What Social Media Trends Will Continue to Rise?

Social media was once a simple place for long-distance relatives to stay in touch and where you could even share a cat video or two. Yet, social media has now grown into so much more. 

With over 3.5 billion people using social media, businesses realized they needed to capitalize on the market. If you're creating a business in 2021, one of your main goals should be building a social media strategy.

So, what are the new social media trends that you need to start following? 

Be sure to keep reading for our guide on new social media trends that are rising and will continue to rise. 

Live Streams Aren't Going Anywhere

Did you know that live streaming started back in the 90s? It's true! One of the first live streams was from a band called, Severe Tire Damage, who wanted to perform a new song live on the internet.

Live streaming has not lost its momentum and is still a trend that is continuing to rise. In fact, you'll find that many social media platforms offer a way for users to live stream content.

As a business, you'll want to take advantage of this feature and host more live events for your audience. You can host giveaways, product presentations, or even a behind-the-scenes look at your day. Many times live streams can co-exist with live events so people from all over the world can experience it first hand.

By doing a live stream with your audience, you're giving them access to chat directly with you. It is a great way to form a deeper connection to your clients and start building better relationships. 

💡Did you know? You can save Instagram's Live streams in a format called IGTV? It was created to finally fit the way we use phones – vertical and full screen (although you can also upload horizontal videos). From 2019, you can also improve the discoverability of IGTVs by posting their previews to your feed – the video will stop after one minute and offer the viewer to continue watching on IGTV.

In case that you downloaded your Live Stream and want to share it with your audience again in the future, you can easily schedule and publish IGTV with ZoomSphere's Scheduler app using our mobile app – more about this publishing method here.

Personalizing Users Experiences

We all know the basics of how to use social media, but have you ever thought about making it a personal experience for your clients? Social media is about building connections with current and potential clients. One of the best ways to do that is by giving them the information you know they're interested in seeing. 

Whether you're creating product recommendations, personalized videos, introducing chatbots, or more, there are so many different ways to personalize the experience for your users.

You might be thinking that you can't create personalized playlists for each of your clients like Spotify, but there are other ways to give your users the same experience. For example, many people will use chatbots to let current and potential customers feel like they have a direct line to the company.

There are so many ways you can use chatbots through social media so clients can get their questions answered. One way to use them is to introduce your company when someone follows your social media account. By doing this, a potential client will see that they have access to talk with someone if they need it. 

Work With Social Media Influencers

When using social media, we're always thinking about new ways we can grow our audience and advertise our products. One of the best trends that will not be going anywhere anytime soon is working with social media influencers.

Did you know that teens say they trust social media influencers more than celebrities? It could be because teens can relate more to social media influencers who are closer to their age and have the same likes and dislikes as they do.

As a business owner, you'll want to start researching to see what type of social media influencer aligns with your company's products and values. Choosing a social media influencer can help to increase your traffic and revenue in astounding ways.

If you're wondering how to start working with social media influencers, there are plenty of options for you to get started. You can reach out to them via their business email. Many times you might get ahold of their management or the social media influencer themselves. 

When working together, you'll find that social media influencers will want money or free products in return for a shoutout. They could feature you within a video, in-feed post, or even show your products on their stories. Everything is worked out with the social media influencer beforehand, and you'll even have a chance to approve the post.

You should also note that there are many different types of social media influencers. For example, micro-influencers have a few thousand followers but can still be a great resource if you're looking to reach your target audience.

Focus on Brand Ambassadors 

If you're one of the main people that post on your social media accounts, you might start to get familiar with some of the loyal followers who are always liking, replying, or even reposting your content. One of the benefits of social media is the users who love interacting with you.

Many times we like to call these loyal followers our brand ambassadors. They're the people who simply can't get enough of your content or especially your products.

When thinking of social media trends that will arise, you should make sure you're focusing on your brand ambassadors and giving them the attention they deserve. By responding to their comments or direct messages, you'll find they will continue to help your social media grow and support you. 

Even though brand ambassadors might not have millions of followers, they can help you out in other ways. Interaction on your social media accounts helps the algorithm recommend your content to more and more people. That should always be a goal when trying to improve your social media strategy.

The best part is that focusing on brand ambassadors is free! You'll find that it is a much different relationship than working with a social media influencer. It is all about building relationships with people that interact with your accounts and enjoy your products.

Of course, you can go out of your way to send them free products to show how much you care. There are plenty of ways to support your brand ambassadors so they continue to support you.

TikTok Continues to Grow

If you're looking for new social media ideas and ways to grow your audience, don't be afraid to make a TikTok account. In fact, it is predicted that the app will continue to grow and become more popular within the next few years. Currently, there are over 6 billion lifetime downloads for the app.

You might think that there are already too many other businesses on TikTok, which means you won't be able to find your audience. That's incorrect!

TikTok is one of the best places to start because more and more people can easily access your content. You'll find that once you learn TikTok's algorithm it will be easier for you to make the kinds of content your target audience wants to see. 

When your content lands on more "For You Pages," you'll find that the followers will continue rolling in. It is much easier to get a viral video on TikTok compared to another platform, such as YouTube.

Reels are Trending 

Instagram Reels send users on an experience through several short and entertaining videos. The setup of the feature makes it easy for users to consume more content than before.

In turn, Instagram Reels makes for a great addition to any company's social strategy. You're going to get more viewers to your Instagram page. This means that there's a greater chance that you could gain more followers and bring on more leads.

According to Instagram, "younger audiences are spending more time with amateur content creators and less time with professionals", which creates a huge area of opportunity for brands and organizations to use this space for themselves.

Did you know that you can schedule and publish Instagram Reels with ZoomSphere's Scheduler app? 🥳 They can be shared easily to Instagram using our mobile app – more about this publishing method here. 

Also do not forget to use hashtags! Hashtags are Instagram's way for people to search videos. They also help categorize your content for different types of "Explore Pages."

TIP💡 Choose the right hashtags with the Hashtag Suggestions feature in ZoomSphere. Read more about it here. 

Use Local SEO

Whether you have a brick-and-mortar location, or you strictly operate within the digital world, using local SEO can help increase your traffic. Search engine optimization is a great way to bring in organic traffic that is interested in your products or services.

Yet, did you know you can use local SEO to help attract people searching for products and services within your area?

Using local SEO as a social media trend is currently on the rise, and you need to start using it right away. Ranking higher in the search engines helps potential customers have more trust within you and your brand. You'll find it will also be easier for people to find your posts if they're higher in social media search engines.

Search engine optimization isn't just for websites like Google. Making sure you're using keywords when you craft tweets, Instagram descriptions, or Facebook content, can be one of the best ways to make sure your content is seen by your target audience.

One place you can start using local SEO right now is Instagram. You'll find that Instagram lets you tag each post with your location. That means people will have an easier time finding your products or services when they're searching for something similar in your area. 

New Social Media Trends You Need to Try

As you can see, there are plenty of new social media trends that are on the rise this year. If you're looking for a way to revamp your social media strategy, you'll need to start implementing these trends before they get popular.

You'll find the sooner you hop on a trend, the more people will be attracted to your page. 

Sometimes social media isn't easy, and that's why we're here to help! If you're looking for a hand in building your social media presence and creating a strong social media strategy, we have you covered. You can sign up now to get started with your free trial and see what we can do for you.