Are you in the process of formulating your social media strategy for 2023 and hoping to gain insight on the important trends that you should consider incorporating and monitoring? There is already a considerable amount of discussion regarding the top social media trends for 2023, and we have condensed and compiled the most popular and intriguing forecasts for your convenience in this article.
Take advantage of these projected social media trends to steer your approach for the upcoming year, but keep in mind that not all of these 2023 trends may be the most suitable choice for your particular brand. Therefore, ensure that you contemplate your social media objectives, target audience, and brand communication, and experiment to determine what is effective for you.
1. Brand responsibility, transparency and authenticity
Discussions concerning social responsibility and brand genuineness have been ongoing. Nevertheless, brands are increasingly expected to demonstrate their contributions to society and their alignment with particular ideologies.
According to Talkwalker, Marketing Interactive, Mediatoolkit, and Finances Online, there will be a significant demand for transparency and authenticity from customers in 2023. The companies have also observed that many customers expect businesses to be proactive in addressing societal, environmental, and political concerns. The public will likely react even more strongly against fake news and greenwashing.
In the future, it will be necessary for brands to put in more effort to establish a strong social media presence that aligns with respectable social norms. Additionally, in 2023, it is expected that an increasing number of brands will publicly declare which values and conduct are deemed appropriate, as a prevalent trend in social media.
A brand that tackles global issues is exemplified by Ben & Jerry’s, which shares information about its ethical programs and sustainability initiatives through its social media channels. In addition, the company is vocal about societal and political issues, such as policing, racism and women’s rights.
Provide guidance on how to manage this current social media movement: Describe the measures your brand is implementing to ensure ethical business conduct, without making any erroneous or overstated statements.
Include in your social media posts glimpses of what happens behind the scenes when creating your products, examples of how your company is involved in sustainability initiatives, or how you prioritize the well-being of your staff. Additionally, don’t hesitate to express your stance on significant topics that concern your target audience. Your customers will value the way you utilize your social media platform to raise awareness about matters that are significant to them.
2. First steps into the metaverse
According to Social Media Today, PR Daily, Forbes, and Talkwalker, there is an anticipation that the metaverse will be increasingly comprehended and assimilated into our customary social media usage by 2023. The crucial tendencies involve people testing out the making and utilization of avatars, an emphasis on virtual reality and augmented reality, virtual shopping outlets, and NFTs, in addition to a competition between various metaverse formats.
Numerous brands are presently testing out metaverse encounters. As an illustration:
- Bloomingdale’s launched a fully interactive virtual store during New York Fashion Week 2022.
- Nike has its own NIKELAND interactive world where visitors can play games centered on sports, as well as NFT sneakers and avatar accessories.
- Ferrari released its 296 GTB model to the Fortnite community before making its physical debut.
- Starbucks is offering members the ability to buy and earn NFTs that will unlock access to immersive coffee experiences.
Here are some suggestions for tackling this social media trend: Despite the fact that the idea of the metaverse may seem unfamiliar and perplexing to some individuals, it is not necessary to fully commit right away! If possible, begin your own experimentation with the metaverse to become more accustomed to it.
Moreover, contemplate about the preliminary measures your enterprise can undertake like incorporating AR in your social media plan. According to Shopify’s report, there is 94% better conversion rate in AR and 3D product content as opposed to conventional product content, which is further justification to initiate the process.
3. Multi-sensory social media
Talkwalker predicts that multi-sensory social media will become more popular in 2023. Multi-sensory media combines various formats, ranging from audio and video to text, and even immersive environments, providing users with fresh and interactive social media experiences.
To illustrate, still images on Instagram can now come with music attached. In the US, Twitter included a podcast page. Additionally, Meta is extensively investing in the metaverse.
Tips to navigate this 2023 trend: Editing your content to include audio, polls, GIFs, music, captions and more is a great way to introduce the notion of multi-sensory social media, even if it is on a smaller scale.
4. Super apps
Super apps, as highlighted by Marketing Interactive and Gartner, align effectively with the multi-sensory forecast for 2023.
Super apps integrate diverse functionalities such as messaging, video streaming, entertainment, commerce, and payment, which is exactly what WeChat currently offers. This not only enhances users’ engagement but also offers the convenience of fulfilling several requirements within a single platform.
TikTok has incorporated many features from other social media platforms, such as a BeReal imitation, carousels, stories, longer videos, and even ventures into the offline space.
WhatsApp has evolved into an application that offers community tools and payment capabilities in specific areas, thanks to Meta’s efforts to expand it beyond one-on-one messaging. Additionally, Elon Musk has referred to his acquisition of Twitter as a means of hastening the development of X, an all-encompassing app.
In order to effectively navigate the social media trend of 2023, utilize all available features to enhance your followers’ experience on your preferred social media platforms. This approach provides a streamlined and comprehensive experience for your audience.
5. Social media for customer service
According to Mediatoolkit, Hootsuite, and Convince & Convert, a growing number of companies are expected to integrate customer service components into their social media strategies by 2023. This entails employing social media as a primary means of communication with customers to promptly address inquiries, grievances, and demands. Additionally, it may involve being proactive in responding to customers who mention or reference your brand.
What is the reason for incorporating customer service into social media management?
It makes life easier for your customers. Most of your customers are already on social media, so simply offering support via these platforms is a great way to improve your customer service.
Several social media platforms offer convenient features that can streamline your customer service management and enhance your response time. For instance, Facebook provides functionalities like a unified inbox, automatic replies, and AI-powered chat bots.
Growing your brand can be facilitated by taking accountability and establishing trust and transparency through public responses, which aligns with the initial social media trend mentioned. Neglecting customer inquiries via social media may have adverse effects on your brand.
Here are some suggestions for successfully navigating the upcoming 2023 trend: There are certain measures you can presently implement to integrate customer service into your social media tactics:
- Train your social media managers on your customer service processes.
- Open your social media DMs for visitors to easily submit questions and complaints.
- Consider setting up separate, dedicated channels for social media customer support. Just like Nike Service, Starbucks Care, and Evernote Helps on Twitter.
- Provide customer support publicly. When done properly, this is great for PR.
- Listen to brand mentions and proactively jump in on conversations about your products and services (even if you are not tagged). Starbucks is a great example of this.
6. “Edutainment” content will rule
The concept of edutainment has expanded beyond just children and various industries have recognized the importance of producing engaging and informative material. By 2023, this trend is expected to become widespread.
In the previous year, brands operating in the fintech industry achieved significant accomplishments by producing insightful content that was worth saving. To comprehend this, refer to Chime’s Tiktok profile. Their content effectively combines humorous references to common financial struggles with genuinely valuable advice on effectively handling money.
The increasing trend of short-form videos creates a favorable environment for interesting facts, instructional materials, and explanatory videos to prosper on social media. It is not surprising that collaborating with creators to produce educational content is a top priority for most marketers.
Brand Tip: Use this chance to clarify a prevailing industry misunderstanding or showcase a useful product trick. Examine your frequently asked questions and social media messages for potential conversation starters. Consider ways to address them through TikTok or Instagram Reels.
7. Businesses will put more money behind video production
It’s certain that video is here to stay.
In the early stages of TikTok, it was reasonable for companies to assign the task of creating videos to their social media team as an extra duty. However, with the average American now spending 80 minutes on TikTok each day, business executives acknowledge that it is no longer a developing platform but a well-established one.
Forward-thinking companies will increase their investment in video production equipment and staff to ensure their brand stands out in the current social media environment. This may entail the addition of extra personnel for support with video editing, direction, and brand storytelling.
If your team is not already discussing it, it is crucial to initiate the search for a new team member immediately. Educate your management on the consequences of delaying the expansion of your social media team. In addition, present a detailed plan for the potential benefits of incorporating more video production resources.
8. BeReal will be a turning point for brands
One of the most popular social media trends of 2022 was BeReal, which both amazed and perplexed marketers and users alike, since the app didn’t offer any incentives for continuous use. Being a newcomer, BeReal quickly gained wide popularity.
Rather than following the trend of trying to promote your brand on the network, take the chance to broaden your perspective. Investigating the reasons behind the success of vertical networks, private communities and applications such as BeReal, as well as the growing weariness towards social media among consumers, will be an important factor in determining your approach.
There are several possibilities that could occur in the upcoming months. BeReal might unveil advertising functionalities that cater to brands. What’s truly significant is determining how your brand embodies genuineness and embracing it.
Your business will succeed or fail on social media based on its authenticity as a brand by 2023. Avoid investing in short-lived viral trends and instead prioritize what’s important to your audience and your business.
9. Businesses will experiment with emerging (and re-emerging) networks
When it comes to upcoming platforms, make sure to monitor the latest social networks. It’s likely that in 2023, you’ll have to establish a fresh brand account on at least one of them. In 2022, there were alterations in essential networks that made customers feel like profits and business transactions were valued more than them. As a result, many people are now searching for the next ideal spot on the web.
In a changing social media environment, platforms such as Mastodon, Tumblr, Hive, and Discord are emerging as prominent contenders. These new arenas are being explored by audiences, enabling brands to distinguish fleeting fads from lasting trends.
One can ascertain if their audience is incorporating a new social media platform by utilizing several methods.
To determine if a specific network aligns with your audience preferences, begin by conducting a poll on your most active social media account to measure interest. Next, utilize a social listening tool to examine the entire conversation about the network. Analyze demographic and sentiment data to arrive at a conclusion.
Tubular Labs, a company specialized in video analytics, predicts that the total number of views for creator and influencer content on all platforms will reach 10 trillion per month by 2023. Furthermore, in 2022, influencer content was consumed 13.2 times more than media and brand content.
Failing to utilize creator marketing within the next year means losing a significant chance.
Collaboration between creators and marketers is a common strategy to increase engagement, enhance social communities, and expand audience reach. As the market becomes more specialized and varied, it is increasingly likely that brand marketers will find and engage creators who cater to their specific target audience.
Key Lesson: To locate your future promising collaboration with creators, begin by exploring your own community. Explore your social media followers, loyal supporters, clients, and associates. There’s a high likelihood that among them you will uncover a group of people with expanding followings who would be overjoyed to work with your company.
10. Employee advocacy will be the social media trend to talk about
By 2023, companies will use their employees as content creators. For some time now, employee advocacy has been a valuable yet overlooked strategy for social media marketing. However, due to expensive ad costs and decreasing organic engagement, it will now gain more attention.
Firms that have already executed advocacy initiatives are witnessing a rise in their brand recognition and qualified job candidates. Additionally, they are acquiring more authority over their brand communication and intellectual leadership.
Advocacy is poised to become the primary approach for establishing a brand’s visibility within a given sector, as an increasing number of successful examples are documented.
Key Message: Utilize the program launch checklist to generate ideas for promoting advocacy in your organization. Determine specific objectives and establish metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of your plan during implementation.
