4 Predictions for social media in 2024

It’s a new year, there are already new trends, and if there’s one thing we can count on, its social media changing!

So, what are my predictions for the 2024 social media landscape?

1. Abandoning social media platforms

I predict that one of the biggest trends this year is going to be brands abandoning platforms that just aren’t bringing them any value.

Long gone are the days of being everywhere all of the time. In 2024 we’re going to see an increase in brands pushing back against the expectation of being active on every platform for the sake of it, and instead focusing on a strategy that aligns with them as a brand.

The key is focusing on what is working and happily saying goodbye to what isn’t and reminding yourself that it’s okay to not have a presence everywhere.

It is however worth noting, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be jumping on new platforms and experimenting with strategies – in fact it’s the opposite! You don’t know if something is going to work for your brand until you try it, but not at the expense of platforms where you already have an established and engaged audience.

The aim is to be strategic and master your key platforms while bidding farewell to the ones that just don’t make the cut.

2. LinkedIn will see an increase in personal sharing

Whilst LinkedIn is at its heart a professional and business channel, throughout 2023 we saw an already growing spike in personal stories, and I don’t see this stopping any time soon.

Personal development, work life balance and mental health are just a few of the content themes we’ll be seeing more of – AKA raw content based on your life experiences.

This continues to demonstrate the power of authenticity which is absolutely paramount in modern day organic social media, and it’ll be very interesting to see how this approach begins to translate over to brand accounts.

3. Community management is king

Community management has always been essential to building a successful social media presence.

Engaging with your community, understanding their needs and concerns and fostering a connection is crucial to building loyalty. It’s more than just selling products, it’s about building a space where you audience feels valued, trusted and, most importantly, heard.

When you get to know your community better, you will naturally start creating content that is more relatable and impactful to your audience.

In 2024 we’re going to see more brands turning bad customer experiences and general dilemmas into social media wins. You only have to take a look at the recent viral moment for the Stanley cup to see this approach in action.

The already well-established brand spotted @danimariellettering’s devastating TikTok about her car that caught on fire, with the only thing to survive being her Stanley (with ice still inside). This terrible situation came with some positives for the brand however, firstly it demonstrated the quality of the cup, but then the Stanley team took the opportunity a few steps further by helping Danielle get back on track (or more accurately, back on the road) by paying for her replacement car.

This in turn resulted in millions of positive engagements for the brand. What started as an unfortunate accident was turned into over 100 million positive impressions for the brand through a good community management strategy.

4. Film industry to heavily push social media marketing

We’ve all seen the success of the Barbie movie, and I still haven’t got past the chokehold it had on us all throughout 2023, so I’m predicting more of this in 2024!

I don’t mean that Barbie will continue to reign supreme, but the film industry has really awoken to the opportunities that social media can provide, and audiences are more invested in upcoming releases than ever.

We’re already seeing this with the likes of Saltburn and The Colour Purple, though some approaches are proving more successful than others.

Saltburn successfully tapped into the social space with nostalgia at its core. The soundtrack makes up most of the current trending audios on both TikTok and Reels, Saltburn aesthetics and Saltburn fashion is trending on Pinterest, and the early 2000s grunge makeup and style has had a resurgence.

Where Saltburn cracked the code, The Colour Purple unfortunately launched an ill-advised influencer campaign on TikTok that caused some strong backlash with complaints of the serious topic covered in the film being trivialised.

But why and (most importantly) how?

Fandoms are huge, with 75% of Gen Z belonging to one, and as the current trend setters on social media I predict this group will continue to drive global culture in the year ahead.

If you’re looking to make the most of the new trends we will be seeing across social media in 2024, then make sure to get in touch today.