Staying up to date with social media trends across all platforms can be overwhelming, to say the least. There are constantly new features, strategies, and even new platforms being created that you have to learn and integrate into your marketing plan in order to stay relevant.
To help you stay on top of everything, I rounded up the most current social media trends so that you can stay in the loop about what your content strategy should be incorporating in order to stay current and consistent on the most used platforms. Keep in mind that some of these social media trends can be used on all platforms, as a few channels are starting to resemble one another more and more each day, cough* Instagram and TikTok* cough.
Here are the top 5 social media trends to know today:
1. User Generated Content is Still a Hit
Brands and businesses have been utilizing user-generated content for many years. It’s not a new trend and not going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, it might be more popular than before. It’s a great way to leverage your patient success stories or promote your online store to your new or potential ideal patients.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with what exactly UGC (User Generated Content) is, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Content that is made by other users that you re-share (with their permission of course) to your profile. Whether they have tagged your clinic or location in their post, you didn’t create this content yourself but you are asking to re-share it from the user who did. Think of UGC as you would patient testimonials.
Your UGC doesn’t need to be all of your content but should definitely take up a substantial space since this is the proof of what you’re selling, your transformation. It can also help build more trust, authenticity, and loyalty with your audience and can do wonders for your branding overall. Social proof is a game changer, people trust other people and I suggest you get started on adding it into your strategy if you haven’t done so already.
2. All Instagram Videos Are Now Reels
I don’t think this Instagram update was really that big of a surprise to anyone, especially since Instagram has been trying to keep up with TikTok ever since its massive growth and popularity. Instagram now has made every single video you share automatically be uploaded as Reel, which for you is actually quite a great thing. They have admitted to pushing video over photo content to new audiences so this works in your favor. Turning what could have been a static feed post into a video (now Reel) is quite simple with a few extra steps.
Take a graphic for example with a big headline for a new program/service you’re offering, you can take that graphic upload it into Canva (or whichever app you prefer to edit photos/videos), and add a motion background (Canva includes many royalty-free videos) and voila you have a video!
Another alternative would be to use an animation effect on the text or any imagery within the post, this will also turn it into a video. The most simple way to do this is to go to upload a Reel, click on your photo/graphic post, and add some music over it. There are many ways to get creative with this and one quick YouTube search on how to turn static posts into videos is all you have to do to get some more ideas, but the point is you don’t need to be spending hours filming Reels to create Reels now. You can turn your existing content into videos!
3. Social Commerce is Expanding
E-commerce is currently all the rage and social media has joined in on the fun. Businesses have been using Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and now TikTok to sell their products for quite some time now. The apps are adapting and becoming more e-commerce friendly to make the shopping experience seamless. The projection for the future looks like shopping via social media will simply become the norm and it kind of already is.
Looking at Instagram for example, you now have the option to directly link anything in your stories without having 10k+ followers and you can integrate your online store via an action button on your Instagram profile. Your patients can shop directly from the app. There is no longer a need to even visit your website as there is an entire shop section right to the left of your profile image in the bottom banner.
4. Communities Make a Huge Impact
While this trend is not something new to social channels it’s definitely something that is becoming increasingly more popular and utilized by big brands. Social media communities are social groups formed by a brand/business in order to provide a networking platform for their patients/customers. It’s an incredibly smart way to make the user feel like they belong to something important and be able to share their thoughts and ideas with others alike.
These types of groups are most often seen and used on Facebook and are typically kept private to keep exclusivity amongst the group members. This is a brilliant opportunity for your practice to bring new and old patients together to share their experiences with you and your clinic in order for them to build further trust with you. They can also rely on one another and assist in sharing the tools/tips you’ve provided them. These types of groups also work so well if you offer a DIY program, this way it even alleviates some patient support when they can turn to others in the group for guidance.
Social communities are another online space for your practice to launch new services, products, or programs and ask for patient feedback/testimonials to gain valuable patient insights. This is a safe space you’ve provided your community so they will be eager and happy to share.
5. TikTok Video Replies & Series
Last but certainly not least, we have to talk about what’s trending with TikTok. Let’s be honest, the app itself is a current social media trend because it’s grown exponentially in the last couple of years. While the actual trends on the app change rapidly, and I mean a few times a week if not more, there are some very clear, more broad trends that can keep your audience engaged and are happening consistently within the app.
The first would be, replying to your comments with a TikTok (video) response. One of the easiest ways to create content on TikTok is when your audience creates it for you. Take a common question that is being asked in your comment section and choose one to reply to with a video, This will get uploaded as its own TikTok and users love being able to get a more in-depth response via video as opposed to a quick text reply. You don’t even have to think of the content because the amazing part of this is someone is already creating the topic of conversation for you.
The second consistent trend we see on Tiktok is starting a series or challenge for your account. This is a great way to keep your audience engaged and constantly coming back for more. Do you ever find yourself watching “Part 1” of a story or “Day 1” of a challenge you instantly need the next part? That’s the goal of this style of content. Providing value with your series or challenge so much so that your audience will be eagerly awaiting your next post.
Some examples of how to do this as a health practitioner:
- Breakdown your patient success stories into 3-4 videos
- Start a daily or weekly challenge with small health goals and build a community to join in with you
- Start a series teaching something within your niche. Ex. 5 steps to better gut health or 6 foods to incorporate for better hormonal health
Alright, now that I’ve got you up to speed on what is currently trending on social media, I suggest you review your current content strategy and see where you can give each of these some more love and attention. The entire purpose of staying updated on social trends is so that you can continue to utilize these free marketing channels to further build your community and get your name out there in order for you to provide quality care to as many of your ideal patients as possible. The tools and resources are available, all you have to do is get started!
Brandy Kinnear
Founder- Your Ideal Patients