2020 tested our strength, taught us valuable lessons and reminded us to always stay stocked up on toilet paper.
When much of the world halted in March, social media raged on. So much so, that online trends have gone through their typical lifecycles in fast-forward. What was popular in March might as well have been popular a decade ago.
If you couldn’t keep up with what was trending this year – don’t worry! We’re here to give you a peak into the social media trends that you can expect to stick around and grow in 2021.
Ephemeral content shows staying power
Who doesn’t love a good story? In the latter half of 2020, Twitter and LinkedIn took the plunge a released their own “stories” functions, allowing users to post in-the-moment content that is here today and gone tomorrow, or “fleeting thoughts” as Twitter likes to call them. Following in the successful footsteps of Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, it’s possible that story functions will grow while we start to see static feed and timeline posts dwindle.
Stay tuned for the next episode
Over the past few years, episodic content has emerged as one of the top strategies for content creators to keep their audiences coming back. From social platforms like Facebook Watch, which mirrors content you’d find from traditional broadcast, streaming service sources and YouTube, to the reigning social media champ TikTok, separating your content into multiple parts is a trend you’ll continue to find across all platforms. Many TikTok stars have found that cliffhangers are key to growing your following. After all, no one likes an unfinished story. Want to learn more about this? Like and follow for part two.
Short-form video content is back and better than ever
When Vine disappeared in 2016 and ushered in the rise of YouTubers and long-form vlogs, the conventional wisdom was that super short-form video content wouldn’t work on social. However, I’m happy to say that short-form content is back and better than ever rolling into 2021.
TikTok’s surge of 15, 30 and 60 second content has reminded us all that attention spans are short. The shorter the content the better in most situations. Social media giant Instagram backed the trend with the release of Reels this year, essentially cloning TikTok’s platform. It’s safe to say that you won’t regret prioritizing video content in your communication strategy in the New Year.
While we can’t see into the future and tell you exactly what to expect in 2021, we can tell you that social media will continue to be a tool that brands need to connect with their audiences. Looking to grow your organization’s social media presence, but you aren’t sure how to get started? Slide into our DMs on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or shoot us an email at resteasy@devinepartners.com to see how we can help!
