What was once considered a passing trend, social media has firmly cemented itself in everyday life. This is true for brands, creators, and the consumers they want to reach. The competition for engagement, reach, and views aren’t likely to subside, making it more critical than ever to leverage each platform as effectively as possible. Here are our top eight social media trends to watch for in 2023.
Here’s What We Learned in 2022
- North America has the fourth most social media users globally, with 434.93 million users.[10]
- Lifestyle was the largest content category for Instagram influencers in the U.S. [11]
- Facebook has the highest return on investment for B2B and B2C marketers.[12]
- YouTube’s global ad revenues were 11.2% of Google’s total annual revenue.[13]
2023 Trend #1: Increased Social Media Transactions
eCommerce companies continue to use the power of social media to grow their bottom lines. One-third of consumers aged 15 to 22 bought a product from a shoppable social media story in 2022.[3] It’s a turnabout after social media transactions declined in the past year, but users returned by the year’s end.
Social media networks, like Instagram and TikTok, lead the way with various features for companies to create a streamlined shopping experience.
2023 Trend #2: Continual Rise In Social Advertising
Social media ads have helped more than a quarter — 28% — of internet users discover new brands and products.[4] As social media platforms have made ad targeting more robust, brands and creators are experiencing an easier time getting their ads in front of consumers who are most likely to buy. The ad spend across social media platforms grew 28.5% in 2021, and most signs point to more ad spending in 2023.[8]
But, this growth could reach a plateau soon. Privacy concerns surrounding the data used for targeted ads have caused several platforms, including Facebook, to remove data points around sensitive personal information, such as race, religion, and sexual orientation. In fact, we’ve seen some major changes to targeting abilities within Meta over the last two years.
2023 Trend #3: Influencer Marketing and Brand Collaborations
Influencer marketing is one part of social media trends that isn’t going away in 2023. When planned and executed well, these partnerships pay literal dividends. One example is from 2020 when Dunkin’ Donuts teamed up with TikTok star Charli D’Amelio — her custom drink and promotion earned the company “hundreds of thousands of drinks within the first five days of launch.” [6]
These partnerships also give you a host of user-generated content, which is great for customer testimonials and other proof of the product potential customers are looking for.
2023 Trend #4: Anticipate More Video For Everything
Multiple social media companies believe video, specifically short-form videos, will continue to grow in 2023. It’s no surprise since this bite-sized video length is the most effective social media content due to its high level of engagement, remixing, and shareability, giving brands and content creators a strong return on investment.
Short-Form Video Content
Call it the TikTok effect, but more companies are finding out how well short-form videos work. Though short-form videos are known for being light and fun, they’re a good outlet for quick educational and informational topics. It’s expected YouTube Shorts will gain ground on TikTok videos in 2023 as the Google-owned platform ranks as the second-largest search engine and is already serving up Shorts in search results.[1]
Instagram Reels helped brands and companies earn almost 40% more engagement than other post types on Instagram in 2022.[2] As social media platforms continue to prioritize video content, we expect this engagement trend to continue this year.
Long-Form Video Content
Just as “Google it” has become an action verb in everyday language, “YouTube it” isn’t far behind. Fifty-one percent of U.S. adults use the platform to learn about topics or skills they haven’t before.[5] Though short-form videos garner most of the attention, don’t discount the impact well-crafted longer videos can have.
Consider videos that fall into the “edutainment” category. These videos are entertaining but informative or actionable. They can communicate more detailed information with visual aids and serve as resources people return to again and again.
2023 Trend #5: Social Cause on Social Media
A continued trend in 2023 is brands and companies leading and contributing to environmental, political, and social issues. The onus is on brands and companies to align themselves with giving back and standing up for causes.
One way to do this is by showing how your manufacturing or production process works and emphasizing ethical practices. Take the time to interview your team and show how your employees are supported in and out of work. Consumers must continue holding brands and companies accountable for their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
2023 Trend #6: TikTok’s Reign Continues
Last year, the platform had an estimated 94 million users in the United States.[7] One of the newest members of social media royalty, TikTok is likely to continue its reign with the platform’s Creative Center. Brands and creators have a central location to find the latest content, hashtag, and song trends.[9] Plus, the company recently rolled out an eCommerce integration to bring the platform into the social commerce fold.
2023 Trend #7: Connection Over Quantity
The halcyon days of social media content focusing on the company and its products or services are gone. Consumers and users want to feel and see authenticity, a driving force behind building relationships and loyal customers.
One way to tap into this is by showcasing employee advocacy. By letting your employees voice the company’s success, you’ll have more control over brand messaging while adding thought leadership in your industry. Both are frequently tied to increased brand awareness and more qualified job applicants in a competitive labor market.
Marketing With Memes
Memes are a fun and engaging way to build rapport with your audience while adding a dash of humanity to your brand. Most companies keep it lighthearted but relevant, such as Denny’s participation in the 10-year challenge a few years ago. [14]
2023 Trend #8: The Comeback For Smaller Platforms
Every year, we’re inundated with how-to’s and seemingly easy tips for helping your brand or company break through the deep sea of social media relevance. But in 2023, we’re looking forward to — somewhat — ignoring this information and using social platforms that aren’t in vogue anymore.
LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Snapchat are still around and have plenty of room for companies who want to return. Business-to-business social media marketers can migrate or build communities and groups on LinkedIn, similar to Facebook, while building beneficial relationships.
Pinterest and Snapchat enjoyed resurgences in recent years. Pinterest saw a boom in DIYers during COVID as people in their homes searched for activities and projects to do. Snapchat transitioned from selfies and short videos with a line or two of text to a mostly messaging platform with Gen Z. Both platforms are primed to continue these trends this year.
BONUS: Social Media Trends 2023 #9: Professional Collaborations For Best Marketing Results
If you’re ready to crack the social media puzzle in 2023 and make a bigger impact on your brand, let the experienced team at Full Circle SEM lend a helping hand or two.
Sources:
[1] https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-trends-2023/
[2] https://www.postbulletin.com/business/improve-your-social-media-marketing-success-in-2023
[3] https://explodingtopics.com/blog/social-media-trends
[4] https://www.gwi.com/reports/social
[6] https://www.tubefilter.com/2020/09/23/charli-damelio-dunkin-donuts-sales-app-downloads/
[7] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1100836/number-of-us-tiktok-users/
[9] https://ads.tiktok.com/business/creativecenter/inspiration/popular/music/mobile/en?from=001010
[10] https://www.statista.com/statistics/454772/number-social-media-user-worldwide-region/
[11] https://www.statista.com/statistics/673810/instagram-posts-most-likes/
[12] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1284484/social-media-platforms-highest-return-on-investment/
[13] https://www.statista.com/topics/2019/youtube/#topicHeader__wrapper
[14] https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/4-reasons-to-use-memes-in-your-marketing
