To say that we’ve all spent a lot of time on social media this year is an understatement about on par with 2020 has been just a little weird or kind of challenging. Social media has not only been a way to connect and communicate, but businesses have been utilizing it in record numbers. There’s no doubt that social media will be important for your business in 2021, but the question is: which social media trends will be the ones to watch and jump on board with?

According to Hootsuite, more than half of the world’s total population now uses social media. That is roughly 3.96 BILLION people…and these are just the global numbers. In North America, closer to 70% of the population uses it. And while Facebook continues to dominate, according to GlobalWebIndex, the average social media user is on as many as nine different platforms.

There’s a lot out there, so particularly for small business owners and entrepreneurs who don’t have massive marketing teams, how do you know where to be and what to focus on when it comes to social media? 

Here are 6 Social Media Trends to Watch in 2021.

Social Media Trend #1: Get Conversational (and Vulnerable) on LinkedIn

Gone are the days of dry business posts getting any attention on LinkedIn. In order to stand out in 2021, you have to get personal and conversational with your LinkedIn audience.

They want stories. They want FUN! Try embracing some of LinkedIn’s newer features like polls and stories to boost your engagement and get noticed by potential clients. 

Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with your LinkedIn followers and really lean into building your personal brand alongside your business. People want to work with people. They need to know and trust YOU.

Social Media Trend #2: Your Images Need to be Socially Conscious and Diverse

2020 has brought a lot to the forefront and one thing that has become abundantly clear is we are no longer tolerating our social media feeds being filled with people from a single ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, background or body type. (And it’s about damn time!)

Getty Images shared new research saying “8 in 10 people expect companies to be consistently committed to inclusivity and diversity in their advertising.” In a single month in 2020, searches for diverse images increased by 200%.

Your clients want to see people who look like them and their loved ones on your social media feed. Don’t alienate your audience by relying on stock images of only white men in 2021.

Social Media Trend #3: Sometimes Less is Really More

While all of us have been spending an increased amount of time on social media, the amount of posts from a single account is generally trending down. 

It is increasingly important to be more thoughtful about when you post and what you post about. It’s better to have fewer posts and only share when you have deep, authentic content that serves to connect with your people. 

Hubspot actually shared that businesses with less than 10,000 social media followers saw lower engagement if they posted more than twice a day on average.

Try getting less hung up on posting daily (or multiple times a day) and instead dig deeper with what you’re posting. Again, be vulnerable. Share stories. Get real with your people. 

Social Media Trend #4: Make Use of Short-Form Videos

Reels have been exploding on Instagram (we’re talking as much as 10x the number of eyes on your content as your average post) and people are using them for way more than showing off their dancing skills. 

Also, Instagram isn’t the only place short videos are increasing engagement either. According to HubSpot’s 2020 State of Marketing report, video beat out heavyweight contenders like email, blogging, and infographics as the most used type of marketing content. 

Plus, not only are videos just plain fun to watch, studies have actually shown most people retain close to 95% of a message when they watch it, as opposed to only a 10% retention rate when reading something.

Social Media Trend #5: Get Ready to Go Live

Speaking of getting in front of the camera, 2021 looks to be another year of increase in live videos across social media platforms.

Go-Global reports that 80% of brand audiences would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82% prefer live video from a brand to social posts. They also shared that Facebook Live videos are watched 3x longer than videos that are no longer live.

Your people want to connect and interact with you. We’ve all been extremely isolated in 2020 and connecting with someone live on social media feels more authentic and personal than simply consuming content they’ve posted.

Social Media Trend #6: Fully Embrace Authenticity

We touched on this with other trends to watch, but truly the importance of being authentic and real with your audience in 2021 cannot be overstated.

Thankfully, for many of the heart-centered entrepreneurs we work with, being open and real with their people is what they do best. 

The world needs what you’ve got in 2021 so don’t be afraid to be the genuinely incredible human you are. Show people who you are this coming year (faults and all!). You may not have the largest marketing budget or the biggest team to follow and embrace all of these ever-changing trends, but what you offer is valuable so don’t hesitate to show up!

If you need help jumping on board with these (or any other) marketing trends in 2021, the team at Amazing OBM would love to connect. You can start by scheduling a FREE 30-minute consultation. We are happy to chat, offer you some valuable tips, and determine if we are a good fit for one another in future endeavors!