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14 Social MediaTrends
to Watch in 2021
Arik C. Hanson
ACH Communications
Dec. 16, 2020

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ABOUT ARIK

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arik@arikhanson.com
arikhanson.com
TheTalkingPointsPodcast.com
arikhanson.com/subscribe
HERE’S WHERE TO FIND ME

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What trended in 2020?
• More companies (and Mick Fleetwood)
experimented with TikTok
• Live video had its day in the sun
• More brands weighed in on social issues on
social media

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What about 2021?

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Trend #1: The comeback of the
corporate blog

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Walmart

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Walmart

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US Bank

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Target

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Target

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What it means for you
• Owned content never went out of style
• Time to knock the rust off your corporate blog in
2021?
• Maybe it’s time to start—remember, it doesn’t have
to be a “blog”

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Trend #2: Companies embrace
video…on LinkedIn

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Also:
LinkedIn reports that users spent three times more
time watching videos than viewing static content.
During the limited or beta release of LinkedIn Video, it
was found that videos were shared 20 times
more than any other type of content.

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What it means for you
• Start small—you don’t necessarily need original
video content
• Make sure video connects to overall goals
• Won’t be apples to apples with photo-based content

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Trend #3: User-generated content
becomes a social mainstay

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Why?
• More relatable
• More human
• Easier to source (especially during COVID)

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Trend #4: Stories actually don’t
become the future of social media

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Feed still comes first
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook

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Stories:
• Time-consuming to build
• Mostly cannot be repurposed
• Generating results brands want?

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Trend #5: Facebook (finally) becomes
an e-commerce player

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Why?
• 140 million small businesses use Facebook's
products, and 1 in 3 businesses in the U.S. didn't
even have a website
• Facebook family of apps: 2.4 billion daily users and
three billion monthly users
• Facebook plays to “discovery”

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Won’t make sense for all brands, but…
• If you use Shopify, it syncs nicely with that tool.
• It could be a more seamless shopping experience
than your site for some companies
• It’s e-commerce without the build

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Trend #6: Niche platforms further
splinter the social web

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What does this mean for brands?
• You don’t HAVE to be on the “Big 4”
• Additional investment or shifting priorities—spending
time/energy on these niche platforms will require
both
• Budget ample “get to know the platform” time
• Educate key leaders

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Trend #7: TikTok won’t crack the “top
5” for most brands

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But—brands need to be ready

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What does that mean?
• Prepare for your “viral moment”
• Scan to see if you have employees who might be
influencers
• Educate key internal stakeholders

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Trend #8: More companies will make
bigger bets on bigger pieces of
content

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What it means for you:
• Quality > Quantity
• Resist the urge to focus on volume
• Goal: Create one major content asset in Q1—see
how it performs vs. 5-7 smaller ones.

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Trend #9: “Taking a stand” will be table
stakes on social

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These companies have been doing it
for years

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But now…

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What it means for you
• Whatever stand you take, it should align with your
mission, vision and values.
• In this current climate, actions speak (a lot) louder
than words.

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Trend #10: Influencers doing more
social good than social selling

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What it means for you:
• Chance to engage influencers across different areas
of your organization
• Lead with social good—get to the selling later (read:
establish trust).

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Trend #11: Companies let customers,
culture dictate brand (a little)

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It’s amazing, but in 2020 some brands
still think they can control everything

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However, more brands are adapting

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What it means for you:
• Be ready to embrace your “viral moment”—focus on
education with key leaders now before you need it
• Social listening can play a big role in figuring out
what customers really think about your brand

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Trend #12: Social marketing will tug on
nostalgic heartstrings

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What it means for you:
• Even if your brand doesn’t have obvious ties to
nostalgia, it doesn’t mean you can’t participate
• Even nostalgia for your brand can work well in some
cases (old brand logos, former brand experiences
and milestones)

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Trend #13: Twitch officially becomes a
major social media platform for brands
(via influencers)

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The stats
• 40 million monthly active viewers
• Owns almost 75% of video game streaming market
• Average viewer spends 95 minutes a day on Twitch
• Hours watched on Twitch jumped 50 percent
between March and April 2020 and a full 101
percent year over year.
• Overwhelmingly Millennial—71% of Twitch users are
Millennials (the remaining 29% comes from my
son’s usage)

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What it means for you:
• Maybe nothing—Twitch clearly isn’t for every brand
• Identify influencers you think your brand might align
with first—Twitch is an “influencer first” platform right
now.

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Trend #14: Executives—not employees—
will hold more influence on LinkedIn

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What it means for you:
• Make sure your CEOs/executives profiles are
polished.
• Take advantage of this moment—now is the time to
work with your execs to get them active on LinkedIn!

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14 Social Media Trends
• #1: The comeback of the corporate blog
• #2: Companies embrace video…on LinkedIn
• #3: User-Generated Content Becomes a Mainstay
• #4: Stories actually don’t become the future of social media
• #5: Facebook (finally) becomes an e-commerce player
• #6: Niche platforms further splinter the social web
• #7: TikTok won’t crack the “top 5” for most brands—but…
#8: More companies will make big bets on fewer pieces of content
• #9: “Taking a stand” will be table stakes on social
• #10: Influencers doing more social good than social selling
• #11: Companies let customers, culture dictate brand
• #12: Social marketing will tug on nostalgic heartstrings
• #13: Twitch officially becomes a major social media platform for brands
(via influencers)
• #14: Executives—not employees—will hold more influence on LinkedIn