But first, here\u2019s nine takeaways to give you a head start on social media trends in the new year (lightly edited for clarity):<\/p>\n
Embrace Do-It-Yourself Content Popular Paint-Mixing TikToker Fired By Sherwin-Williams<\/p><\/div>\n Listen To and Welcome Employees on Social \u201cLeveraging a viral social media moment has to start with listening,\u201d says Arik. \u201cAnd with Sherwin Williams, it couldn\u2019t have gone much worse. in the Buzzfeed article where they interviewed the guy<\/a> (Tony Piloseno), he said he reached out to the (Sherwin-Williams) marketing dept and it took a month before they got back to him! To me, that says they weren\u2019t listening on TikTok.\u201d Start listening on TikTok, says Arik, and you may be surprised to discover that some of your employees are already influencers on social \u2013 and may be open to becoming evangelists for your brand online.<\/p>\n Ocean Spray CEO skateboarding to “Dreams”<\/p><\/div>\n Prepare Your CEO \u2013 before<\/em> the Viral Moment<\/strong> Corporate Blogs Are Making a Comeback \u2013 Big Time<\/strong> Arik agreed on the power of corporate blogs, citing a University of Massachusetts survey of Fortune 500 companies that revealed that use of corporate blogs skyrocketed to 77% in 2020. \u201cWhat happened here?,\u201d asked Arik. \u201cMy speculation is that when the pandemic happened, all of a sudden brands said we need a place to talk about COVID-19 on a daily basis with vendors, stakeholders, customers and employees. The pandemic is a complex issue which needs more than just a Facebook post; it needs a long-form place where we can showcase more context \u2013 and that\u2019s the blog!\u201d<\/p>\n He pointed admiringly at Walmart’s corporate blog. \u201cEarly on, Walmart was talking about the pandemic — what they were doing to keep employees safe. More recently, their blog talked about the new era of retail, which is also pandemic-related.\u201d Arik particularly appreciates how in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s death and the reckoning with systemic racism, both US Bank and Target masterfully used their blogs to talk about social justice and their contributions to rebuild and repair the community. Which brings us to. . .<\/p>\n Brands Taking a Stand on Social<\/strong> Arik notes how executives at UnitedHealth Group and Medtronic advocated on social against racism in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s murder. But he also cautions that as the killing of George Floyd arises again in 2021 with the trial of the police officers involved, \u201cconsumers will want to see whether the corporations that posted their stands against racism, took real-world steps,\u201d both an opportunity and a challenge for corporate communicators.<\/p>\n Influencer Marketing Goes Beyond Selling<\/strong><\/p>\n Christine underscored that brands are expected to spend $15 billion on influencer marketing by 2022. \u201cThe biggest trend we\u2019re seeing is those influencers are taking on social good tactics, rather than social selling,\u201d added Arik. \u201cPre-pandemic, everyone was trying to sell something (through influencers) and people were sick of it. Then, the pandemic came \u2013 and you had the WHO (World Health Organization) partnering with influencers around the world.\u201d Arik admired how influencer Charli D\u2019Amelio performed her #DistanceDance challenge in partnership with P&G, which in turn pledged donations to Feeding America for the first 3,000,000 videos posted. \u201cAn influencer partnering with a big company with a philanthropic component to it \u2013 that\u2019s a nice partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n Christine added that marketers are being more intentional on which influencers they\u2019re working with, to ensure more diverse voices. \u201cInfluencers now realize their platforms can be used for a broader purpose than just selling products,\u201d she says, and marketers are more willing to move beyond playing it safe. Even if an influencer is politically active, brands will want to collaborate with them if the brand values align with the influencer\u2019s values.<\/p>\n Brands Comforting Consumers With Nostalgia<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHow many people have seen the (\u2018Karate Kid\u2019 homage) ‘Cobra Kai’?\u201d adds Arik. \u201cNostalgia has everything to do with comfort during this pandemic, and we\u2019re craving comfort. What about General Mills doing their Monster cereal boxes in throwback style (ie. Count Chocula)?\u201d Another brilliant example: Airbnb\u2019s partnership celebrating the \u201cFresh Prince\u201d TV show\u2019s 30th anniversary, during which the company rented out the Fresh Prince house from “host” Will Smith, playing on the nostalgia of Gen Xers. (And, note, Airbnb also made a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, combining nostalgia with philanthropy). What if you can\u2019t afford to partner with Will Smith? \u201cBrands have a chance to do nostalgia with their old logos, even on brand history milestones from years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Emerging Platforms? Keep an Eye on Twitch<\/strong> \u201cNow you see brands like KFC on Twitch,\u201d marvels Arik. \u201cHonda even unveiled their 2020 Civic on Twitch, that\u2019s huge!\u201d (And notably, the event hosts were Twitch celebrities MonsterDface and Rachel “Seltzer” Quirico).<\/p>\n Oh yeah \u2013 And What About TikTok?<\/strong> To learn more about how Arik feels about the new conservative platform Parler and the growth of video on his \u201cfavorite platform\u201d LinkedIn, watch the full recording here: Trends Marketers Must Know For 2021: A Conversation with Arik Hanson<\/a><\/p>\n For more background on Arik visit him online<\/a>, catch his \u201cTalking Points\u201d podcast<\/a> with General Mills\u2019 Kevin Hunt or follow him on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more on Maccabee\u2019s social media and influencer marketing services, visit our website<\/a>, follow us on Twitter<\/a> or subscribe to our MaccaPR blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From TikTok, LinkedIn and Twitter to Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook \u2013 if you\u2019re in marketing, you\u2019re eager to predict how your brand can more effectively use social media in 2021. What about Twitch? LinkedIn video? Never fear! Minneapolis-based social media consultant Arik Hanson spoke with our PR agency\u2019s vice president Christine Scherping during a lively…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2236,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>Praising Walmart\u2019s TV spot created from user-generated content, Arik noted: \u201cWith most of us stuck at home, commercial photo shoots are limited, so content\u2019s been at a premium. You\u2019re seeing brands forced to use more user-generated content.\u201d Startling fact: 90% of consumers say user-generated content influences their buying decisions more than promotional emails or search engine results, according to a TurnTo Network study<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/info.maccabee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/TikTokPaintMixer-168x300.jpg\")
\n<\/strong>Brands know they should listen to consumers, but what about listening to employees? Arik highlighted the cautionary tale of Sherwin-Williams, which fired an Ohio employee whose TikTok channel of paint mixing<\/a> was mesmerizing his 1.2 million followers \u2013 but which Sherwin-Williams felt was \u201cseriously embarrass(ing) the Company or its products.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/info.maccabee.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/OceanSprayCEO-300x300.jpg\")
\n\u201cIf brands can take advantage of a viral moment, it\u2019s like capturing lightning in a bottle \u2013 and there\u2019s a few things you should do. First off, brief your executive leadership on social,\u201d says Arik. \u201cWhere Sherwin Williams fell down, Ocean Spray excelled,\u201d speaking of the way that the juice company welcomed a video from longboarder Nathan Apodaca. Nathan shot a video of himself lip-syncing to Fleetwood Mac\u2019s \u201cDreams\u201d while chugging Ocean Spray \u2013 a now iconic clip seen by more than 27 million consumers on TikTok alone. At that point, Ocean Spray kept the momentum going – the company gifted Apodaca with a truck full of juice, dubbed him its Ocean Spray Ambassador, and within a week, Ocean Spray\u2019s CEO Tom Hayes himself starred in a parody of the video on TikTok<\/a>. \u201dIt\u2019s the CEO!,\u201d gasps Arik. \u201cThat tells me they were ready and coached the CEO. They must have mentioned TikTok to him. That pre-work can go a long way so when a viral moment hits — it\u2019s going to be fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nShifting the conversation to blogs and other company-owned channels, Christine noted: \u201cMaccabee is working closely with clients on the importance of their owned channels \u2013 so many brands look at shiny objects that other brands are using, not realizing they have so much power with their existing social platforms, podcasts and blogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cPeople want to buy from brands that take stands \u2013 and if you\u2019re silent, they notice and they will vote with their pocketbooks,\u201d says Arik of the rise in cause-related social advocacy on social. \u201cLook at Patagonia with climate change, Ben & Jerry\u2019s with social justice issues, Levi\u2019s with getting out the vote. Did you ever think that a big bank like Citi would post \u201cI Can\u2019t Breathe\u201d on social, from the CFO of the company!?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWhich social media channels are on the rise? \u201cStart with Twitch \u2013 the stats on Twitch are compelling, with 40 million monthly active viewers,\u201d explains Arik. \u201cMy son, 16, obviously is on video games 24\/7, but he has his Twitch steam going all the time. Millennials and Gen Z are amazing at multi-tasking, so in a gamer\u2019s room they have the game up, the Twitch stream which is insane, and their phone is open with a friend on FacetTime. You have four screens open at all times. Did you see AOC (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) do her Twitch live stream before the election? This was a game changer for me \u2013 she\u2019s playing to a younger demographic, and her stream blew up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nArik is sanguine about TikTok for marketers. \u201cMore brands may experiment with TikTok, but only 8% of the Fortune 500 brands are on it,\u201d concludes Arik. \u201cThe thing about TikTok, it requires a ton of creativity \u2013 you must be wildly creative, use a ton of resources, have a script, a plan to shoot and produce it. Social media teams are strapped \u2013 they\u2019ll ask, what four things are we going to stop in order to do TikTok! I don\u2019t see TikTok becoming a huge mainstream platform for brands.\u201d<\/p>\n