6 Social Media Trends That Will Elevate Your Content as an Entrepreneur in 2024
In the past decade, there’s been rapid turnover in what trending tactics and platforms are being used for social media marketing. Facebook fell from its position as the reigning social media with the onset of major competitors such as Instagram and, later, TikTok.
We witnessed the popularity of interactive social media challenges to promote brand awareness, Snapchat filters that took the world by storm, and the rise of influencer marketing. Now, in 2024, when social media is being used more than ever, trends online appear to fall as quickly as they rise. So, what social media trends and tactics do we anticipate to persist for the remainder of 2024?
Behind-The-Scenes Content
Audiences crave authenticity, making behind-the-scenes (BTS) content a powerful tool for fostering a genuine connection between your brand and its followers.
Platforms like Instagram and TikTok excel for BTS content due to their versatility in handling both short and long-form videos at no cost—unlike traditional media spots. The informal nature of BTS content means it often requires minimal editing and can be produced with an iPhone.
As a personal brand, or the founder of a small business, engage your audience by varying the focus of your BTS videos. Highlighting different aspects of your daily operations, from product development sessions to interactions with your team or community, keeps the content fresh and engaging.
The key is consistency and authenticity, as there is no wrong way to shoot BTS content or “wrong” aspect of your business to focus on, making it easy to consistently release this content style.
There are dozens of examples of brands using a BTS media strategy. For example, Edgly Marketing Group, a Florida-based marketing company founded in 2020, repeatedly uses TikTok to help familiarize their audience with their CEO, Nick, and to share what a day in the office looks like at Edgly.
Videos on their page include “Korina Asks Nick For More Time Off,” where you see one of the employees asking for vacation time, and “Client Comes Back To Work With Us,” which shares two employees anticipating re-collaboration with a former client.
These videos are a great example of personality shining through the camera. Their genuine laughter, kind smiles, and humorous comments mixed with a dash of profanity feel real and unscripted, offering a refreshing break from overly polished content.
2. Personal Branding
Personal branding focuses more on an individual’s characteristics which strives to achieve a similar goal to BTS content of originality and truthfulness.
Personal branding is founded in a solid identity architecture involving more than simply knowing your niche. It focuses on magnetic messaging, intentional copy, and diverse but cohesive content.The more your target audience understands you as an entrepreneur, the more they connect with your story.
In a crowded market, personal branding is crucial for distinguishing yourself and uncovering your unique perspective.
Steps to Develop Effective Personal Branding:
Self-Assessment: Identify your core values, skills, and passions through tools like personal SWOT analysis.
Audience Analysis: Utilize surveys, interviews, and social media analytics to understand your audience's preferences and needs.
USP Development: Formulate a unique selling proposition that highlights what makes you distinct.
Visual and Verbal Identity Creation: Design a consistent visual style and develop a cohesive voice using tools like Canva and Grammarly.
Content Planning and Execution: Plan and schedule content with tools like Trello or Google Calendar, ensuring regular and strategic posting.
Monitoring and Adjusting: Use analytics to track engagement and refine your strategy, adapting based on feedback and performance metrics.
3. Episodic Storytelling
Leaning more into what’s trendy, episodic storytelling has grown increasingly popular as TikTok continues to be one of the most used social media platforms. This video style is frequently used in the influencer community where creators release a video series detailing crazy stories with cliffhangers that keep you coming back for more.
The strategy of stretching a story into a series of episodes encourages ongoing user engagement and for individuals who are part of the TikTok creator fund it’s a tool for earning monetary benefits. Creating a successful series can lend to ongoing returns where users who viewed your series are more likely to see content from your account repopulated on their social media feed.
The nature of an episodic series also allows you to create thorough, unrushed content that communicates as much detail as you want while piquing intrigue.
For example, podcaster Alex Cooper uses episodic storytelling for her show Call Her Daddy, a top trending podcast on Spotify, to share a few short clips for her latest celebrity guest interviews. These clips reveal just enough to keep her audience interested without giving away her whole show.
Nina Lyre, a content creator and self-employed art director, also uses an episodic model on TikTok and Instagram for her “hot art directors don’t gatekeep” series. Unlike popular podcasters like Cooper who use this method to encourage audiences to click to an external project, each episode of Lyle’s series shares a tip or trick for art direction. Her content shares everything from websites where you can find affordable fonts to how she broke into the industry.
Strategic planning for episodic storytelling involves scripting each episode to ensure a seamless narrative that captivates and retains the audience across multiple segments. This requires outlining key plot points, character developments, and cliffhangers ahead of time to create a compelling flow that encourages viewers to return for each new installment.
4. Ephemeral Elements
Ephemeral content, like Instagram stories that vanish after 24 hours, not only leverages the fear of missing out but is also an excellent tool for testing new content ideas or special promotions. This transient nature allows brands to experiment with creative concepts and receive immediate feedback without long-term commitment to the content.
To begin experimenting with ephemeral content, incorporate distinctive, short-lived design features like doodles, casual fonts, and stickers that reflect your brand's unique personality in each post.
Canva, a graphic design platform, is a popular tool for creating your own unique digital designs and elevating your social media stories. Capcut, a video editing software, is a great entry level tool for cleaning up short-form videos such as BTS content.
When your people have something to look forward to, something to tune in for, your brand will be more memorable. Combining interactivity with a degree of exclusivity creates a more personalized experience where your followers feel like they’re truly a part of something.
5. Intellectual and Conversational Themes
Social media is a vehicle for immediacy, allowing personal users, influencers, and brands to share their opinion on current events, pop culture, and hot topics in real-time. Consumers expect brands to be responsive to themes relevant to their industry and to engage with their audience.
If you’re a small business, personal brand, founder, or creative, share what trends you’re loving and examples of current content that’s impressing you. If you work in fashion, consider opportunities to share what recent looks have inspired you. Open a dialogue with your target audience and be ready to engage in a two-sided conversation.
Today, audiences are holding brands more accountable for commenting on current events. People want to know what causes are important to the brands they support. Because of this, we anticipate social media to be increasingly used as a way for entrepreneurs and businesses to share statements to the public on topics that extend beyond simply what they’re selling.
6. Unedited Content
The final social trend, tieing in with each idea listed above, is the release of unedited photo and video content. The core traits – authenticity, honesty, realness – that audiences love can only be achieved when brands begin to let go of heavily scripted videos and highly refined photos. Brands building “with” their future customers, like Oddli, a small clothing business based in LA, often launch with better potential for immediate sales because the community feels as if they’ve been a part of the process from day one.
In 2014, everyone was using oversaturated filters to play with the colors in their photos and to release moody, trendy images. Now, a decade later, we couldn’t be further from that content style. People want to see images and videos in their authentic state.
Glossier, a “skin first, beauty second” cosmetic company, does an exemplary job on their Instagram account curating a minimalistic, neutral feed. Much of their content looks like it could have been shot on an iPhone (and in the early days of the brand it was). This allows their target audience to gain a clearer understanding of what different shades of various beauty products such as blushes and eyeshadows truly look like.
This trend of authentic content holds brands accountable for ethical advertising and ensures consumers have an equitable understanding of the businesses they’re supporting.
TL; DR
As we continue to navigate the evolving landscape of social media, understanding and leveraging these trends is crucial for any brand aiming to maintain relevance and foster genuine connections with its audience. By embracing authenticity through behind-the-scenes content, harnessing the power of personal branding, engaging in episodic storytelling, experimenting with ephemeral elements, and delivering unedited content, brands can build a loyal following and stay ahead in the competitive digital arena.
These strategies not only enhance visibility but also strengthen the trust and loyalty of your audience, proving essential in the dynamic world of social media marketing.
About the Writer: Madison Bernabeo is a student at Boston University studying advertising with a minor in business administration. She enjoys spending afternoons reading in the park and dreams of traveling. You can learn more about Madison on LinkedIn.
