New buying behaviors and marketing trends have developed during COVID-19 and the various events in 2023. The year changed a lot, and more brands focused on online strategies. At the same time, more consumers are using the Internet to shop for products. Brands, therefore, need to know the new marketing trends for the coming years, so what are these recent trends?
In 2023, the labor market changed radically, and many companies had to start rethinking and thinking new. In addition, it has become increasingly common to work from home. With that, everyone has been forced to become more digital, both in their marketing and communication, internally and externally. Some of the trends that became more prominent in 2021 were that companies live-streamed more, companies have more online customer meetings and conferences, social media has become hotter, and selling online via various platforms. This article addresses a few trends that have changed marketing in 2021 and beyond.
Live Streams
The most significant trend in social media was live streams. Many influencers started streaming live, while their views increased when most were at home. For example, thoughts on Facebook and Instagram doubled in one week in Italy during COVID-19.
Then, most of the events were live-streamed. For example, famous artists turned live concepts into live streams last year. These factors contributed to a massive increase in live videos, and users became more accustomed to these features on social media platforms.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
The content created by users is called user-generated content (UGC). Brands get this content, publish it on different platforms, and usually mention the creator. While user-generated content is not new, more brands will use it in 2021 to improve engagement and build trust with the target audience.
User-generated content includes reviews, video reviews, blog posts, and photos. In some cases, brands find content from users on social media to share or publish on their profiles.
Easy-to-Consume Content
Many brands have gone online in recent months due to COVID-19 and have concluded that their followers want easy-to-consume content. Unfortunately, easy-to-consume content is passive, short, and to the point.
For example, 55% of Americans listen to podcasts, and it mentioned newsletters 14% more during COVID-19. Podcasts and newsletters are two types of content that are easy to consume and help brands reach their target audience.
More Brands Use Stories
Stories are an engaging type of content that includes both images and videos. More than 500 million users a day watch stories on Instagram. Facebook has also developed a similar feature to motivate its users.
The trend is that stories will continue to dominate social media for several years. Regarding marketing, 96% of marketers will continue using accounts over the next six months, and 36% of brands already use stories to market their products.
Social Trade will Continue to Grow
Many brands have used social media to market their products for several years. However, many platforms have created new or improved previous features that help us sell products directly on social media.
Instagram allows us to tag and buy products directly in the app without leaving the platform. It makes the process much easier and improves the user experience. Facebook also has a feature that allows you to set up a store.
TikTok Continues to Attract Influencers
TikTok has over 800 million users, 600 million of whom are active. It means that almost 75% of all users are happening every day. So, it’s perfect for influencers who want committed followers who help them get bigger sponsorship deals.
TikTok also has a Creator Fund for users in the US and Europe. It rewards the best creators and motivates them to continue producing good content for their followers.
Video is the Key for Influencers
Many influencers focus on videos in 2021, and all trends indicate that video will be the key in the future. For example, TikTok uses short videos, while Instagram and YouTube have introduced features with both short and long videos.
A video is a great tool to market offers from their sponsors and explain their products. The live-streamed video also provides many views and shows the way for more engagement. We expect to see more creative videos with even more commitment.
Conversation Marketing
You can use chatbots to automate conversation marketing and make it more personal. Chatbots can, for example, answer more straightforward questions about products on social media and thank customers.
According to a study, 35% of consumers want to see more chatbots from brands. The main reason is that they need help finding what they need, and they have no problem getting help from a cure instead of an actual person.