With the chaotic mess left behind by the Coronavirus in 2021, no one knows what to expect for 2022 but one thing for sure, major changes will surely be happening but just how much it will be affecting social media? Let’s take a closer look.
Reflect and improve
The end of the year is always a good time to reflect and to see how you can improve for the coming year. 2020 is an entirely different thing altogether. Social media has been more prominent than before in 2020 because people had to stay indoors and to communicate more on digital platforms.
Businesses went bust because they did not evolve fast enough. Schools had to change and use online classes almost overnight. Social distancing became a norm and that is one thing that has drawn people closer together. So, how will social media change in 2021?
SMO and eCommerce
With new content getting scarce, high-quality content needs to be discovered on social media platforms. They exist and have often been neglected before the lockdowns. Next year, SMO or Social Media Optimization might be the buzz word. Hashtags, geo-location and keywords on social media will become more important than before.Meanwhile, e-commerce will again take centerstage.
Brands have no choice but to venture into the DTC or Direct-to-Customer platform and social media are the best places to do so. Digital presence and digital reputation must take priority.
Back to basics (somehow)
It has become almost impossible to carry out normal video production as studios have to cancel bookings and shoots. Hence, the content has become quite limited. Brands owners have to start looking at their archives and libraries for content that has not been used and give them new breathes of life.
Meanwhile, user-generated content has resurfaced again too. These are often known as low-fi content and have since been reintroduced. How TikTok came about to become this famous is through these contents.
Edutainment and Gaming
Staying indoors has created more gamers than before. Gaming has been around for the longest time but it has become more prominent than before because of self-isolation and social distancing. Multi-player games like Animal Crossing became an instant success as people get hooked on them because they are at home. In social media, this has become a phenomenon with gaming influencers and eSport celebrities becoming more popular than before.
Content like video game streams have are norms. A study recently showed that over 80% of gamers watched video streams during the lockdown and it was only about 57% before COVID-19. This is the space where major brands like Coca-Cola and Nike have already entered into.
Putting it all together
Social media is here to stay and 2021 will be no different. In fact, 2021 will see more focus on social media because people are using them more than the years before. Brands now have to rely heavily on social networks to reach and connect with their consumer and in most cases, close the deal as well.
