As 2020 draws to a close, most businesses have worked on plans to grow in the new year, and a crucial part of the planning has been strategizing and coming up with a solid marketing plan for the entire year.
It is a given that online marketing and sales are a key part of their plans and industry experts have predicted that there will be three main trends that will shape how businesses are going to market themselves on social media.
Coronavirus
A lot of businesses have been affected by the pandemic and in the new year, they will use social media to communicate more with their audience, build a relationship and convert that to sales.
Needless to say, a lot of focus is on growing. The pandemic has changed the way we interact with each other and businesses for good.
Whether there is a lockdown or not, most businesses will be making a shift to talking about staying safe. They will build compassion for the community into their ethos and will incorporate cleanliness and contactless interactions within their daily management as well as in dealings with customers.
These changes will be reflected in every business’ online and physical presence and will be a way to prove to their customers that their safety matters.
Kindness and compassion will be a key feature of regular communication as well.
Podcasts
Podcasts are audio recordings of conversation on a certain topic between two or more persons.
The future for this form of communication is very bright in 2021, with more than 55% of Americans saying they listen to at least one podcast regularly.
While podcasting started off as industry experts conducting interviews on a certain topic, celebrities and businesses are seeing the potential to reach out and connect with their followers through a natural flow of conversation with their guests and are flooding into the podcasting space.
While podcasts are still under-monetized, it is precited to become a billion-dollar industry in this year as more and more businesses and individuals see the potential they offer.
Social commerce
Buying and selling products and services through social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram is called social commerce.
The very nature of these network means buyers have access to the best form of recommendation for a certain product or service: peer reviews. Consumers who are influenced by reviews on social networks are 4x more likely to make a purchase, while 75% of online and in-store shoppers say they look up reviews online before making a purchase decision.
Social commerce is important for brands because it presents them with a unique opportunity for interacting with their consumers directly, which is a key factor in gaining and retaining customers and providing stellar pre- and post-sales services.
With more and more people shifting to online shopping as an after-effect of the pandemic, social commerce will only gain traction in the new year.