What Social Media Channels Should You Use in 2021
Where does the time go?
And just like that, it is a matter of weeks until Christmas and marketeers and brand managers are in the final throes of their 2021 plans. We can all agree that 2020 has been a strange year, but it has proven that social media is more vital than ever in providing brands and consumers with a means of communication and interacting.
In a world where it has been, in many cases, against the law to physically interact with friends and family, consumers have flocked to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and the like to stay in touch, get their news and search for some much needed escapism. So much so that data from Latest UKOM shows that in the UK, time spent on social platforms increased by 28% between January and April.
So what next? Where should you be focusing your efforts in 2021? Our guide gives you all you need to know. But before you read on, Remember our mantra:
BE MIGHTY AT A FEW, NOT MEDIOCRE AT THEM ALL
What Social Media Channels to focus on in 2021
This might be the biggest name in the Social Media world, but not all brands will thrive on the platform. This being said, small businesses, both B2B and B2C and non-profit organisations can do very well on Facebook, but it’s still important to ask “is this where my target audience is?”. Conduct some consumer research to see, and then weigh up whether it is worth your time to focus your energy on Facebook.
Facebook offers a huge wealth of creative possibilities for advertisers and content managers. 3D, Live video, AR, short form stories, long form video and more. At Mighty Social, we are Facebook marketing Partners and therefore have access to all the latest news and developments from the social media giant and are always keen to test and learn with new creative techniques on the platform.
What is it good for?
Brand awareness, engaging and creating conversation, events, link click, and selling products and services to an audience with a high propensity to convert.
Advertising
There aren’t many other social channels that offer the same level of audience targeting and invaluable ad options to advertisers. The level of insights that Facebook provide are second to none and the ability to set up and launch an ad is, on the face of it at least, relatively simple. However to make the most of Facebook’s services and to really cut through the noise of competitors, there is a great deal of complexity with regards to placements, bidding options, creative design and targeting.
Hot on the heels of Facebook, Instagram is another channel that is seeing exponential growth in terms of users. When done well it can offer a fantastic way for brands and businesses to connect with their customers, use influencers and display what’s on offer using Instagram’s many tools. The newest one is of course Instagram Reels, but there are also Instagram Stories and the main news feed with which to engage your followers. Bear in mind though that it is difficult to add links to Instagram (only pages with 10K + followers can add links to Stories and there is no way off adding a clickable URL within copy on a feed post). Having a large bank of high quality images and videos is essential.
Ten years on from its creation, Instagram shows no signs of slowing down and is used by businesses and creators, big and small to great effect.
What is it good for?
Brand awareness, consumer engagement
Advertising
Being owned by Facebook, it is possible to advertise and target audiences at a very granular level and Instagram offers a large range of creative ad options to encourage conversions, engagement and awareness. Also like Facebook, making the most of all these options can be complex so we recommend a high level of expertise and a strong head for analytics to reap the benefits.
This is a fast moving, real time and news driven platform that shows no signs of drastically changing. It offers huge customer service capabilities, giving businesses the chance to respond to and resolve customer issues publicly, so if this channel is right for you, be prepared for a high level of interaction and a keen eye for copywriting.
What is it good for?
Link clicks, engagement, real-time live event coverage
Advertising
Twitter has similar capabilities as Instagram and Facebook in terms of objectives, bidding structures and targeting. We recommend that you’re sure your target audience is on Twitter before you start placing ads and that you have an established audience and a regular presence.
A professionally-driven platform that is less about people posting personal updates but rather a place for employees and businesses to promote themselves and their activities. LinkedIn is great channel for thought leadership and networking.
What is it good for?
Link clicks, professional article distribution, event sign ups, recruitment, B2B, luxury goods and services
Advertising
LinkedIn makes it simple to promote posts with ad objectives being what you would expect from all the major social media networks. Again though, an advanced knowledge of targeting and bidding is highly recommended to take full advantage of all the tools.
Pinterest is perfect for businesses with a strong design, planning, event and creative offering. In the past year Pinterest has exploded with MAU number now reaching an all time high of 442 Million. They recently reported strong Q3 numbers with revenue increasing by 58% year on year.
Our blog on implementing Pinterest as part of your marketing strategy goes into more detail about this once niche and now hugely popular social channel, one that has seen record levels of engagement since lockdown - with searches rising 55% YOY, ‘saves’ increasing 40% YOY, and the number of Pin boards created increasing by 45%.
We have worked with many brands to use Pinterest to boost their audience engagement levels and increase brand awareness. Pinterest was so pleased with our creative for one premium interior design leader, we were asked to run best-practice Pinterest creative for world-leading brands and partners.
We were selected to design Pins for premium clients as a result of proven work across this platform.
Pins designed by us delivered a 38% lower Cost per Click compared to the pins designed by their in-house Pin Factory (the platform’s creative team).
What is it good for?
Link Clicks, dynamic and engaging ads, data driven targeting options.
Advertising
Pinterest has a wealth of data where they have looked at emerging trends and behaviours. They have found an increase in businesses looking for data insights to help guide and readjust their marketing strategies.
Lockdown has seen a surge in consumers looking for new ideas and planning for the future, and this means businesses have an opportunity to pull in new customers and increase their market share. By looking at what consumers are searching for, it creates a clear picture of what they are in need of and therefore take the opportunity to fulfill those needs. Advertising on Pinterest requires a certain level of skill and like with all social advertising, getting the most out of it requires expert planning and analysis.
TikTok
The new(er) kid on the block, but one that has made a real name for itself. Being shrouded in controversy hasn’t seemed to have put a dent in the social network’s rise in popularity, which currently boasts over 800 million active monthly users, with Millennials and Gen Z individuals flocking to the platform to showcase their dance moves, editing abilities and comedy skills.
What is it good for?
Influencer marketing, fashion and lifestyle brands, consumables.
Advertising
Advertising on TikTok is still in its infancy and latest results would suggest it is fairly expensive, however there is no doubt that this is where the younger demographic is spending their time, with brands able to reach a large and diverse audience. It is a place for brands to show their creative side and where traditional forms of advertising is a thing of the past. It’s also the ideal place to ramp up your influencer activity - think of it as 1960’s product placement, but for a young and sceptical audience.
Read our blog on how brands are using TikTok to great effect for more information.
So there we have it, that’s a run down of social media channels, and how they may benefit your business as we head towards the end of the year. Have you started your marketing plans for 2021 yet? How does social feature? Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can make your business MIGHTY!