November Social Media Trends Recap & December Predictions

Homies… how is it December already?! 🤯Are you ready for our final social media trends recap of 2024? Let’s dive into what took over our feeds in November and what we expect to trend in December! 

SOCIAL MEDIA TREND #1: THE HOLIDAY GIFT LIST

We’ve been talking about Q4 promotions coming early in previous social media trend blogs, but this one takes it up a notch — the holiday gift list has been everywhere on socials. While this content may seem obvious, it’s highly effective, as it provides consumers with an exact gift list of what they should buy for themselves and their loved ones. You’ve heard it a million times by now: this quarter is overflowing with promotions, and it’s easy to get lost in the loudness of them, which is why starting early was key in ensuring you reach your audience. 

How do you take full advantage of the eyes you reach? By being concise and specific, and the holiday gift list does just that. It points out exactly what you want your audience to buy, and we love to see brands provide extra value by categorizing their gift list, like Clevr Blends. This strategy is particularly useful for brands that sell physical products, as it is crucial to showcase your offerings well in advance of major shopping events like Black Friday and throughout the holiday season. Clevr Blends took this strategy a step further by including products from other non-competing brands with similar audiences. This approach not only broadened their reach but also increased the likelihood of those brands resharing the content, putting Clevr Blends in front of new audiences. 

We see another take on the holiday gift list at work with brands like Glossier and Wildflower Cases. The comment section on these posts are full of customers confirming their purchases and tagging friends to let them know exactly what they’re hoping to unwrap this year! Not only does this strategy prompt your audience to plan on purchasing your product, but this content is highly shareable, boosting your reach as people share it for not-so-subtle gifting hints. 

As we approach peak gifting season, we recommend you jump on this trend by crafting your own holiday gift list tailored to your audience. Focus on highlighting your products in creative ways, whether through themed categories, influencer collaborations, or interactive elements like polls or quizzes. The gift list not only drives direct sales but also fosters engagement and social media community buzz, ensuring your brand stands out amidst the holiday chaos. Plus, this content form is perfect for other gifting holidays like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and more! 

SOCIAL MEDIA TREND #2: PERSONAL-FEELING CONTENT

Your social media community is *everything* and fostering this is a sure way to boost engagement and brand recognition. That said, we’re uber-excited to see personal-feeling content as a social media trend this month. Personal-feeling content is authentic and relatable, showcasing your brand’s personality through genuine touches like vulnerable stories, candid visuals, or behind-the-scenes moments. 

What do we already know cultivates your social media community like no other? Personality and authenticity! 👏 Native-looking content has become a key strategy for building a social media community and boosting engagement, thanks to its relatability and the approachable image it creates for your brand. Adding a human touch — as we’ve done through handwritten notes, iPhone notes/texts, or a personable face — can amplify this connection even further. In the past, influencer collaborations were the go-to strategy to put a face to your brand and build trust. Now, there are plenty of ways to show off your brand personality without having to source help from influencers (although, this always helps!). 

Personal-feeling content can mean a variety of different content forms. It can include…

🤝 A founder posting a Reel or personal message like we’ve done for our client RAYVI, or vulnerable posts like we’ve done on our own Instagram. These are both effective strategies to build your social media community, as they allow your audience to relate to you and provide a face they can resonate with. This month, we’ve seen an increase in hand-written notes that also feel personal and relatable to social media communities. 

🎅A simple wishlist, like Dedcool’s, gave us a glimpse into their team’s personal Christmas lists and prompted people to jump in the comments to share their own wish lists or point out their favorite picks.

✍️Handwritten postcards, like Poosh's,  that relate to their audience. These notes shared humorous, painfully familiar notes that sparked major conversation in the comments. This post earned nearly 700 shares — what a reach booster! 

As we continue to see this shift toward personal-feeling content, now is the perfect time to experiment with ways to connect authentically with your audience. Whether it’s sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses, crafting heartfelt messages, or involving your team in creative, relatable ways, the goal is to make your brand feel approachable and human. This type of content not only deepens the bond with your current social media community but also attracts new followers who resonate with your authenticity. At the end of the day, showing your brand’s personality is what transforms casual followers into loyal fans — and loyal fans into conversions

SOCIAL MEDIA TREND #3: THE GRID DESIGN FOR ADS 

Grid design for ads is a tried-and-true format, and it has been making waves as a standout social trend this month, particularly for product-based businesses. This design for social advertising combines education with concise storytelling, showing multiple outcomes or uses for a product in one engaging post. 

We were majorly inspired by Dara Denny’s analysis of the grid design, as she dissected an iconic Guinness ad created by Ogilvy in the 50s. She explained that this social advertising format is not only captivating and appealing to the eye, but it highlights versatility and explains how the audience can use a product in their life. The grid design format opens up the opportunity to provide value to your audience, similar to how Ogilvy educated their audience about foods that pair perfectly with Guinness, like oysters, cheese, and game meats, while slipping in product promotion at juuust the right moment. 

This social advertising format has continued to prove its success, as we saw brands use it all November long!

🪞Summer Fridays had a minimalistic, visually satisfying take on it, as they created a contrast between two products to promote their recycle-and-reward program. 

🪧Baggu leveraged this strategy on and off social media for a poster that clearly laid out the drops from their newest launch with a clear motive to encourage visits to their newest Chicago location. 

💊 Lemme also did this with their newest Lemme Grow supplement to show the effectiveness of their product. 

Similarly, the grid design strategy can be used for service-based businesses with before-and-after content, as it presents your audience with what their results could look like. We continuously use this with our client, Defyne. Most recently, we posted the results of previous patients’ Blepharoplasties, as this procedure was being offered at a discounted price. The clear, visual presentation of how this service created results is an effective way of proving your value to potential customers. 

The simple yet satisfying visual aspect of the grid design allows for creativity to flow while delivering a clear and concise message that resonates with your audience. To make the most of this trend, focus on how you can educate or inspire your audience while showcasing your product’s versatility. Whether you’re highlighting different use cases, promoting sustainability initiatives like Summer Fridays, or mapping out a product launch like Baggu, the key is to balance creativity with clarity. For product-based businesses, this format is a must-try — it drives value, grabs attention, and leaves a lasting impression.

DECEMBER SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS PREDICTIONS

The gifting season came early! This month, we’ve wrapped up our December social trends predictions just for you. 🎁 We can expect to see aaall the festive content, a spike in new-year prediction content, and goal-inspiring content to build relatability as we prep for 2025. 

The rest of our 2024 social media trend predictions can be found here. 💗 Want to dive further into how you can sharpen your social media strategy for growth in 2025? Book a strategy session with our CEO, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our weekly newsletter. 

xx,

The Homies