The new year is upon us and for many, it isn’t a moment too soon. 2020 was a difficult year for both individuals and businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the coronavirus, many are looking forward to 2021 as a fresh start and a sign of hopefully better days to come.

COVID-19 had a major impact on social media. Social media usage had already been on the rise for several years before the pandemic began, but how people used social media changed. With stay-at-home orders issued across the world, social media usage increased even more as people turned to social media in order to keep in touch with each other.

Is Engagement Important in 2021?

The pandemic didn’t just change how much people used social media. It also changed how people used it. Companies rushed to take advantage of the increased usage and increase engagement, but this didn’t necessarily produce the desired results. The increased usage in social media was to keep in touch with individuals rather than seeking out brands. This means that during the pandemic, engagement wasn’t as important as content.

This trend looks like it will continue into 2021. The pandemic isn’t over yet. Audience social media energy is still going towards communicating with each other rather than engaging with businesses. That doesn’t mean social media marketing isn’t still worth the cost and effort, however. It just means that content is more important than engagement in 2021.

What Content Should You Focus on in 2021?

Even though users may not be as engaged as in the past, they still consume content, just on a more passive scale. What this means for a social media marketing strategy is that your content strategy is just that much more important. Users may not be commenting or liking as much, but they are still reading. If you’re using analytics, engagement may be down, but you can still look at which posts are reaching more people. These are the types of posts to focus on.

Content that your audience can identify with is key to a social media content strategy in 2021. This means that you’ll need to know who your audience is and what they like. Paying attention to the analytics to see which posts get the most views as well as analytics regarding information about your audience will be important to helping you figure out the best possible content strategy for the coming year.

Are There New Audiences You Should Cater to in 2021?

Traditionally, social media and technology are seen as the purview of younger generations. However, with the pandemic’s shutdowns sending more and more people to virtual forms of communication, more older consumers are turning to social media as well. It’s important to not count out older generations, such as Baby Boomers, as a part of your potential audience. Depending on your industry, your target audience may vary and it’s important to produce content catering to that demographic. However, the demographics that make up your target audience may have changed over the past year and into 2021 because of changes in who is using social media.