Social media’s origin is in relationship-strengthening. People connected with friends and family to “stay in touch.” Increasingly, social media is becoming a relationship-building and commerce tool. The pandemic drove people to the internet for purchases that might otherwise have been made in brick and mortar stores. According to Statista, in 2020, 78.9 million were counted as “social buyers.” Statista projects that number will grow by more than 35% , with 108 million Americans predicted to purchase through their social networks.

 

Your users are looking for quick video clips.

TikTok has changed the paradigm. A study done in 2020 found that video is shared two times more than any other content. This same study also confirmed that in terms of influence, video reigns. Short-form videos are easy for consumers to digest and have the potential to build community (think TikTok) as your social buyers consumer and discuss new products. The key? Keep it short. Instagram Reels is looking for :30 or less, and that same 2020 study found that 68% of people will watch a video from a business IF it’s under :60.

 

Quick is key across the board.

Fact: our attention span is 8 seconds. While people are spending more time on social media (and buying products/services while they’re there), they are spending less time engaging with each post. Want them to stop and engage with your content? Make your content bite-sized so that it can be consumed in seconds.

 

Lift your users’ voices

Posting content created by your users improves retention of current customers by 20% and extends the average time users spend on your website by 90%.