What’s driving the shift toward lo-fi content?

[shaownhasan]

Done well, however, the upside of smart lo-fi content is undeniable, from higher ROI to scaling your brand awareness efforts. By striking the right balance of casual and relevant, these posts can humanize your brand and encourage shareability.

The pendulum swing from pristine, big budget mint data advertising campaigns to lo-fi social content has been building up for years. There are a few factors that have contributed to this shift:

1. The pandemic

During our webinar, Karten noted how the challenges brands faced at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift towards more lo-fi content. Specifically, more conservative budgets and the inability for marketers to travel and film on-site.

As major brands began to incorporate more low-budget content into their feeds out of necessity, they noticed something—audiences ate it up. It was an early sign that aspirational content wasn’t the only option anymore.

2. The algorithms

While the pandemic initiated the shift toward lo-fi social content, it was hardly the only driver. Algorithms, particularly on Instagram and TikTok, increasingly emphasize the power of discovery.

The more a particular post gets shared, the more likely it is to land on the Instagram Explore or TikTok For You pages. Today, it’s off the cuff, lo-fi content that users are more likely to share with their followers.