Social Media Advertising Spending Surged In Q4 2020, With Video Content Becoming The Focus

Since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world last year, people have increasingly turned to their smartphones to stay connected and entertained, and brands have accordingly increased their investment in digital and social media advertising.

According to Socialbakers’ latest quarterly report, social media advertising remained an important breakthrough for brand marketing in the fourth quarter of last year. During this period, global social media advertising spending increased by 50.3% compared with the same period last year. Among them, North America Social media ad spending grew 92.3% year over year.

While social media advertising continues to receive widespread attention during the pandemic, the advertising strategies employed by marketers are changing as consumer preferences change and new technologies are introduced.

Video content, especially live streaming, has become the focus of attention and has gradually evolved into a direct sales channel. According to Socialbakers, this is a business trend that has gained an important position among Generation Z in China and continues to develop vigorously in the United States.

Video content is widely popular on all major platforms. Facebook Live was the most engaging format on social networking sites in the fourth quarter of last year, and videos accounted for 18% of all Instagram posts. Top platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have also integrated accordingly. New shopping features.

Previous surveys have shown that the proportion of marketers using purchaseable video ads increased from 25% in 2018 to 33% in 2019 and to 40% in 2020. The Interactive Advertising Bureau also predicts that directly purchaseable media channels, including live broadcasts, will become one of the fastest growing advertising categories in the near future.

Meanwhile, the popularity of influencer marketing campaigns appears to have declined in the fourth quarter, with the number of Instagram influencers using #ad in their posts down 17.6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.

Socialbakers said that the number of brands working with influencers with at least 100,000 fans is almost the same as before the epidemic. The channel does not seem to have any unexpected gains due to the epidemic. The relative stagnation may also indicate that brands have chosen to cooperate with influencers in recent months. Cooperate with influencers with fewer fans.

2020 is a year like no other, and many changes will also affect marketing strategies in 2021 and beyond. Sellers should also learn more about the current situation and create advertising campaigns that can attract more attention from users in the new year.

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