Social media has become an integral part of human existence, with the average user engaging in any online platform for two hours a day. According to various online publications, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok are the top venues. Social media has also carved out a role in e-commerce, with marketers relying on innovative, creative ways to attract consumers. In the next two years, social media platforms are making life in virtual reality more comfortable and convenient, with businesses using the platform to their advantage.
According to a 2021 Canva article, a new brand is discovered 52 percent of the time on Instagram. However, businesses have used social media platforms in other ways, such as to attract new customers (73 percent), to increase brand awareness (64 percent), and to increase leads, purchases, and product inquiries (45 percent). Through social media, businesses have gained the trust of consumers.
One trend that took off in 2021 was creating stories for strategic content and marketing purposes. Instagram and Snapchat are two of the more popular platforms with integrated stories, with Instagram attracting 500 million users daily. These short and entertaining stories keep users' interest, with some businesses incorporating Instagram stories as a marketing strategy, with 64 percent of marketers already using this tool to attract business.
Tik Tok raised the stakes through their short-form videos, creating an addiction where users risk losing time watching entertaining videos. However, in a more positive sense, this platform facilitated the growth of social connections across virtual reality. In 2021, it gave users the ability to use the media across other platforms through cross pointing. Through cross-pointing, users take their Tik Tok videos and post them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.
Other tools that businesses use to attract consumers to their products are gamified content and groups. Through Instagram, companies create simple games (quizzes, bingo, or “choose your own adventure” style) where the user answers a prompt based on the marketing agency's suggestions. Facebook Groups also allow brands to introduce their products in a social atmosphere where people have a common interest.
Many social media analysts expect these and other trends to continue throughout the rest of 2021, with 2022 seeing social media evolve to create new opportunities. As the number of people using social media increases, some experts predict that social media will play a greater role in life. The online publication Social Media Today reports that users spent almost two-and-half hours online in 2021.
Many also believe short-form video will play a more prominent role because the average user's attention span is eight seconds, making bite-size content more attractive to users. By extension, these shorter videos will be a valuable tool in terms of marketing content.
In terms of shopping, social media is also expected to be a platform for online shopping. The pandemic facilitated the move toward social media as a shopping platform. According to the same 2021 Social Media Today article, the number of social commerce buyers increased 25.2 percent, with over 80 million users shopping through social media platforms. By 2023, the number of people shopping this way is forecasted to increase to 100 million.
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