2021 Social Media Ad Trends You Need To Know
2021 is well underway. Over the past several months, it's become apparent which social media advertising trends have stuck. Today, the BusySeed team of digital marketing experts will walk you through social media advertising tips and tricks that you need to know to make the rest of 2021 as successful as possible.
A Growth In Story Ads
Snapchat was the original social media platform with story options. These are brief images or videos that are displayed on your page for 24 hours. It's a great way to post updates that are a bit more casual than those you post about. Stories are also more interactive with options like polls, Q&As, rating sliders, and more. The other social media giants soon followed suit to introduce stories. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter all have their own versions now, all with the same basic premise and functionality. More and more users are viewing stories now that they are more popular. This means that businesses can take advantage of the higher traffic and create story advertisements. These ads will appear seamlessly as users click or scroll through stories from accounts they follow. These ads can be more conversational and casual, making users more likely to interact with them. Stories use a full screen, vertical format so you can create story-only content that will make people constantly look forward to your sponsored stories. Videos and images are welcomed so choose the style that will best showcase your product or service. Don't forget: videos tend to perform better, especially if they feature happy people!
Augmented Reality
Technology continues to advance each and every day and it is truly incredible to see. Thanks to these advancements, businesses are able to take their social media advertising to a new level. Snapchat was once again the pioneer for the augmented reality space, allowing users to apply filters to their photos and videos. Other social platforms soon jumped on board and quickly saw success. Businesses can now make use of this augmented reality with branded filters and lenses! You can have a filter set based on location. For example, if you own a small coffee shop on the corner of 1st and 2nd Ave in NY, you could have your filter available within a block of your store. This lets customers show off where they are, and can introduce your shop to potential customers who happen to be swiping through filters or lenses. If you use Snapchat or other augmented reality camera options, you've likely seen some huge brands use it. McDonald's, Wendy's, Olay, Old Navy, and many other market-leading brands have created interactive lenses and filters to promote new items, new seasons, anniversaries, and more. Creating a filter is not hard, especially if you work with a digital marketing agency. Keep in mind that because it's such a popular form of social media advertising, it can be a bit pricier than other channels. The larger the area you want your lens/filter to be available for, and the more days, the more money you'll need to spend. For special promotions or events we highly suggest augmented reality marketing. It's great for brand awareness and can also get people more excited about your brand.
Focus on SEO
One of the biggest trends in social media advertising is not a form of ad at all! More and more companies are switching their focus to SEO growth. If you're not sure, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is a long-term way to increase your visibility on Google. No budget is needed, just lots of time and keywords! Google bots comb through all indexed webpages on the internet to search for relevant and frequently-used keywords that people may search for. Over time, your pages will build up more keywords. The more you have, and the better Google ranks your site, the higher up on search results you'll appear. SEO will never get your site above the paid ads, but you could be the first organic page! For example, if you have a cookie company, you may want customers to find your website when they search for things like "organic cookie company," "fresh cookies near me," "local bakeries," etc. To rank on these keywords, you'll want to include them in your pages in the form of headers, body text, image descriptions, meta tags, and more. SEO blogs are one of the best ways to increase your keyword ranking. Each post can feature several keywords 4-5 times each. Once indexed, that page will start moving up in the ranks on those search terms! Businesses are opting for SEO because it saves money, runs long-term, and doesn't have any attachment to the negative connotation that can come with paid ads.
Short-Form Video Ads
As we've mentioned in previous blogs about up-and-coming digital trends, short-form video content is quickly taking over social media platforms. Advertisements are reflecting the trend as well. Videos have historically performed better than still images, so the idea of creating video-based ads is nothing new. However, consumers are expecting much shorter videos these days. Thanks to stories, Reels, Tik Toks, and other video platforms, you have a limited window of time before people keep scrolling. 15-30 second videos are ideal. Keep in mind that most ads are served to new consumers, so you may have under a minute to introduce your brand and convince viewers to work with you. Make sure to start off your video ads with a bang; something that will quickly grab attention and draw people in. It's always a good idea to include text on video ads to a) get your message across even if the user has their volume down, and b) be inclusive to those with hearing problems who rely on closed captioning. Don't be afraid to use songs in your ads, just be sure they're copyright free or you have permission to use them. The most successful short-form video ads can stand alone with or without volume and still tell the same story. Don't try to pack in too much information, just hit the best points to encourage viewers to head to your page or visit your website! If you have longer videos, a digital marketing agency will be able to edit them down into easily-digestible clips. We'll keep the best clips in the ads to give you the best chance of seeing results.
Influencer Marketing
The last social media advertising trend we've seen in 2021 is not new, but is ever-growing. Influencers are people or accounts who are famous in one way or another. This can be a singer, songwriter, actor, performer, or someone who is prominent on social media. Influencer marketing involves paying these celebrities to post about your product. You've likely seen celebs raving about the newest weight-loss vitamin - that's a form of advertising! It's actually very effective because the fan base trusts the celebrity's opinion and will therefore trust your product. If Beyoncé tells us to eat at a restaurant, we'll be there for lunch! Influencer marketing puts your products in front of huge and captivated audiences. Many influencers have promo codes that will save consumers money per purchase and some of the profit is given to the influencer. You'll need a contract of some kind with your influencer(s) that spells out the commitment and payment. The more famous the celebrity, the more you can expect to pay (and the more results you can expect!). It can be very challenging to get in touch with influencers on your own. Digital marketing agencies who offer this service will have a much easier time getting ahold of the celebrity's management team. Make sure to curate a list of influencers you're interested in working with that take into account the reason for that person's fame, their fan base, and what they stand for as a human. For example, if you sell dietary supplements, you'll want to aim for adult influencers with an older audience who enjoys active lifestyles. You need to be careful about what you advertise to the younger generation on these social media apps.
As you can see, social media marketing in 2021 looks a bit different than it has in years past. Improved technology has made it possible to create new types of advertisements that are more casual and engaging. Unfortunately, for those business owners who aren't well-versed in marketing technology, you may be feeling a bit lost. Turn to a digital marketing agency and let them handle the work for you! BusySeed has helped hundreds of companies navigate through the ever-changing world of social media ads and this year is no exception. We'll create a customized package of services that will best help you reach your goals. Our team of Digital Marketing Experts will create custom content and edit photos/videos to be used in ads. We also offer organic posting, SEO blog writing, website SEO monitoring, and more! If you're ready to get with the times, contact us today at (888) 353-1484. We look forward to speaking with you soon!
