Hopping on the 2024 trends early: What’s worth your time and what isn’t?
As the New Year quickly approaches and new trends emerge, it’s that time of the year for every social media manager to completely question their content strategy 😅
The cycle of trends in the social media marketing world continues to move at an accelerated pace. It’s becoming increasingly more important to recognize and participate in trends sooner vs. later. Otherwise you risk missing the opportunity. The good news is, not every social media trend is as short lived as the next TikTok or Instagram audio.
Keep reading to learn more about the top 4 social media trends we’re keeping a close eye on & our team’s hot takes. 🔥
Prediction #1: Micro-Influencers will Dominate UGC
Influencer marketing may be on the brink of a new era. While large-name influencers are becoming increasingly harder for small to medium-sized brands to work with, we’re seeing a new type of influencer emerge in the form of micro-influencers.
And the data doesn’t lie! Consumers are craving authenticity and more of a personal experience, which has increased the nano influencer average engagement rate to 2.53% whereas macro + mega influencers average an engagement rate of 0.86%. 📈
Here are our hot takes on this social media trend:
Audrey S. – If you’re selling any type of product online in 2024, UGC is a necessary content pillar for your brand. Showcasing real consumer opinions and real-world usage of your product helps to build positive perception and your brand’s reputation. However, not everyone loves to be in front of the camera so your existing customer pool may not be able to offer the quality of content you’re looking for. Rather than invest in sponsored content from influencers that have high entry levels for engagement, micro-influencers are a great way to get your products into the hands of real people who can create quality content for your target audience🎯
Avery A. – When it comes to social media, consumers are craving authenticity more and more. Authentic product-focused content, especially coming from micro influencers feels more relaxed. I feel that larger-scale influencers have broken a sense of trust with audiences with situations like Mascara-Gate, so we are seeing consumers lean more toward micro-influencers. I would love to see them have their shining moment, they deserve it!🫶
Dom A. – I like the idea of bringing in micro-influencers as part of your strategy and bringing in more authentic product reviews. Their content may not be as polished as established influencers, but you are getting honest feedback and true-life experiences with your products without having a large budget for influencer marketing.
Prediction #2: More Text Based Content is Coming
Though X (formerly Twitter) will forever be held near and dear to user’s hearts, we can confidently say that in 2024, we will continue to see a rise in the trend of utilizing text-only social media posts. Threads took the social media world by storm in July when it gained 100 million+ users in just 1 week. And Meta isn’t the only platform experimenting with text-based content. We are also beginning to see large apps like TikTok incorporating text-based features. 📝
What does our team think about this social media trend?
Audrey S. – I love the idea of text-based content thriving, but I’m wondering if it’s simply too late. With short-form video dominating pretty much every platform, I’m not sure users have the attention span to make it last. I do think that on Threads, like all social media platforms, there will be niche industries and users where it’s an incredibly active place to connect with your main target audience, but it’s definitely not for every industry. If you haven’t found your people on Threads, it’s probably not the place for you to invest time and energy into being active on. 🤔
Avery A. – With threads dominating the social media space when it dropped in July 2023, I think that we can confidently say that audiences love text-only content. In addition, I have noticed that brands are repurposing their best tweets and content on platforms such as Threads and Facebook. Regardless of which platform(s) you are on that offers text-only posts, you should continue to incorporate them into your content strategy in 2024.👌
Dom A. – Because Threads is basically a copy of X, it does not provide a different experience that people hoped for when it was created. We saw on Twitter, text-based content can go viral for a moment. But is it worth investing in 2024? With social media fatigue on the rise, I think the only way Threads could thrive is if X is not part of people’s daily social media digest, otherwise, content is just being repurposed from other platforms.
Prediction #3 Short Form Video Content is Here to Stay
This one might get a bit…controversial😳 Some people love short form videos and others love to hate them. We know that when it comes to creating short-form video posts, it can feel exhausting to spend time filming & editing videos in order to stay relevant.
We have heard both sides of being pro-short form videos or being against them. Going into the New Year, it will be interesting to see where this trend goes.
Let’s get into it:
Audrey S. – Video content is far from going anywhere. While you can’t abandon static content altogether, you should be asking yourself where you can leverage video content. Will your message translate and resonate with your audience more effectively in video or static format? The good news is that you can try it both ways and then test the results. Rather than run from video content, use it as a tool to give your static content more of a punch by looking for ways to repurpose static content into video content and vise versa.🤝
Avery A. – I don’t think we will see a fall in video content for quite a while. Considering people are using short-form video platforms in place of search engines. Additionally, short-form video content is 82% of social media users interact with the most. Going into 2024, short-form video content will continue to dominate the social media space just as it has done for the past few years. 🎞️
Dom A. – Video content is here to stay. Creators are getting more inventive on how to showcase their content and I think we are just scratching the surface of what we are seeing so far. Users want to feel, see, and experience what they are seeing, and static content can only go so far when reaching new audiences. I think it’s vital for your brand to use video content to increase your reach, otherwise, you are missing the opportunity to propel your brand.
Prediction #4: YouTube is a Rising Social Media Star
YouTube can sometimes be overlooked, especially since the platform relies primarily on long-form videos and consumer attention spans are anything but long-form. Regardless, YouTube is the 2nd most popular social media platform on the market. Will YouTube make a trending comeback and become an essential part of your social media strategy?⏯️
The team’s thoughts on this are in:
Audrey S. – It depends on what you are using the platform for. With the addition of Shorts to YouTube, the video platform has started to emerge as more of a social platform. With many non-social media users now primarily going to YouTube for the Shorts. As a business, if you have the ability to offer your audience both short and long-form content, you will definitely win on this platform. But if you’re only going for the views and to post Shorts, your success may be short-lived here. 🤷♀️
Avery A. – My feelings on this are mixed. I feel that if you are looking to promote your business on Youtube you should incorporate Youtube Shorts for sure or offer brand deals with Youtube influencers who dominate the space. However, if you plan to incorporate long-form video content into your strategy, you should make it relaxed, fun, personal, authentic, etc. Because let’s be real, consumers have a short attention span and will not watch a 15-minute video that feels too salesy. They go to YouTube for vlogs, try-on hauls, podcasts, and product reviews.📲
Dom A. – I think it really depends on your service or product that you are trying to market and if that audience has a strong presence on YouTube. Not all audiences are visible and have a strong following on YouTube as they are on Instagram or Tik tok. Subscribers on YouTube are naturally loyal to their favorite influencer’s content. Do your research on your audience in the YouTube community. As a business, if you are looking to implement YouTube into your strategy, stay true to your brand. This is a chance to bring them in closer with long and short-form videos.
Which Social Media Trends Should You Follow? 🤩
This is only the tip of the iceberg of what 2024 has in store for us in the social media realm. With pop culture still dominating the influence of social media trends, and most trends fizzling out just as quickly as they appear.
The best piece of advice we can give going into the New Year is to look for trends that align with your business’s goals for growing online.
Not every trend is going to make sense for your business. Remember to stay authentic and look for opportunities that will bring you the growth you are looking for. Going viral isn’t going to solve your business’s problems.
If you’re looking for a way to stay on top of what’s trending and find opportunities for your business to shine online, Join the DIY Marketers Club where you’ll receive a FREE monthly trend report with insider tips to grow your brand’s online presence!👏
