Current Social Content Overview
Interactive and real-time content is the main focus of social media and digital marketing, and you can expect that to remain true for a long time. For years, high level executives at many of these social media platforms have been stating that ‘video the future’ and soon ‘all platforms will be video focused.’ While in 2018, this seemed like a far off ideal, now in 2021 with the growing popularity of video-focused platforms such as TikTok and Live features everywhere, this is absolutely the reality.
Key social media trends that will continue to remain true:
Live video will remain popular. Regardless of the platform, tapping into the different areas you can stream live content will always give you a must higher boost in engagement from your community.
Short Story/Reels/TikTok content will continue to grow. Our attention spans are decreasing, and nothing points to that truth more than the popularity of 15-60 second content that continues to capture our attention for hours at a time.
Purpose driven content will continue to stand-out. This means not just posting for the sake of posting, but making sure your mission and values are at the forefront of your digital strategy. People want to feel good about the content they’re consuming and the organizations they’re supporting, and will expect you to be a leader in helping them be activists in their own ways.
Remember that these platforms want to keep you on their platforms, not necessarily keep you moving around all the different platforms.
While repurposing content is key to maintaining a consistent presence on social media without being overly burned by content creation, it is important to remember that each piece of content you create needs to be curated specifically and tailored to the platforms you’re going to utilize (in other words, don’t just share or re-share content from one platform to another).
Social Media in 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed all of our attention to digital platforms, and the idea that we will somehow ‘return to normal’ or what our digital consumption looked like pre-pandemic is naive. As live performances and in-person opportunities continue to open up, the desire and expectation for digital alternatives that were presented in 2020 will still be expected by audiences moving forward.
It’s important to keep in mind that social platforms are continuously evolving and adding onto their capabilities. For example, Instagram alone has added more ways to create and distribute content in the past year than it has in the 3 years prior. And while keeping up with these changes may feel daunting and make you feel like you’re continuously having to learn new techniques, the core concepts of social media will never change: socialization, entertainment and community. If you root your focus in these ideas, no matter how you’re putting out content, you’ll find success.
How to approach your social media content
CityMusic should approach a “One to A Dozen” process when thinking about content to share and promote on social media and via email/SMS marketing. This idea is taking one larger piece of content, such as a podcast, video recording, or upcoming performance, and breaking each element down into over a dozen smaller digestible pieces that your audience can consume quickly in whatever medium they’re choosing to interact with you.
