Over the past 10 years, social media has transformed from a very public space to a much more private one, writes Steve Whiting, senior social strategist at social-first creative agency Formidable.
Back in the early days of Twitter, it was a lot like a public playground, where we would broadcast our every thought and often happily share our location through Foursquare. As we’ve changed as a society, so have our social media habits, and now we’re finding that more conversations are happening in closer-knit groups, behind closed doors and private accounts.
The rise of smaller trends and niche communities
As the Internet has evolved, it’s become much easier to discover new artists, content creators, and find people to connect with about the subjects we enjoy, rather than feeling lost within the general public’s consciousness.
We’re seeing smaller and nicher trends take hold, and the increasing popularity of ‘cores’ like last year’s Brat Summer and Demure Autumn flood our feeds. Cores are transcendent; they’re always moving, developing and changing.
As an individual, we could identify with multiple cores but relate more with individual groups or subjects, which creates increasingly niche ways of describing our personalities, likes, and interests.
When MySpace launched in 2003, it was all about sharing your passions. With music helping you connect with other artists and music fans.
We’re seeing a return to this type of specialist social network that celebrates more niche interests instead of following big trends. Platforms like Twitch and Discord are rising in popularity, because people want to build their own communities where they can talk to others in real time.
Over on Instagram, DMs are the main place users go to when they open the app, even before they head to Reels, Stories or their feeds. Instagram DMs are where a lot of Gen Z communities and groups have conversations with their friends, so the space is quite sacred for them.
Instagram is doubling down on DMs, adding more than 20 new features over the last few months to keep you in your inbox.
And with DMs offering a rare ad-free corner of social media – at a time when sponsored posts are on the rise – you can see why these spaces are becoming more popular.
Creators want 1:1 relationships with fans
The trend towards private communities is growing with creators, who are building more direct and personal relationships with their fans, so they can make what their fans want without fear of the algorithms preventing their content from reaching their followers.
Music artist Billie Eilish recently moved all her fans to her “Close Friends” list on Instagram, and Charlie XCX did it with her private account for the launch of ‘Brat’.
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It’s also reflected in the sports industry, with hit YouTube show The Shop recently partnering with WhatsApp to host a private group chat event for fans, offering direct access to sports industry legends like LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
Patreon is currently marketing itself as the true home for independent creators, and most creators will have a Patreon following as well as a YouTube community, where they build a 1:1 relationship with their audience by interacting with super subscribers and using their comments to inspire future content .
Brands must build a deeper connection with audiences
This means that to build a deeper connection with audiences, brands need to refocus on their communities.
Taking the time to find who those people are and what they’re interested in and working out how to make an authentic connection with them to build brand loyalty; using social listening to understand their fan base on a deeper level and thinking about audiences in terms of communities and interests rather than age and demographics.
Brands that focus on what their customers like and what they’re talking about will build loyal customers for life. Whether that’s through diversifying social channels, creating bespoke content for different communities, or outreaching to niche influencers.
Ultimately, it’s about going back to the true values of community management by ensuring there are places for people to share and engage with the brand directly. It’s equally as important to put out content that audiences genuinely want to see and engage with.
Marketers need to think about what’s really going to make a difference in their customers’ lives and then bring the brand in at the right place.
People love to get a peek behind the scenes and don’t always need to see the polished outcome.
The brands that connect are the ones that understand what their audiences care about and use it to create content that surprises and delights, while simultaneously finding an authentic way to be a part of content that’s already being shared.
A holistic approach to measurement
Lastly, when it comes to measuring success, brands need to look beyond reach and vanity metrics and dive deeper into the data.
Likes and views are important, but they don’t always tell the whole story, marketers need to consider how long people are watching content for, at what point their attention drops off, and what that means from a brand-mention POV.
There’s no Holy Grail answer, but marketers need to look at these metrics altogether to really understand what success looks like for each campaign.
