Social Media Trends 2021 — From The Experts

I think most of us will agree that 2020 has been a bit of a year. A year we’d like to forget.

Soz. Typical British understatement.

Separated from our families. No meeting up with mates. Working from our kitchen, lounge, bedroom, became the norm. Toilet paper was rationed. Baking bread got trendy. And… we lost — in my opinion — the best James Bond.

Don’t bother arguing with me. I ain’t gonna change my mind.

For many of us, social media is our go-to place to stay current. What are people saying? What’s happening in other countries? What’s the latest meme? What’s trending?

It’s also where brands from all industries, try to sell their wares. Protect their reputation. Listen to consumers. Monitor their competitors.

We’ve watched as many brands found the perfect tone. Posted inspirational social messages. Made us laugh, empathise, understand. Despite the horror engulfing us.

LEGO spoke to us. Supported us. This tweet encouraging hand washing, generated almost 4K engagement.

We’ve taken no pleasure in seeing some brands fail to grasp the consumer mood. Posting tone-deaf messages and destroying trust.

Nope, I’m not going to share any examples.

So… what should brands do next year? What kind of social campaigns should they start preparing? What’s going to work?

Social Media Trends 2021

At Talkwalker, for the last six years, we’ve launched our Social Media Trends campaign. The biggest of the year, it involves the entire marketing team, along with a collection of some of the top PR and marketing experts in the business.

Although it involved a lot more Zoom meetings, this year was no exception. And, no word of a lie, it’s the biggest and best ever.

Our Social Media Trends 2021 Report, in partnership with HubSpot, invited more than 70 industry experts to share their thoughts on what trends we have to look forward to in 2021.

The result was 10 trends and over 50 cracking insights, that’ll help brands increase engagement, visibility, and kick their ROI into touch.

Yep, no excuse. All you brands out there can rock your social media strategies next year, despite the bumpy road ahead.

One trend caught my eye, while we all remember the good old days, pre-pandemic. Nostalgia marketing…

Nostalgia Marketing — Thanks For The Memories

Okay, so the good old days may not have been perfect. But, when locked down with no end in sight, and rose-tinted spectacles perched on our collective nose, they seem pretty special.

Reminiscing about positive things from the past — no toilet paper shortage — helps us avoid dwelling on the present.

Keyword mentions related to nostalgia increased during lockdown.

When lockdown struck, mentions of keywords related to nostalgia or remembering the past, soared from a baseline of about 13M mentions to 24.4M. A whopping increase of +88%!

I’ve never seen so many classic movies scheduled on television. Because we know that Bogart will battle us out of lockdown. Marilyn will distract anyone from the chaos we’re living through. And, Indiana Jones can build us an ark.

And who’d have thought? With cinemas closed, drive-in movies made a welcome return. An exciting new experience for some generations. A familiar escape to the good old days, for others.

Nostalgia marketing campaigns make us feel safe, happy, secure. Like a big hug. Like your favourite comfort food.

Marmite on toast, for me.

A clever brand will exploit these positive memories to build an emotional relationship with consumers.

Brand X made me feel warm and fuzzy. I’m going to buy Brand X’s product.

“Reliving positive memories and beloved icons from the past can feel good. We are all so busy with hectic schedules every day that fond memories that make us smile leave us open to brand messaging.”

Eleonora Rocca | CEO @ Elle Innovation Consulting | Co-Founder @ Growence | Digital Strategy Consultant | Speaker | Lecturer

Trends That Will Change The Digital Landscape

Feeling nostalgic isn’t a bad thing. It’s not that we want to return to the past for real. It’s that we want the return of the emotion we felt when listening to a vinyl record. When eating sweets bought from large jars, and served in small paper bags. When listening to our playlist from when we were teens.

Brands that can tap into our emotions and remind us of these positive memories, can only win.

We want to feel safe. Make us feel safe.

This is one of the trends from Talkwalker’s Social Media Trends 2021 Report. A report that includes expert advice from the likes of Christina Garnett, Lilach Bullock, Neal Schaffer, Janet Machuka, Keith Keller, Dan Knowlton, Heba Sayed, David Berkowitz, and many more.

Grab your comfort food, and go check it out Social Media Trends 2021.