Remember the days of using social media to share baby pictures or vacation photos with your friends? In today’s world, social media is much more than that, and as we look into 2023, the social media economy will expand even further. Social media is a space for brands to stand out and prove that their products or services are worthy of a second look.
When it comes to trends, we know they are a part of life, whether it’s fashion, music, streaming shows, or the news. When it comes to social media, the changes that will occur in the coming year will shake up the marketing world in a positive direction. You just need to be prepared for it.
Last year, 83% of marketers in our survey reported having some confidence in social media’s return on investment (ROI), up from 68% the year before. In 2023, we’ll see marketers and executives feeling more confident in the return on investment in social media (ROI).
Before we get started, here are a few social statistics:
- The average social media user engages on platforms for two hours and 27 minutes.
- In terms of monthly active users, Facebook wins with 2.89B, followed by YouTube with 2.2B, Instagram at 1.39B, TikTok at 1B, Snapchat at 538M, Twitter at 436M, and Reddit at 430M.
Let’s dig into the social media trends we expect to see in 2023!
The Ads Budget is Growing
Many businesses will increase their ad budget to keep up with the competition. Social media platforms like Facebook (which also owns Instagram) have long since placed organic branded content at a disadvantage; this is one of the more long-term social media trends. Ad spending has risen steadily for many years, and marketers expect the trend to continue over the long term. Marketers who have stayed away from paid advertising now realize that organic efforts can be easily amplified through a smart ad campaign. They also recognize that they could miss out on potential revenue without advertising.
Brand Collaboration with Influencers
One of the social media trends for 2023 that will increase in popularity is using micro and nano-influencers to promote campaigns. Brands utilizing user-generated content is a well-established practice, and in 2023 it will only continue to grow. Besides using different types of organic content and ads, many marketers are turning to influencers in their industry, with some significantly scaling back their own content creation.
With smaller follower counts, but with people that share the same interests as they do, nano and micro-influencers have a higher success rate when promoting products from brands. They have found that popular creators will talk about their products, and their engaged following will often buy them as a result. It is more likely for their small communities to resonate with them and share similar needs, and therefore are bound to buy the products and services they are advertising for.
Working with influencers isn’t as expensive as you might think. Most creators earn less than $100 per post.
Video Still Rules the Roost
In simpler days, social media was shared with text and images. Now, it has gone way beyond this! According to YouTube, users watch 1 billion hours of content daily. The possibilities are HUGE!
Today, social media includes videos of all lengths and types. Some are professional and produced, while others can be taken with a smartphone and posted on the fly.
In addition to long-form video possibilities on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, to name a few, the rise in short-form content is the big news for 2023. Options include YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, Pinterest Idea Pins, and Google Web Stories. Many of these options, like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, have reached popularity over the last few years. And while YouTube Shorts are no doubt popular, TikTok is skyrocketing video marketing possibilities. The platform surpassed one billion monthly active users in September – and users average nearly an hour on the platform whenever they log on.
Add all these things together, and the potential for people and brands to distinguish themselves through video is endless. It’s safe to say that video will continue to dominate social media trends for 2023 and beyond.
Increased Brand Connection and Personalization
One of the trends of 2023 will be for brands to turn their audience into a loyal community. You will often see prompts like “Do you like this ad?” on YouTube. Facebook and Google use elaborate algorithms to track consumer behavior so that they can serve up personalized content and/or search results. The key here is to find like-minded people, target them appropriately, and follow their online discussions. Brands can do this through their own organic efforts as well as utilizing the tools offered by the social media giants.
To keep them engaged, brands will continue to offer excellent content and great products, with benefits like loyalty programs, giveaways, and contests. Further, if you can stir up a conversation around your brand, you will increase interest from your current community and help spread the word about what you have to offer.
Businesses can use social media users’ rise to attract more customers!
Final Thoughts
As 2023 approaches, you need to be aware of the emerging trends in social media so you can start applying it to your own strategy. Learning these trends will help you plan for your efforts and where to spend most of your resources.
Most importantly, make the most of your platforms to increase engagement, build your community, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
What social media trend are you planning for in 2023? Let us help you plan your social strategy and make it your best year yet!
