On June 20, the world observed World Social Media day and on 1 July, the much spoken about Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI Act) comes into effect in the country. With this in mind, the Social Media Team at Hello FCB+ details the key trends in the world of social media.
Emotional connection vs social – Alice Joynt: Social Media Strategist
To connect, what do we need? One: a Wi-Fi spot or data. Two: something relatable. Three: an emotional attachment.
When it comes to social media, people have continuously used the word: ‘connection’. And whether it is for one out of three points above, or all of them, the word ‘connection’ has been a driving force in the way we look and engage on social media. Whether a post evokes a negative or positive emotion, our job is to create content that evokes something: a feeling, a reaction or a click.
More human, emotional connections have become an important part of our world recently, and by acknowledging this and working towards creating content, tools and campaigns that align with this desire to connect, we are beginning to tap into the more authentic side of what social media can offer, and isn’t that what really gets people talking?
During these times, platforms have adapted to ensure we are building a more emotional connection with our audiences. From the addition of the hug emoji on Facebook to the creation of entire apps like House party (may it rest in peace) – to the rise in popularity of TikTok.
As a brand and a business, we need to ensure we are consistently looking at how our audiences are using these platforms to connect and engage and how we can adapt to reach them on a more emotional and effective level.
Updating data privacy – Alex Appollis: Community Manager
In 2021, it is no surprise that data privacy is still one of the most prominent topics of discussion centred around social media and the internet. Between data breaches and allegations that social media networks are selling user data to other companies, people have been made more aware of how easy it can be for companies to find and misuse their personal information.
While concerns around data privacy have become more popular, the Covid-19 pandemic spurred a significant increase in the amount of personal data and content being shared online. This increase in the number of social media users and the amount of content available has necessitated the personalisation of advertised content. However, for personalisation to be effective at scale on social media, people need to feel comfortable trusting platforms with their personal data.
For this reason, we should expect to see social media networks try to rebuild their credibility and reputation by enhancing their cybersecurity and adopting measures that protect users’ private data, such as privacy automation features that will automatically collect, group and present the data to the user.
By updating their data privacy policies, companies and social media networks will also be able to position themselves using consumer privacy as a competitive advantage, as users will be drawn to the platforms they deem more trustworthy.
One company that has updated its privacy policy recently is Apple, with the introduction of its App Tracking Transparency, which asks iOS users for permission before sharing their data with third parties, such as Facebook. With Google considering the development of a similar app tracking policy, it appears the trend of shifting the control of user data from companies back to users has officially gained traction.
The rise of social audio – Kerry Gibbs: Social Media Director
Did you know that last year during lockdown, voice notes became a popular social lifeline for many affected by the turmoil that isolation brought us?
With communication fatigue and being ‘all-zoomed out’ becoming part of our reality – along with dry-shampoos finished weeks ago and your comfortable gown being the only garment used consistently – the need to connect using less intrusive mediums grew the habit of audio on and camera off.
The voice note became that perfect medium between the intimacy of a phone call, the control of a text and the self-indulgent platform for a monologue without interruptions. Magdalene Abraha of The Guardian wrote, ‘The unedited flow of a voice note permits a means of communication that feels more genuine to both participants.’
This more genuine and intimate form of communication via audio has just continued to spike, with dating apps such as Bumble adapting to include a voice note feature and new apps like String positioning their entire offering on dating with your voice.
String co-founder Tinashe was quoted, ‘Why not do the natural thing and use your voice to communicate? We think voice notes allow people to show their true personality in a much more fun and impactful way.’ We can’t talk about audio apps without mentioning the sudden surge, or ‘aural renaissance’ in social audio platforms that has been driven by the latest ‘social darling’ Club House – the channel promising community and authentic connection via an audio-first experience.
Open Influence CEO Eric Dahan said audio-social apps are a natural evolution in audio marketing, looking at aligning with that need for a more interactive version of a podcast. ‘Podcasting is a one-to-one experience where there’s a host and a guest. It’s not in real time and it’s not interactive. Clubhouse is asking how they can take what’s working in podcasts and make it more social.’
With platforms like Twitter and Facebook following suit and launching their own audio-chat products (Spaces and Live Audio Rooms respectively), we’ll soon need to look at whether our audience is playing in this space and how we need to adapt to engaging with them in this new context.
So what does this mean for marketers? Do we start creating audio personalities for our brands, ones that humanise our online tone of voice, display our brand values, and core identity, and cultivate a deeper empathy between our audiences and ourselves? Do we partner with the right influencers to authentically migrate into these conversations in a way that is not seen as obtrusive? Do we look at providing utility versus entertainment for our audience?
These are all important questions to be answered when we lean more into audio-on strategies and I am excited to see how the South African industry intends to lean in.
HELLOFCB +
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