(Ad) Since Facebook ballooned globally and Facebook marketing became the biggest buzzword among marketers, many social media companies have joined the industry and disrupted the digital marketing space.
Despite Facebook’s recent struggles after changing its corporate name to Meta, the platform remains one of the most influential in digital marketing, with core trends that digital marketers must pay attention to.
According to statistics, the platform will have 2.9 billion monthly global active users in the first quarter of 2023. Its social sibling, Instagram, amassed over 1 billion monthly active users. 90% of them follow a business.
The current, most disruptive entrant is TikTok, which grew its U.S. user base by over 29% in 2021 compared to the previous year.
So, where should you be? How should you be engaging a diversifying social media user base? By being on top of social media trends.
The Top 9 Social Media Trends for 2023
Here are nine social media trends for 2023 you should be keeping an eye on.
Trend #1: TikTok SEO Will Go Mainstream
Google has been the king of search engines, answering queries from billions of monthly active users in search of businesses, travel destinations, and general information. However, social media, especially TikTok, is slowly taking that crown off the search engine giant.
One of Google’s Senior Vice Presidents reported that 40% of Gen Zers use TikTok or Instagram to find a place to eat. Dubbed TikTok SEO, this new trend will become a big deal in 2023, with other social media giants such as Snapchat expected to join the wave.
TikTok SEO sits at the core of social commerce since it can effectively match buyers and sellers on social media and even add an in-app payment option for faster checkouts.
TikTok is already aware of this rising trend in its platform. It launched a “local” feed feature for nearby search results and improved existing search features, such as increasing the limit on video captions to 2,200 characters for better searchability.
The rising social media giant is also testing a dedicated shop feed featuring different shopping categories and a search bar.
Therefore, you should start optimizing your brand content early to rank highly on TikTok’s search results pages.
Source: Presleyinvegas
Trend #2: Brands Will Become Creators
Algorithms for prioritizing content on social media change rapidly. Based on recent user behavior, one of the biggest changes expected in these algorithms is prioritizing interest over social reach.
These changes mean that it no longer matters for brands to have the most followers on social media. Your content will go viral only if it captures the audience’s interest and drives value.
Social media algorithms push interesting content to feeds of users who don’t necessarily follow your brand. Consequently, you get a better opportunity to engage prospects and sell your brand, products, or services.
Instagram, for instance, promotes content with the most likes, not necessarily from a brand, business, or account with the most followers. LinkedIn also grants content with high engagement the top spots in its feed regardless of your daily interactions.
TikTok’s algorithm uses engagement metrics such as watch time, saves, shares, likes, and comments to rank and promote content.
Therefore, you should review your social media content creation strategy and seek virality over your account size.
Source: Pavilion Dinfos Online Learning
Trend #3: Nano Influencer Marketing Will Grow Rapidly
Instagram is the birthplace of influencer marketing. And according to statistics, 89% of marketers still believe it’s the best place to run influencer marketing campaigns.
However, the approach to influencer marketing is drastically changing. The top influencers brands now seek on social media are not A-list celebrities. Instead, they are nano or micro-influencers with a hyper-targeted audience.
Modern self-aware customers want to engage with a brand and brand influencers who offer authenticity, substance, and trust. Moreover, brands must be more careful to keep “fake influencers” at bay who only sell their influencer success based on the number of likes.
Nano-influencers are community leaders with a modest following of about 1,000-5,000 followers. They are viewed as trustworthy and authoritative within their community.
Nano influencers should embody the brand’s voice, tone, and value. Therefore, they can exert more influence on their audience and reap better marketing returns for the brands using their services.
Unlike A-list celebrities who have little time to engage with millions of followers, micro and nano influencers can actively engage potential customers, offer unique and customized content, and respond to every post. These interactions have a more significant impact on your digital marketing campaign.
Source: Partipost
Trend #4: Better Adoption Of Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality is the future of social interactions. The rise in AR triggered Facebook to make a significant and controversial corporate decision, changing its name to Meta and investing billions of dollars into the development of the metaverse, a revolutionary digital world in which people and brands can thrive.
Users’ cravings drive the adoption of augmented reality and virtual reality (VR) for a new and engaging shopping experience.
Before the metaverse, Facebook reacted to this changing user behavior by launching Horizon. In this virtual world, users can play games and interact with products and services from brands on the platform.
Source: Meta Quest
Trend #5: Increased Consumption Of Short Videos
92% of marketers view video as a crucial part of digital marketing. YouTube has been the king of video content and advertising for years since its inception. However, its format is threatened by short videos, the latest big trend in video content.
Major social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are improving their video content to catch up with this snowballing trend, attributed to the rise of TikTok.
YouTube’s response has been the launch of YouTube Shorts, the platform’s short video content service running alongside the main platform.
Short videos are popular among the younger generation, specifically Gen Z. They are inexpensive, easy to create, and highly engage users.
Instagram took a step towards embracing short videos by introducing Instagram Reels, a popular hit since its launch. The scientific backing behind the rise of short videos is the reduced attention span across generations, which attracts younger audiences to shorter, concise, and punchier content.
Source: YouTube
Trend #6: An Increased Demand For Social Commerce
The typical marketing philosophy is to get where your customers are first and set up shop. This philosophy led Facebook and Instagram to introduce shops and social commerce options on their platforms.
As a new wave of social media users pours in and online shopping becomes more popular, social commerce is becoming a potent option for brands to grow themselves and drive significant sales.
Therefore, Instagram Storefront and Facebook Shops will become the most used features on their respective social media platforms.
54% of shoppers already use social media to find information about a brand and its offering. Switching to social commerce will offer them convenience and a quicker way to move through your sales and marketing funnel and buy your product or services.
Source: Oberlo
Trend #7: Customer Service Channels Will Go To Social Media
Social media platforms have evolved from places for individuals to connect to powerful commerce platforms for B2B and B2C sales. Therefore, it’s only natural for brands to take their customer service channels to social media.
This is already happening, with several big brands using social media inboxes and comments to offer customer support for their clients.
For instance, you can privately message PayPal’s customer support through the company customer support’s handle, @AskPayPal, on Twitter and get help for any issues with their services.
Having a customer service channel on social media also builds positive PR for your brand since you can publicly reply to concerns, help customers, and build a positive brand image.
On the other hand, Facebook offers dedicated features such as automated responses, a chatbot, and a common inbox to improve your customer service experience.
Source: PayPal
Trend #8: Authenticity Will Be A Top Demand From Customers
The “insta” life took the world by storm when the social media platform Instagram started gaining popularity globally. Brands had to present their best, filtered selves to the general public using influencers who showed a flawless lifestyle to the audience.
This social perception has drastically changed in 2022, getting into 2023. Users now want authenticity, pushing for real-time, true-to-life posts from content creators and brands. This push for authenticity has been driven by the fast rise of TikTok and Instagram’s rival to the “insta” life, BeReal.
Therefore, brands will be more persuasive if they engage with influencers who post authentic, filter-free images of their everyday life, contrasting the flashy photography and posts that most social media users have been accustomed to.
Source: BeRealApp
Trend #9: Companies Will Invest In A Social Audio Strategy
Audio is not a new advertising medium. However, its emergence in social media platforms is a rather new concept. Marketers have used podcasts, radio, and music playlists to advertise and sell brands.
With a social audio strategy, digital marketers are investing in social media sites with an audio-only capability to push brands, products, and services to the general public.
A good example is Clubhouse, one of the leading social media platforms for marketers to use a social audio strategy in 2021. Despite facing different troubles and eventually going out of the market, Clubhouse set a powerful precedent for other social media platforms.
Facebook joined the bandwagon, launching a suite of social audio products on its platform in mid-2021, including Rooms and Soundbites.
Source: Clubhouse
Social Media Trends 2023: Key Takeaways
Social media is changing fast, and you must be a fast-paced digital marketer, business owner, or organization to keep up. For 2023, ensure that:
- You have a robust TikTok presence and leverage their SEO
- You’re using nano and micro-influencers to target your brand’s specific audience
- You’re investing heavily in social commerce and short videos
How Hearst Bay Area Can Help
Instead of stressing yourself over your next social media marketing strategy, please get the help of an experienced marketing team and let them position your brand for social media success in the new year.
Contact Hearst Bay Area today to learn how we can take your social media to the next level with engaging and strategic content.
