Introduction

What are the biggest social media trends 2021?

Globally, people spend on average 144 minutes on social media daily. This
combined with the fact that 24% of consumers say they discover brands on
social media definitely makes it a channel to keep a close eye on. In this
book, we will go through 5 social media and influencer marketing trends to
watch for in 2021.

What has happened in 2020 has definitely contributed to, and forced us to,
speed up an already accelerated digital transformation. According to data
from IBM, Covid-19 accelerated the digital eCommerce shift from shopping
in physical stores to digital shopping by five years. The year that no one was
prepared for has now come to an end, so let’s take a look at what 2021
holds.
1. Social Shopping
This one – you simply can’t miss! During 2020, Instagram has dropped a ton
of new tools and features. Some of them are likely to make a big difference in
how we shop online and definitely puts Instagram on the map as a platform
for e-commerce. Which new features are we talking about? Let’s take a closer
look at four of them! According to Facebook, 70% of shoppers use Instagram
for product discovery and 130 million users every month tap on its shopping
posts to learn more. The way consumers shop online is definitely going to
change.

Instagram Shop

The new tab “Shop” makes it possible for users to discover brands and
products in a whole new way. Choose between “Browse Shops”, “See
Editors´ Picks”, “Guides” and “Shop Collections”. This feed is based on what
content you’re engaging with, e.g. what you like, brands you follow and new
suggestions.
Instagram Checkout

This feature is a new way for users to discover and buy products from brands
and creators – without having to leave the app. This benefits both consumers
and e-commerce brands as it makes the step to purchase much shorter.
Seems to be the biggest step towards a new shopping behavior for
Instagram users.

Instagram Guides

A new way for users to collect posts, products or places in a microblog and
share with their followers. The Guide feature is still quite hidden, but you can
find it under the new “Shop” tab. Together with the shopping function on
Instagram, this will bring a new level of inspiration. For influencers, it opens
up new opportunities to use this tool in collaborations to curate a list of
recommended products.

Instagram Live Shopping

Instagram Live has received additions in the form of Live Shopping; an

opportunity for brands and creators to sell products directly through a live
broadcast by tagging them. Great for influencer marketing as the influencer
now can engage their audience with this increasingly popular format as well
as sell products directly.

Now creators and brands can not only drive sales through a website or
physical store but also directly through influencers – even without the
customer having to leave the app. According to new research, 29% of people
surveyed across 7 countries say that if a shopping experience is entertaining,
it would encourage them to buy a product when shopping online. Therefore,
live shopping will be a great content format to try in 2021.
2. Ephemeral Content
Ephemeral content is content that’s only available for a short period of time.
It has gotten increasingly popular in recent years and the user demand is
obviously high.

Examples of platforms that have invested in this content format are:

• Instagram with Stories

• Snapchat
• Twitter with Fleets
• YouTube with Shorts
• LinkedIn with LinkedIn Stories
• Facebook Stories

YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter were last in line to announce their ephemeral
content additions. All of them are similar to Instagram Stories, but with less
creative additions.

The benefit of ephemeral content is its ability to be up-to-date and personal.

This channel is often used to publish more unpolished, real-life content.
Combined with stickers that make it possible to add polls and quizzes, users
can easily keep a dialogue with their followers. As authentic and personal
content has increased in popularity in recent years, this is definitely a content
format we’ll see more of in 2021 – also when it comes to influencer
marketing.
3. Live Formats on Social Media
In March 2020 Instagram Live usage increased by 70%. Most likely as a result of
social distancing and restrictions to stay at home due to Covid-19. What’s
significant here is that it’s not only well thought out productions or huge
collaborations on Instagram Live anymore. We see more and more people
and influencers spontaneously going live on social media just to interact with
their followers; let them ask questions, watch when doing their daily makeup,
or co-host a live broadcast with a friend – similar to a live podcast.

New data from Global Web Index on consumer trends in 2021 shows that 29% of
internet users across 7 countries frequently watch live streams from
influencers they follow. Among those users, 80% say they’re likely to buy a
product from the livestream.

As mentioned before, Instagram also launched Live Shopping, which makes it

possible to tag products in a live broadcast. As it opens up for brands and
creators to sell products and meet their target audience where they spend
time, this is absolutely something that we will see more of in 2021.
4. TikTok, Reels & YouTube Shorts
In August 2020, Facebook launched Instagram Reels. Reels allows users to
record 30-second videos with audio and creative effects. If this sounds
familiar, you’re absolutely right. The video-sharing app TikTok has an
identical concept and Instagram Reels is for sure a competitor.

One question still remains – will Instagram Reels replace TikTok in the same
way that Instagram Stories has replaced stories on Snapchat?

But that’s not the only new short format we’ve seen this year. TikTok and
Instagram Reels got company – by YouTube Shorts! The new feature is similar
to TikTok and Reels, a short-form video experience that makes it possible for
users to show 60-second videos. Even though 60-seconds is the maximum
length Youtube recommends users to focus on 15-seconds videos. The
platform says that there’s much more to come, and over the next few weeks
and months, they’ll continue to roll out updated versions of “Shorts” as they
take user feedback into consideration.
Many brands have already started to implement both Reels and TikTok in
their influencer marketing strategy. As social media users are, now more than
ever, seeking fun and entertaining content, Reels and TikTok can be a great
addition. Important to remember is that these platforms are based on trends.
You need to be quick to latch on to new trends – as most of the activities
within the app concerns achieving viral content spread.

As the interest in video content continues to grow and entertaining content is

a strong driving force for us to turn to social platforms, we believe that this
content format has an even brighter future in 2021.
5. Unfiltered and Real Content will Dominate Social
Media
After the outbreak of Covid-19 social media has gained a whole new purpose
for many people. We have increased our use of social platforms to connect
with each other, be entertained and to shop online instead of in-store. In
2020, many also said that they’ve dared to be more honest about their personal lives
on social media.

This trend indicates that social media will increase to be a place to share
personal and in-depth content also in 2021. Users that tend to show the
perfect feed rather than real-life content need to think again. Followers of
bigger accounts today ask for unfiltered content more than ever before. With
this, more and more influencers are mixing it up and keeping the feed as
their polished surface while using stories for behind-the-scenes content.

For brands, User Generated Content (UGC) is the result of this trend. Because
of its high credibility and authenticity, people have easier to relate to it. When
a message comes from a regular person, rather than from a company – it’s inherent in
our nature to respond to it on a deeper level. When you let an influencer create
content for you, you can achieve the same effect. In many cases, the
influencers you choose to work with are also part of your target group for the
product or service in question, which provides you with content created for
your target audience and by your target audience.
Conclusion

In 2021, it will be critical to research and listen to your target audience.

Where do they spend time and what captures their interest today? Talk to
them where they spend most of their time and do it with relevant and
meaningful content. Consumer behavior is changing rapidly and for you, as a
marketer, it’s increasingly important to always have your ear to the ground.