management tools that can help you track the performance of your ads and make changes if needed.
One Social Network to Rule Them All: TikTok
It's no secret that social media plays a huge role in our lives. From staying in touch with friends and family to following our favorite celebrities, social media gives us a constant connection to the people and things we love.
One of the latest trends is TikTok, a short-form video platform available in 150 countries, with 1.5 billion monthly active users.
The app has been growing in popularity, especially among Gen Zers, and it's not hard to see why.
TikTok is incredibly fun and easy to use, and it's a great way to express yourself creatively.
With new features and trends daily, TikTok knows how to keep things interesting.
The content on TikTok ranges from hilarious videos and challenges to DIY tips and beauty tutorials. And since TikTok is so visual, it's the perfect platform for creative types who want to show off their talent and of course, promote their brand.
In recent years, it has become an important tool in the marketing arsenal of businesses too.
If you advertise your brand on TikTok, you can reach roughly 885 million people aged 18 and above.
TikTok has the highest average session length of all social networks, with users spending 52 minutes on the app every day.
If you need more eyeballs to your brand, embrace TikTok; who knows, you might just become the next social media sensation!
User-Generated Content Is a Big Hit
In the realm of social media, with so many companies vying for attention, it can be all too easy for businesses to get lost in the noise.
However, there is one surefire way to cut through the clutter: user-generated content.
User-generated content (UGC) is any kind of content created and shared by regular people, rather than businesses, influencers, or celebrities.
Social media users are often left wondering what in the world people are talking about.
Hashtags, memes, and inside jokes abound, and it can be tough to keep up.
But one trend that's easy to get behind is user-generated content.
Whether it's a funny meme or a stunning photo, user-generated content is the quickest way to add some life to your feed.
This could be anything from a review or testimonial to a photo or video.
UGC is incredibly powerful as it feels more authentic and relatable than traditional advertising.
In a world where consumers are bombarded with marketing messages, UGC provides a breath of fresh air.
Recommendations from peers remain the most influential than any other type of advertising, with 84% of people agreeing.
79% of people say user-generated content is very likely to impact their buying decision while millennials trust UGC by 50% more compared to information from other sources, be it TV, newspapers, or branded content.
What's more, UGC is often more cost-effective to produce than traditional marketing materials.
And best of all, it's totally free!
Next time you're looking for something to post, why not take a look at what your users are already generating? You might just find your next big hit.
Social Media Trends: Key Takeaways
With new trends in social media emerging every day, it’s easier to get lost than keep up.
However, some social media trends are evergreen.
People will always love user-generated content and being yourself is the best advice anyone can give you.
Personalized ads are a no-brainer, short videos show the best performance metrics, and influencer marketing, backed by the expertise of a professional video production company, will just keep on growing as a powerful marketing strategy.
If you don’t know how to start your social media journey, give these trends a chance!
