How social media changed in 2020 and what that means for 2021
The pandemic has forever changed our lives including our media consumption. In a year unlike any other we were told to physically stay apart and therefore swarmed to stay connected.
In the recently released reports, Digital 2021: Global Overview Report and Digital 2021: The United States of America, they cover how people around the world interacted with digital media in 2020. Here are my takeaways and what it means for the year ahead in social media marketing:
The mad dash to remain connected means more social media users than ever before
In 2020, close to half a billion people became new social media users.
In the U.S. there were over 10 million new users.
That’s WILD. I tell everyone who takes my SkillPop classes that if they weren’t on social media before now is a good time to get started. But truly, start now. Make an account. Ramp up your efforts. You have the potential to reach over 4.2 billion active social media users around the globe who are spending their time, and a lot of it, on multiple platforms as you can see in the chart below.
One side note — the average time on social media was up five minutes from 2019 to 2020. This was a little surprising to me that it was only five minutes, but my guess is that the older demographic skewed this number down.
Our motivations are changing
When creating content for social media it’s important to consider why someone is on the platform in the first place. In 2020, we saw those motivations change. People turned to social media to help them stay up-to-date. From the pandemic to the presidential election, there was a lot of news to keep up with last year and it’s being shared in real time on social media.
We also saw people logging on to be entertained and fill up spare time. As we were forced to quarantine and be apart, many of us found a lot of free time on our hands. We also became physically distanced from our friends, coworkers and family members. It’s not surprising to me then that the fourth motivation was to stay in touch with others.
As we move forward, I’d encourage brands to alter their social media strategies to meet people at these motivations. We know people want to be entertained. So entertain them. We know people want to stay connected with others. So create a community to make that happen.
Social media became a place to do consumer research
Alright, be honest. How many items did you purchase online last year? We were already shifting to an online economy and the pandemic greased the wheels. I personally order almost everything online now because it’s convenient but also much safer than going to a store. And from the data below, I’m not the only one.
With an increase in online shopping, we’re seeing people turn to social media to do brand research. You could even say social platforms are becoming search engines. To help with this we’re seeing the platforms, particularly Instagram, release new features to help small businesses grow their presence.
We know people are discovering brands on social media. They’re talking about brand. Engaging with them. Tagging them. So how can you use this in your 2021 social media strategy?
Create content that helps your audience research your brand
Let’s say you own an ice cream store. You could:
Share testimonials as social media graphics
Film a video on how the ice cream is made
Write an ‘advertorial’ such as This Winter’s Top 10 Most Popular Ice Cream Flavors
Partner with a local chef to make your recipes at home
Use Instagram stories to poll “This or That” flavor of the week options
Share your ideal quarantine date night featuring products from local businesses
Ask yourself what questions people have about your brand or product. Then create content focusing on those questions.
Finally, I’ll leave you with this takeaway from the report. People aren’t reading content. They’re watching videos. So be sure to incorporate video into your content mix.
