Reflecting on the past year in social media, there have been lots of app updates and consumer behaviour that has changed to adapt to the pandemic.

Here are our top 4 content trends of 2020…

BRAND AUTHENTICITY AND TRUST

The pandemic has really driven audiences to care about what their favourite brands stand for. This sentiment is backed up by data: 81% of people believe that businesses have a responsibility to be transparent of social media.

Brands should partner with creators to put a spotlight on their values and ultimately make change in the community.

An example is MAC Cosmetics Viva Glam campaign, where every dollar raised from the sale of their Viva Glam lipstick went to LGBTQI+ communities. They activated this through a Tik Tok-style dance challenge on Reels with Spanish ambassador Rosalía.

LEVERAGING INFLUENCERS

Throughout 2020, we have found that editing tools like in Tik Tok and Reels have levelled the playing field between macro and micro influencers. Our example below shows that accounts of all sizes can talk to the same kind of content and create it in a similar way.

Micro influencers can now make content that can be as on-trend as larger influencers. In 2021, brands should take this opportunity to create on-trend content at a lower cost.

We have also found that consumers want to be entertained. With social media saturated with influencer content, assets that entertain while educating will retain attention.

SENSE OF COMMUNITY

In 2020 more than ever, a sense of community online was important, particularly as many over the world have been in lockdown. Facebook Groups have been hubs for conversations. 1.4 billion people use Groups per month for help, support and stability in these uncertain times.

Groups present brand opportunities such as:

• The ability to receive real-time feedback

• They can make consumers feel valued through exclusive offers and product reviews

• Reward consumers through exclusive online events

• Provide consumers with a more personalised service

Another way you can drive a sense of community is by celebrating them. This can be done by giving back through social giveaways, surprise gifting to top fans or wider community activations IRL.

DOMINANCE OF LOW-FI CONTENT

YouTube has found throughout 2020 that ads with what they term “scrappy production” are performing as strongly or better than polished ads. A top performer has been the example below by Mint Mobile, utilising images, simple animation and Ryan Reynolds’ Mum recording on an iPhone.

Locally, Shopback have been taking advantage of this style of content with their Christmas influencer campaign. Using Tik Tok stylistic cues on Reels to show the feeling you get when your Shopback refund comes through.

As 50% of Instagram users watch a video in-app everyday, there’s an opportunity to engage 250 million viewers daily.

Instagram is prioritising Reels in-app. These posts are attracting 5-10x times more views than other video formats on the app such as IGTV. Some Reels already have 60 million views!

Reels have also recently become shoppable so you can activate low-fi content in a more engaging way — this is a key difference now between Reels and Tik Tok.

When looking to create a Reel, work with your engaged community to create educational, inclusive and diverse content. The opportunities are endless and will be a booming area of Instagram come 2021!

There you have it, our Top 4 content trends of 2020. We will be keeping a keen eye out for how these trends take off in 2021, and can’t wait to see brands getting creative with their executions on social.