October Social Media Trends Recap + November Predictions
Hey, homies! 🍂 Can you believe it’s already November? As we cozy up this fall, it’s time to drop our recap of the hottest social media trends from October and what we predict will take over in November. Let’s dive in!
SOCIAL MEDIA TREND #1:SPOOKY PROMOS
Did you really think we’d be able to cover social media trends without dissecting holiday content? Brands diving into the month’s festivities isn’t just a social media trend we predict will continue through Q4 — we know it will. While not every brand’s identity aligns with lighthearted trends or celebrations, we love seeing the creativity it takes to fit products into Halloween and the fall season. Here are our favorites:
To Boost Engagement
Lemme used this treat-filled holiday to promote their digestive supplement, Lemme Debloat with a vintage-inspired graphic and a caption that promoted “...[enjoying] the treats without the tricks…” It places their product as a solution to enjoy the festivities free of worry. This was an on-brand and innovative way to jump in on a trend that directly aligned with a product they offer. Plus, it earned them the most engaged post of the week! Kudos, Lemme! 👏
To Expand Awareness
As a chocolate brand, we would have been disappointed to see Tony’s Chocolonely take the backseat on Halloween! They came in clutch with themed content throughout the month of October, but impressed us by leveraging the holiday for an influencer collaboration. They teamed up with Kristen Sellentin to create a Boo Basket featuring their delicious treats. This collaboration earned them the highest reach of all their Reels with nearly 60K views and nearly 1K likes, expanding their audience awareness!
To Encourage Shares
Last but not least, a team favorite: Graza! The internet’s favorite olive oil is an unexpected participant in the Halloween content trend, but we must admit — they killed it. They took a twist on the trick-or-treating tradition, offering cups of Graza Olive Oil in a bowl instead of candy. This silly post earned Graza over 360 shares, exceeding their average share count by over 200 . And we all know… shareable content is a major key to success!
As we transition from Halloween to the remainder of Q4 holidays, brands in various industries can continue to use festive content to connect with their audiences. Seasonal posts aren’t just relevant in October; they’re a powerful way to keep audiences engaged and inspired through the end of the year. By jumping in on festivities in an authentic way, brands can boost engagement, expand reach, and create share-worthy moments that stay top of mind all season long.
SOCIAL MEDIA TREND #2: THE RISE OF IN-APP SHOPPING
Step aside, TikTok shop — you have some new competition! Despite IG removing the shop from its homepage in 2023, social media platforms have been continuing to push in-app shopping to its users. Especially in the thick of Q4, creating a seamless user experience can make all the difference in driving conversions. While IG updated its app to include a “shop now” button in 2023, the feature took some time to ramp up in popularity. Instagram’s algorithm favors accounts that encourage zero-click content as they lead users to stay on the app longer and are fed more ads, creating more revenue for them. Leveraging this knowledge, we saw major brands like Glossier and Sephora using the “shop now” button in October, and it’s taking over our feeds, similarly to how embedded TikTok Shop links have on our FYPs.
The stats don’t lie — 72% of users buy things they find on IG, so it's safe to assume that percentage would only grow with the shopping experience becoming easier than ever. The “shop now” button allows for a mindless purchase. With this strategy, the user experience becomes so seamless, the shopper doesn’t even have to think twice to place their order. We’ve applied this with our client, Avery Apothecary, to help boost sales and improve our ROI. Not only has it increased conversions, but posts leveraging the “shop now” feature tend to earn the highest reach!
SOCIAL MEDIA TREND #3: NATIVE-LOOKING CONTENT
Simply put, native-looking content includes stories, Reels, and images that look like they were taken and edited directly in-app. A key indicator of native-looking content is using a font that is built into its editing features. The truth is audiences love to feel like they can relate to their favorite brands and creators, and native-looking content nurtures this feeling — this isn’t news. We have, however, noticed an uptick in the number of brands, like Dae, Starface, and Glossier, willing to slightly stray from their brand guidelines for the sake of authenticity and we’re big fans. Instagram has been moving away from overly polished content for a while now, and we’ve been major supporters of efforts toward organic-feeling content. It’s a strategy we’ve recommended to our clients since our learnings.
One client we’ve incorporated this in a few posts for is RAYVI, a mineral drink mix brand. Since applying the native-looking strategy to RAYVI’s feed, Reels and static posts that utilize an IG native font have consistently earned the highest engagement and reach across a majority of our posts. Our “Healthy Dirty Soda Recipe” Reel not only earned the highest engagement of October, but also brought in the highest number of shares, further expanding our reach and showing that our audience resonates with this native-looking content. We call that a recipe for success! ✨
November Predictions
Your November forecast is in! We can expect to see the comeback of Threads, brands leveraging new Reel features in Q4 advertising, and early BFCM promotions.
The rest of our 2024 social media trend predictions can be found here. 💗 For more digital marketing tips (+ a monthly content calendar), be sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our digital marketing newsletter.
xx,
The Homies
