Visibility…
Especially in recent years, the biggest challenge of social media users is visibility. According to recent research, 3.78 billion people worldwide use at least one social media platform. Moreover, this number continues to increase by accelerating. This situation naturally brings to mind a very important question. How can I be visible in this content bombard?
Let’s answer this question together and take a look at the new rules of the post-pandemic social media world.
1. Minimalism Wins
“Less is more.”
– Mies Van Der Rohe
Minimalism is one of the most influential movements of the era we now live in. This approach, based on the philosophy of less is more, is a result of consumption culture. Moreover, it is an approach that is effective not only in the decoration of our homes, but also in our social media habits.
Social media is no longer just a platform that people use to have a good time and express themselves. It is now the biggest stage in the marketing world. Everyone is in a great race to be more visible on this stage and to deliver their product or content to their target audience. This race brings with it a serious content bombardment.
So how can we get out of this chaos and be more visible?
The answer is simple.
Simplicity.
With the changing algorithms, sharing more content does not make you more visible. Users who are tired of the heavy content bombardment are not very happy with their timeline being invaded by same accounts. For this reason, content producers now need to ask themselves a very important question.
“Do my followers want to hear from me this often?”
2. Interaction Is More Important Than Ever
Another important issue following minimalism is interaction. The goal of reaching more users with less content is the golden rule of being visible in the new social media world. Interaction is the number one weapon in achieving this goal.
In June 2021, CEO of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, posted a video titled “How the “Algorithm” Works, describing Instagram’s visibility algorithm. Those who are interested can watch the video through this link. According to this algorithm, the main factor that affects the visibility of a content and increases its relationship with the user is the frequency of recording the content. The operation of the algorithm is followed by sharing the content with others and commenting on the content. Contrary to popular belief, the number of likes has the least effect on the visibility of the content.
Moreover, a similar algorithm works on other social media platforms. This situation shows us one thing quite clearly. Those who produce content that is directly in the interest of the target audience, that the users can benefit from and can share with others, start the race of being visible in social media 3-0 ahead.
3.Trends of the Target Audience in the Center
The fact that the interaction is at the forefront also brings the tendencies of the target audience to the fore. Those who want to be visible on social media need to closely follow the needs, likes and expectations of their target audience. Moreover, it is necessary to consider that there have been serious changes in some habits of social media users during and after the pandemic.
Since March 2020, when the whole world experienced curfews and quarantine conditions, there have been changes in social media and internet usage habits. In this period when the daily time spent on social media increased and many physical activities were transferred to digital, users faced a new social media experience. This experience reshaped expectations and brought different sensitivities. Therefore, in order to be more visible on social media, content producers need to follow the changing trends and these sensitivities more closely.
4. Being Live Has a Different Meaning Now
“Man is by nature a social animal”
-Aristotle
The state of being live has gained a new meaning and importance with the pandemic, especially in social media. The inability to do many physical activities, the decrease in physical interaction between people, and even the decrease of this contact to zero with the quarantine led people to different pursuits.
During the pandemic process, many content producers and social media accounts tried to replace physical interaction with live broadcasts and events organized on the internet and social media. This experience allowed us to explore the possibilities and impossibilities of a new live digital world.
It seems to be an inevitable fact that being live on social media will create new opportunities in the coming period. Content producers should continue to think about this issue in order to be at the forefront and more visible on social media.
5. The Video World Is Getting Stronger
“People read less now.” This is one of the most spoken phrases in recent years. With the digitalizing world, it is a fact that people prefer visual forms of expression rather than written forms of expression. Of course, this change also shows itself in social media and the internet world. The world’s largest search engine Google now directs users to video sources such as YouTube and Vimeo before texts in search results. Moreover, this trend seems to have increased with the pandemic process. We know that there has been a serious increase in the number of users of digital platforms such as Netflix and Amazon all over the world during the quarantine period. This trend finds a place itself in social media.
Users interact more with video content and spend more time on such content. As we mentioned before, interaction is the number one rule of being visible on social media. For this reason, content producers and accounts who want to be present in social media should turn to video content production and analyze how their target audiences tend to consume videos.
6. Remember, You Are Not Alone
As a final word, we have to accept that social media is now the most effective way of communicating with the world for many people. Many people spend more time on social media than they do in real life, spending more time with their virtual friends. Moreover, this situation has turned into a necessity rather than a choice with the pandemic. For this reason, it is very important to give the message “Remember, you are not alone. I am here with you and understand your needs and expectations” to the target audience on social media.
Author: Defne Yaman, WEglobal Project Manager
