Social Media Trends in 2021: 8 Experts Share Their Social Media Predictions

It’s time to peer into the crystal ball of social media predictions and see what’s in store for 2021! Needless to say, 2021 could very easily be 2020 with bangs. As the world continues to navigate and adapt to the on-going pandemic, the social media trends are doing just the same.

Over the course of 2020, there was no doubt as more people stayed in and stayed home, they also spent more time online. At Konstruct, we have been keeping a close eye on all the emerging social media trends and lowkey geeking out (we are adorably nerdy about our love for the digital marketing industry). 

So what do we predict will be the big kahunas in 2021? We could give you just our opinion but we thought you’d also enjoy hearing some other expert opinions as well (you are welcome). 

Come peer into our crystal ball and tell us what you see… or read… because this is a blog post. 

Pro-Vaccine Content Visibility

“We predict Facebook, Google and LinkedIn will organically boost the visibility of pro-vaccine content across their platforms in 2021.

Everything from doctor office selfies, groups advertising vaccinated-only events or even businesses providing discounts for vaccine passport holders, are likely to be championed across platforms. We recommend entrepreneurs and business owners to avoid sharing any content on social media that includes language which could be perceived to go against this pursuit.”

Andrey Doichev, Inc and Go

The Tik Tok Takeover Continues

“The way I see it, the traditional platforms like Facebook and Pinterest are starting to become a thing of the past. While Twitter is still the go-to app for quick news headlines, most users nowadays are more geared to visual content.

Instagram is still the best platform to advertise anything about your business. The same thing applies to influencers and content creators (both veterans and aspiring) to boost their brand and reach a wider audience. But as we’ve seen through the pandemic, TikTok has exploded in immense popularity, especially for the younger audience. 

As we move forward through COVID-19 and beyond, we will see TikTok become a much bigger entity than it is today. And if it’s widely used by millennials and Gen Z-ers, a lot from the older generation will eventually follow suit. 

TikTok is a platform that allows its users to be playful and creative. It is much more dynamic than Instagram, and it will be way more popular in the years to come.”

Dena Goldsmith, Home Safe Home

Game on!

“Gamification, for one, will be more of a trend in 2021.

The worldwide lockdowns led many people to turn to video games and streaming platforms like Twitch to distract themselves from what’s happening around them. As a result, many marketing strategies revolved around gamification, and it’s so far been received well. 

Another effective strategy that would be effective for social media trends is taking on a more conversational approach. Gone are the days of overly formal and monotonous campaigns. People are more drawn to more informal, conversational messages because it makes them feel like they’re connecting to a real person. And once that genuine connection is established, people tend to respond better.

Bottom line: Be creative with your social media campaigns and add a human touch to them. Follow this strategy and you’ll be able to connect with more people, whom you can ultimately convert into customers.”

Sam Lowy, Life Insurance Star

Welcome to the Club(house)

“Clubhouse has exploded in Q1 of 2021 – so it’s going to make a heck of a splash this year. TikTok is still on an upward trend. And believe it or not, boring old LinkedIn is still growing. 

Whether you’re in B2B or B2C marketing, you’ll ignore these at your peril.”

Garit Boothe, GB Digital

Listen up!

“Audio content galore is headed our way in 2021 and people are all ears! Thanks to COVID, 2020 was a big year for video content. Everyone was stuck on their couches with nowhere to go and video content was the perfect escape from a stressful and ambiguous reality. Short-form videos like TikToks and Instagram Reels lent themselves well to a bored audience in need of distraction. However, as COVID restrictions loosen and people become busier, I predict this video obsession will begin to shift…

In 2021, audio social content will be the perfect way to capture a multi-tasking audience. Instead of having their eyes glued to the screen, users can go about their day while listening to interesting convos, topics, and ideas. We’re already seeing this trend with the rise of the new social platform Clubhouse and other social media platforms are beginning to follow suit. The problem of course is moderation, and these platforms will need to overcome this challenge in order to make it big-time.

Compared to podcasts which have a long lifespan, I predict we’ll also start to see a rise in ephemeral content. There is so much content available these days. Why save your content when users can always tune in to hear someone talking about the same thing in real-time?”

Hannah von Rothkirch, Konstruct Digital

The Reckoning is Upon Us

“In my opinion, I believe that social media will create a reckoning for some brands. Think of this year’s International Women’s Day and Burger King’s (poor) attempt to draw attention to gender disparity in high-level chef roles. An intern didn’t post that, it would have undergone senior approval. Brands are built in the boardroom – not on the front lines of social media. Brands are facing increasing pressures to be accountable to their customers, and the public, about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). They have to hold conversations they haven’t previously. It is critical for social media managers to collaborate with their teams to ensure they have a clear roadmap to dealing with – and speaking to – DEI issues. Include your communications team, people from various backgrounds, and departments that can help your marketing team ensure positive customer relations in the face of tough conversations. 

From an individual perspective, there seems to be a shift towards spending significantly less time on social channels. From social media detoxes to “social-free Sundays”, individuals are taking more time offline and reducing their social media usage. Whether it’s COVID-related, or simply becoming tired of what seems to be increasing negativity on social media, users are putting down their phones to spend their free time doing other things. Brands will also be forced to consider this as part of their social media strategy. Understanding your customer’s behaviour online has never been more urgent.”

Emily Ptak, Ptak + Co

Shop ‘til You Drop?

“Social commerce will be the norm. Social commerce is when a consumer’s online shopping experience occurs directly on a social media platform. The buyer previews your products on a social platform such as Instagram or Pinterest and purchases the item directly on the app. The customer never leaves the app, and they don’t have to visit your e-commerce website.

Shopping via a social media platform is getting easier with the introduction of Instagram’s Reels Shopping, shopping live streams and shoppable posts, Tik Tok’s recent partnership with Shopify and Pinterest’s Shoppable Pins. Customers are also getting more comfortable purchasing from social platforms. The benefit to the business owner? A shorter buyer’s journey, enhanced customer experience with frictionless checkout, and increased sales.

Social commerce is especially useful for those brands that are targeting millennials. As they are the first generation to be composed largely of digital natives, millennials are some of the most significant users of social commerce and social media.”

Kim Findlay, Konstruct Digital

Link up on LinkedIn

“As more and more sales reps start to grasp the power of LinkedIn, the amount of cold outreach will start to drown out the legitimate attempts to make a connection from an industry peer. LinkedIn will start to more actively throttle social media users’ ability to connect and communicate with those outside their network.

Facebook will double-down on its identity crisis and continue to see a decline in relevancy and active users.”

Matt Cox, Konstruct Digital

Do You Feel Ready to Navigate All the Predicted Social Media Trends?

And there you have it, the crystal ball of expert predictions has spoken! 

The social media landscape will be forever changing with the dynamic world we live in. As much as we would love a crystal ball with all the accurate insights into the future of social media, it can be hard to accurately anticipate the unexpected changes that are sure to come. But that’s why social media marketers (or geeks) like us are here. At Konstruct Digital, we keep up on the social media algorithms and trends to help businesses like yours improve your social media marketing strategy. 

We may not have the crystal ball of guaranteed predictions and outcomes but we do have a team of passionate individuals with unique backgrounds that work together to ensure our clients receive the most social engagement possible.

If you made it to the end of this article, you must have an interest in improving your social media strategy. Get in touch with us to see how we can help you navigate and succeed with the changing social trends!