2020 was a year that changed so much for social media marketing. Many companies and social media leaders were forced to scrap their social media marketing strategy as their current content was no longer relevant to the ever-changing times. Faced with a pandemic, sociopolitical challenges, and a year of near-constant change and turmoil, social media users were looking for content that was markedly different to what they’d been looking for before. As a result, in 2021 a business’ social media strategy needs to look different to remain relevant and on point.

What are users looking for in 2021?

1. Brands that showcase their values— 2020 saw more and more brands taking a stand on social issues. There’s no denying it, a lot happened in 2020 and users are leaning towards brands that show their values, care about their communities, and act on what they say.
2. Reading the room— People don’t want to have products and brands being pushed on them when times are hard. The last thing you want to do is to post a product promotion at a time that would be considered insensitive. Now more than ever, it pays to take some time to check on what’s happening that day before posting on social media.
3. Embracing imperfection— 2020 saw news readers presenting from their living rooms and teachers running classes from their kitchens. The facade was pulled down and people saw the imperfections, and the same thing happened on social media. Connection comes from relatability much more than it comes from perfectly crafted content, and a lot of brands created a great deal of buzz when they showed their human and flawed sides. People are looking towards brands that understand them and show authenticity.

In short, users are looking for content that is relevant, human, empathetic, and in line with their values.

Building your social media marketing strategy for 2021

With all of this in mind, how can you adapt your social media strategy to make sure your content stays relevant and on point for your users? Here are a few tips:

1. Set goals that make sense for your business
Social media marketing strategy starts with goal setting. To build the best strategy for your business in these current times you’ll want to start by creating clear, achievable goals. Maybe you want to increase your brand awareness and increase brand loyalty, maybe you want your social media campaigns to drive more revenue. Setting goals will help define your content strategy and how much energy you’ll need to dedicate to your campaigns.

2. Take time to research your target audience
This is important— now more than ever. The last thing you want to do is make assumptions about your audience and what they want to hear. Instead, take the time to learn about your audience and demographics. The good news is that thanks to the vast amount of data and social media analytics tools, a lot of the information is readily available if you know where to look. Make use of the tools available to truly understand your audience, and use that information to inform your social media content creation strategy.

3. Create engaging, timely content that’s relevant to 2021
As a social media content manager, you likely already have a solid understanding of your brand and brand voice. Use that as the foundation to build out a content strategy that is in line with what your users are wanting to see and hear today.

• Create content that shows your human side— Personal, human content is key. The pandemic (and all that came with it) broke down a lot of walls and users want to see the humans behind the posts. Don’t be afraid to let them in through some of your content.
• Create engaging, timely content— Stories, live videos, and engaging with users in the comments can all help you to interact with followers in real time. These things make your social media feeds feel more personal, and more thoughtful about what’s going on around us at the time.
• Create videos and live content— Social video is thriving, and users are looking for videos for more insight into their favorite brands. Weaving this into your social media marketing strategy can be huge!

4. Assess what’s working and how to keep improving
It’s important to keep analyzing your social media strategy, and to adapt it as you progress through the year. Times may change, and 2020 has taught us to expect the unexpected. Similarly, some campaigns may work really well while others might fall flat. Keep an eye on the data and analytics and don’t be afraid to pivot as needed.

Big Storm is a digital marketing company in Bozeman, Montana. We know how hard it can be to build the perfect, adaptive social media strategy, and that’s exactly where our expertise comes into play. We have years of experience in implementing a successful social media marketing strategy for our clients. Find out more about our social media services here.