Initially of the lockdown, many people have been unable to see household or mates. All social plans have been cancelled — virtually in a single day.

And, within the midst of a lot stress and chaos, many felt extra alone than ever.

Which is why individuals turned to social media in an effort to discover a sense of connection and neighborhood. 

Social media grew to become a refuge — a spot to publish genuine, relatable content material and type relationships nearly when in-person wasn’t an choice. 

And as Lala Fevrier, Wayfair’s Senior Affiliate for Influencer Advertising and marketing, places it, “When eating places, faculties, and companies shut down, the one place left with a 24/7 open signal for communication and creativity was social media.”

All of which is to say: Quarantine, and the pandemic at-large, tremendously impacted social media. And people modifications have completely shifted customers’ expectations and preferences in the case of their social platforms.

Right here, we’ll discover six tendencies we have seen on account of the pandemic — and why they’re right here to remain.

How The Pandemic Modified Social Media  

1. Quarantine elevated time spent on social media, in addition to social customers worldwide.

Between 2019 to 2021, the quantity of social media customers worldwide elevated by 11% — from roughly 3.4 billion in 2019 to three.78 billion in 2021.

As lockdown orders went into impact, many sought out new alternatives to attach with family and friends. Actually, we noticed a 5% leap in international customers from 2019 to 2020 alone.

Folks have been additionally bored, which considerably elevated the time spent on social media apps. Contemplate, as an illustration, the sudden reputation of bread baking in March, or the random challenges throughout social apps, just like the “flip the change” problem that exploded on TikTok in 2020:

I do know this boredom first-hand: Throughout the starting of the pandemic, I spent roughly 4 hours every day on Instagram. Reasonably than grabbing dinner with mates after work or chatting with colleagues on my lunch break, I scrolled via individuals’s IG Tales.

I am not alone. Within the U.S., social media customers jumped from spending 56 minutes per day on social media in 2019 to 65 minutes in 2020 and 2021. And, globally, individuals spent 145 minutes per day on social media in 2020. (It is essential to notice: That quantity has decreased to 142 minutes per day in 2021, suggesting a slight decline in social media use as a number of the world re-opens.)

Social media grew to become a spot to flee the turmoil of the actual world. Together with a spike in social media customers, engagement elevated on sure platforms, as effectively. On Instagram, as an illustration, the common engagement price for manufacturers elevated by roughly 6% in 2020.

For Sarah White (@thecoastalyogi), a Boston-based health teacher and influencer, the pandemic was a catalyst for her to launch digital choices and leverage social media as a chance to create a robust sense of neighborhood.

White informed me, “Digital choices have been a aspect of my enterprise I had thought-about, however had by no means seen a necessity for till March of 2020. Since then, my digital subscriptions have grow to be a serious a part of my enterprise and are the first approach I work together with my shoppers.”

White provides, “My Instagram is my main supply of promoting so my posting has undoubtedly elevated. I’m intentional about answering each message I obtain from shoppers as I do know it is this kind of relationship-building that differentiates a following from a neighborhood.”

2. Quarantine impacted video consumption.

2020 was a powerful yr for video. Actually, media uploads elevated by a staggering 80% year-over-year — peaking at 103,603 video uploads on April 22.

The minutes individuals spent watching movies in 2020 additionally elevated by 85%.

The pandemic tremendously impacted how shortly video rose in reputation. It is now the most well-liked sort of content material, and has been for 2 years in a row.

Moreover, in a HubSpot Weblog survey, 42% of respondents mentioned “I watch extra movies on social media” in response to the query, “How do you employ social media in another way now on account of the pandemic?”

Particularly, TikTok, the favored short-form video platform, noticed exponential progress on account of the pandemic. This may be attributed, largely, to the authenticity of the content material produced on TikTok.

As HubSpot’s Senior Social Media Technique Supervisor Leslie Inexperienced places it, “An enormous platform shift that occurred throughout the pandemic was that tastemakers and tradition shifters have been born on TikTok — not Instagram. TikTok lifted the hyper-filtered veil off of social with short-form, intimate, and genuine video content material.”

Inexperienced provides, “TikTok, largely as a result of it is For You Web page, grew to become a spot the place anybody may very well be discovered. And within the final yr many small creators blew up as a result of they have been capable of create content material that spoke poignantly to individuals’s lived experiences and emotions.”

If your enterprise hasn’t thought-about it already, 2022 is an efficient time to check out new forms of short-form video content material to see the way it resonates along with your viewers. 

One other more and more well-liked choice for video is dwell streaming. 

Mari Smith, Premier Fb Advertising and marketing Knowledgeable (sometimes called the ‘Queen of Fb’) and High Social Media Thought Chief, suggests manufacturers lean extra closely into dwell streaming in 2022. 

Smith says, “Embracing dwell streaming — whether or not Fb, Instagram or LinkedIn Dwell — can go a great distance in the direction of creating extra intimate relationships along with your followers. Consider your dwell movies as ‘mini webinars’ and all the time attempt so as to add nuggets of worthwhile, academic (and/or entertaining!) content material, earlier than including your call-to-action.”

In 2022, contemplate testing completely different platforms and content material varieties — reminiscent of TikToks, Instagram Tales, YouTube movies, or Fb dwell streams — to search out out which video format performs finest along with your viewers.

3. The pandemic impacted the perfect occasions to publish on social.

These days, many individuals earn a living from home and have chosen distant work as their most popular way of life transferring ahead.

Suffice to say, the pandemic completely shifted individuals’s work schedules.

And, as the standard 9-to-5 work hours modified on account of the pandemic, social media peak hours adjusted, too.

For example, Sprout Social discovered the brand new finest occasions to publish on Facbook are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10–11 a.m.; Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m. are the perfect occasions to publish on Instagram.

And presently, the perfect occasions to publish on LinkedIn are Wednesday at 3 p.m, Thursday at 9–10 a.m., and Friday from 11 a.m.-noon.

It is essential to contemplate how the pandemic modified the best way individuals work, and when. For example, now that I am working from house, I take a daily social media break every single day round 10 a.m. whereas I eat my breakfast, since I haven’t got colleagues round to speak with.  

In 2022, you may wish to conduct your individual checks to find out which occasions are hottest with your viewers — and on which channels.

4. The pandemic impacted the most well-liked forms of content material.

Throughout the stress and uncertainty of quarantine and the start of the pandemic, many turned to social media to flee the actual world. Which is why enjoyable, lighthearted forms of content material received out.

Actually, in 2020, roughly half (42%) of Gen Zers mentioned they needed content material described as enjoyable — which surpassed Gen Zers’ curiosity in romantic content material (29%) and thrilling content material (27%).

As boredom on account of quarantining ensued, social media customers needed shiny, playful, light-hearted content material to cheer them up.

Even now, two years later, 34% of HubSpot Weblog Survey respondents mentioned they nonetheless hunt down extra optimistic and uplifting content material than they did pre-pandemic.

Together with extra colourful, lighthearted content material, we additionally noticed a rise in genuine, user-generated content material in 2020. Between March and April, throughout peak lockdown interval, a Lightricks examine discovered People spent over 90% extra time utilizing apps to create and edit photographs, movies, and visible content material.

Inexperienced says, “The pandemic leveled the enjoying area for social media as a result of everybody was caught at house benefiting from what that they had in entrance of them: free time, hobbies, pursuits, and their character. Content material grew to become extra approachable and extra human. Every single day customers created posts that spoke to actual lived experiences reasonably than a curated picture.”

Neal Schaffer, Digital & Social Media Advertising and marketing Guide, Speaker, and Writer, agrees that the pandemic shifted the forms of content material that carry out finest.

He says, “One main influence that COVID had on social media was in preserving content material actual. Once we could not exit for picture shoots, it required celebrities to show their houses into studios and influencers to publish extra of their uncooked selves.”

Schaffer says, “As human beings, we sought out individuals who have been having related experiences to us … This made social media content material extra uncooked, plausible, and genuine — and, consequently, additional democratized content material creation by decreasing the brink of what was required to create content material.”

Schaffer provides, “Mix this with the recognition of short-form video, and an entire new technology of content material creators was born.”

I might argue we’re all higher off in a world during which social media customers publish genuine, non-filtered photographs to depict the realities of life. These #actual posts assist audiences really feel much less alone, and might foster a a lot stronger sense of neighborhood.

Which is why it is vital your crew focuses on creating extra genuine, behind-the-scenes content material in 2022. Actually, lots of you already plan to — HubSpot’s Weblog Analysis discovered 79% of B2B and 54% of B2C plan on rising investments in genuine/behind the scenes content material in 2022.

5. Quarantine sped up influencer advertising and marketing’s reputation.

Influencer advertising and marketing grew exponentially on account of the pandemic.

The influencer advertising and marketing trade went from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.7 billion in 2020 — a staggering 470% enhance — and is predicted to leap to $13.8 billion in 2021.

I spoke with Jesse Leimgruber, CEO of influencer advertising and marketing company NeoReach, to be taught his perspective on how the pandemic impacted the influencer advertising and marketing trade.

Leimgruber informed me, “The pandemic boosted the creator financial system into the highlight. Tens of millions of latest creators joined the scene, and plenty of discovered new methods to earn and assist their craft. This additional consideration on social media allowed influencers to earn cash and switch a pastime right into a occupation.”

He provides, “Sponsored posts, partnerships, merch gross sales and fan donations have proliferated within the final two years. Enterprise {dollars} into the creator financial system are at an all-time excessive, and public curiosity within the area is simply getting began. In 10 years, we’ll look again and see the 2020s as the last decade the creator financial system modified the best way individuals work, dwell, and work together.”

Initially of quarantine, we noticed manufacturers draw back from influencer advertising and marketing because the financial system grew to become extra unsure and unstable. This is sensible: As a comparatively new type of advertising and marketing, influencer advertising and marketing can appear to be a riskier funding to groups struggling to remain afloat.

Nevertheless, because the world adjusted to lockdowns and distant work, influencer advertising and marketing started rising once more in reputation. Influencer campaigns elevated by 37% between Q2 and Q3 of 2020, and rose by an extra 34% between Q3 and This autumn.

And influencer advertising and marketing’s reputation is not slowing down. In 2021, sponsored content material elevated by nearly 27%.

Wayfair’s Lala Fevrier agrees that the creator financial system has skyrocketed — and, she provides, this creator financial system is essentially made up of Gen Z influencers. 

Fevrier says, “The biggest group to make the most of social media’s accessibility is Gen Z influencers. Due to their efforts, manufacturers are beginning to understand they needn’t spend thousands and thousands of {dollars} producing content material and advertisements that in any other case really feel disingenuous at occasions. There’s a community of people telling superb tales about their favourite manufacturers or merchandise simply because they love them.” 

Should you’re considering getting began with influencer advertising and marketing, contemplate the energy of micro-influencers to interact instantly along with your supposed viewers and see extra ROI than you may with an even bigger superstar. HubSpot’s Weblog Analysis surveyed entrepreneurs who already work with influencers, and located 67% of them work with micro-influencers (10K-100K followers/subscribers), adopted by 58% who work with macro-influencers (100K-1M followers/subscribers).

6. The pandemic elevated the necessity for neighborhood — and new platforms are rising, consequently.

Being caught at hand-crafted it tough — if not not possible — to really feel a way of neighborhood. 

Pre-pandemic, many individuals turned to the workplace, health lessons, parks, or different public areas to really feel related to a bigger group. 

In a single day, these have been not an choice.

Happily, when used accurately, social media can fill within the gaps and assist serve the basic human want of connection.  

As Mari Smith informed me: “You completely can not beat the facility of constructing a fiercely loyal neighborhood the place members bond with each other — and with you.”

Smith provides, “Definitely, [community] will be cultivated over time via a Fb Group linked to your Fb Web page. Nevertheless, neighborhood platforms are on the rise as customers and leaders alike hunt down completely different platforms on which to construct and be a part of tribes.”

Smith says, “I surveyed my Fb viewers in October final yr on this matter. Each Mighty Networks and Circle are rising in reputation when it comes to a substitute for Fb Teams. I predict we’ll see a slight rise this yr in neighborhood leaders selecting emigrate away from Fb in the direction of considered one of these different platforms in an effort to cater to their tribe members who’ve misplaced belief in Fb.”

Fb Teams continues to be a viable choice for making a stronger sense of neighborhood and constructing relationships along with your prospects and clients, however in 2022, you may see manufacturers experiment with different community-building platforms.

In 2021, social media grew to become the #1 channel utilized in advertising and marketing. It is important you discover ways to pivot with these tendencies to proceed to see progress and success throughout platforms.

The excellent news? Social media customers are craving authenticity now greater than ever. So the extra your model can lean into its personal uniqueness, the higher.