A whopping 59% of the world’s population uses social media regularly. Adoption rates will keep on rising, making it the most important platform for businesses to connect with their customers.
But each of these platforms brings something different to the table, giving marketers new opportunities to reach their target audience creatively.
Getting on top of these social media trends will help drive engagement and brand awareness in 2023.
Original and authentic content
In an industry awash with regurgitated tactics, people are becoming more discerning and no longer accept cookie-cutter branded messaging. Customers are craving original and authentic content from brands, preferring non-polished and in-the-moment/real-life approaches found on TikTok and Instagram’s photo dumps, for example.
Original content solidifies a brand’s reputation and fosters a deeper brand-customer relationship, whereas branded content advertises a product/service that customers struggle to personally connect with. In 2023, we will continue to see businesses outpacing their competitors by leveraging original social media content.
Video content will keep expanding
Brands will continue to increase their focus on social media video marketing in 2023 by leveraging the short-form video trend. Engaging and shareable content is massively lucrative and rising now that TikTok and Instagram videos are now indexed to appear in search results.
TikTok’s social selling has massive potential, with 3 billion downloads to date and over 1 billion active monthly users. Instagram updated its algorithms in 2022 to push more video content to users, and YouTube has recently released Shorts – a short-form video creation tool – to jostle for social media video supremacy. Shorts’ revenue model is designed to lure content creators away from competitors TikTok and IG Reels by giving creators a 45% revenue share of all content released, which is far more than other platforms. On top of this, Twitter and Snapchat are also pushing for more video content, making short videos a hot social media trend for 2023.
Communities over personas
Companies can take advantage of micro-communities on social media by drawing the audience around a brand or a specific product/service. Brands will move further away from personas and create closer connections with their audience. Good examples of this are private social platforms Discord and Telegram – they attract specific types of users that share similar views and beliefs, creating a small yet solid community of like-minded people.
Brand accountability
Business activism will continue to trend in 2023 as consumers demand brands share their views and take a stance on social, environmental, cultural and even economic issues. There is, to some extent, a certain agenda and narrative that brands are expected to talk about with their consumers – inflation, gender, race, etc.
As brands strive for more personal engagement with their audiences through personification, brands are expected to embody the ‘right’ views on major social issues. It helps them to be more relatable and personal, trying hard to establish perspectives that they penetrate deeper than the bottom line. Jumping on current and topical issues facing the world and/or micro-communities will continue to strengthen business-customer relationships and drive brand loyalty.
In 2023, brands will leverage this by connecting audiences around a focal point to encourage engagement that can be used to gather feedback, gain insights, and drive conversations.
Metaverse and NFTs
The global metaverse revenue market is forecasted to approach $800 billion in 2024. Immersive social media will become a part of all interactive digital experiences, with Meta leading the charge. With the introduction of digital avatars, Meta is encouraging social media users to further engage with the metaverse. With opportunities for sponsored items for avatars and themed costumes – via NFTs – and improved social shopping, brands have more ways to engage with customers in the digital world.
Brands will continue to leverage technologies such as AR to create immersive customer experiences in the digital realm. The digital fashion industry is taking the lead in this regard, and we will soon see many more pivot to binary to drive sales and improve the customer experience.
Bigger push on Twitter
With Elon Musk purchasing Twitter and replacing its upper management, the social media giant is now charging a monthly fee for verification and use of the platform. Additionally, Musk plans to integrate longer tweet functionality so people can share more types of posts on the platform. Twitter’s subscription-based model has changed the dynamic of the platform, offering more opportunities for engagement for users and brands than previously imagined.
Since the acquisition, Twitter has seen a spike in users and activity thanks to a mountain of media coverage. Revised policies have led to the unbanning of certain accounts, most notably Donald Trump, as it tries to offer a space for broader opinions than those presented in mainstream media. For instance, Twitter Spaces are designed to discuss specific topics that are not covered in the news, providing users with a different lens of current events. As new tools and add-on features proliferate, we will certainly see brands leveraging the face-lifted platform to engage with audiences.
Influencer marketing
While influencer marketing continues to remain popular, it can be costly for businesses wanting to leverage influencer audiences on a budget. Brands are beginning to partner with micro-influencers as a cost-effective way to drive more engagement for less (compared to paid ads and macro-influencers).
Micro-influencers have smaller audiences that are captive, loyal, and far easier to engage with. In 2023, brands will team up with multiple micro-influencers that appeal to niche markets to increase spread at a fraction of the cost.
Summary
Social media is a powerful and constantly evolving tool that provides businesses with amazing opportunities to reach audiences and influence their purchasing decisions. By taking advantage of these rising social media trends in 2023, brands will be able to establish deeper connections with their audiences on a personal level to foster brand loyalty by adding value to their lives.
Need help with your social media strategy for 2023?
Grover, the branding and marketing wing of WeAreBrain, helps leading brands develop and execute compelling social media strategies that drive powerful engagement. Get in touch to see how we can help add value to your audience on a global scale.
