2024 Social Media Trends

Social media has become a vital part of our everyday lives. It’s the first thing we look at when we wake up and the last thing we look at before we sleep. So a successful marketing campaign is a must! With so many platforms it can be hard to keep up to date on all the latest trends and updates. With so many other brands competing for the spotlight, staying relevant is a must. We’ve looked at this year’s trends and the way social media is shaping the future and have come up with what we think will be the top social media trends in 2024!

Social Search

Social media platforms have become more than just platforms to share content and interests. More people are now using social media platforms to search for products, look for reviews and see the products in use before they buy them. According to HubSpot, 24% of consumers 18-54 already search for brands on social media more often than through a search engine. Not only are people using social media as a search engine to look for products, but they are also purchasing from social platforms like TikTok. The TikTok Shop sells everything from makeup to children’s toys to tool kits! Social commerce is growing year on year and we predict 2024 will see this trend continue to grow. But the big question remains, will people stop using traditional search engines like Google to research and purchase products altogether in 2024 moving instead to social media platforms?

Social SEO

It’s time to add social SEO to your marketing strategy! Social SEO is becoming more important in terms of boosting engagement and making your page visible on social media and Google searches. Captions are just one thing you can optimise. Before writing a caption do some research and compile a list of relevant keywords that you can use. Try not to overload your captions with keywords, aim for 2-3 as you still want the caption to make sense. Don’t take up too much time trying to incorporate keywords into captions. If they fit great, if not don’t force them in. Don’t forget to optimise your profile! Include keywords in your name, your social handle and your bio. Will social SEO optimisation be more powerful than hashtags in 2024? We believe so! So start looking into social SEO, if you haven’t already, ready for the new year!

Longer Videos

The main reason to expect longer videos to make a comeback is because social platforms have increased max video lengths. Take TikTok as an example. In previous years videos could be up to 60 seconds which was later upped to 3 minutes. Now you can post videos that last up to 10 minutes! As mentioned earlier, more people are now using social media platforms as search engines. This means videos need to be longer so content creators have the time to explain and showcase products, their features, and how they work so people can see the product in use. No matter how long your video is it’s important to remember that you have roughly 3 seconds to capture someone’s attention so make it count!

AI Coworkers

Meet your new work bestie! We’ve all heard AI being mentioned in the office this year at some point, but can it make life easier for all the SMMs with creative block?! When used right, generative AI can be very effective for marketers. Caption generation is one of the biggest benefits to SMMs who work with the same clients day in and day out. Creative block is real! We have all been there so why not let AI help you generate some ideas or help you brainstorm in half the time. But don’t let it do all your work for you! 62% of people said they were less likely to trust and engage with a brand if they could tell their content was created by AI. A generative caption can instead work as a great starting point which you can edit into to create a message which works for you and your brand! Hootsuite’s caption generator is a great example of an AI tool you can use for some caption inspiration when the creative block kicks in. AI isn’t all bad! As it aids in caption generations it actually gives you more time to organically engage with your followers on social media and boost your community.

Entertainment

Group of friends watching a video on a phone

When scrolling through social media, users have one main objective, to be entertained! We expect 2024 will see brands using social media to be seen as ‘entertaining’ rather than pushy and sales-focused. This may be harder for more serious brands but the main thing to remember is to appeal to your customers’ wants, not what you are trying to push. It’s important to understand why your consumers are unfollowing your brand‘s social media pages. Try to understand the interests of your audience and then tailor your content to these interests. If a social media user finds the content you post to be unrelatable they will lose interest leading to a decrease in followers and engagement.

Key 2024 Social Dates

Have you started to plan your 2024 content? Make a note of these key dates as they may come in handy when planning content!

January: Hot Chocolate Day (31st)
February: Pancake Day (13th) and Valentines Day (14th)
March: World Book Day (7th) and St Patrick’s Day (17th)
April: April Fool’s Day (1st)
May: Star Wars Day (4th) and World Bee Day (20th)
June: World Oceans Day (8th) and London Fashion Week begins (10th)
July: World Chocolate Day (7th)
August: National Cupcake Day (17th)
September: National Fitness Day (25th) and World Tourism Day (27th)
October: World Smile Day (4th) and Halloween (31st)
November: Black Friday (29th) and Small Business Saturday (30th)
December: Christmas Jumper Day (13th)

Looking to create content that resonates across your social media platforms? Our social media management team can help you drive awareness, create a brand personality and engage with your audience. Drop us a message to see how we can help you create a successful social media strategy by managing your account.