Keep your ear close to the buzz!
Social media usage is steadily growing. With over 4.74 billion active users, a boost of 4.2% compared to the number reported the previous year. That means 59.3% of the world’s population is on social media. This sounds great, right? Since 2023 is fastly approaching, we should turn our attention to all the new updates in the world of social media.
So let’s take a look at where to focus your marketing efforts best and go through the top social media trends in 2023.
Human touch
Apart from video content appearing on the trends list for a few years now, authenticity has slowly become the determining factor of success. Consumers nowadays expect authenticity from brands, with 86% saying that transparency has become more important than ever. Today’s consumers also demand businesses to nurture human connections. The popularity of TikTok and the rising BeReal platform demonstrates the need for filter-free and real content. 2023 will be the year of authenticity!
Social shopping
Social shopping is a hybrid of eCommerce and social media. In 2022, we witnessed the rise of social commerce, allowing users to purchase products directly on social media. Social media platforms are expected to continue becoming popular consumer shopping outlets. A HubSpot survey shows that 36% of users purchased a product directly from Facebook, and 24.5% of consumers used Instagram to buy products. And guess what? According to eMarketer, social shopping will be an $80 billion market by 2025.
Bite-sized content
It’s expected that more and more online content will be video content. Why? Because bite-sized content drives engagement in today’s audience with an attention span of 8.25 seconds. For brands, bite-size videos offer a way to connect with audiences in a quick, attention-grabbing way. At the same time, content creators get the opportunity to experiment with new ideas and formats. This doesn’t mean you should compromise quality since it still has the power to cut through the noise.
Micro and nano influencers
Instagram continues to be the most popular influencer marketing, according to 89% of marketers, Mediakix reports. But based on the changes in all industries due to inflation and high prices, marketers are unwilling to invest vast sums of money into collaborations with big influencers, especially since their engagement is not always as high as expected. Micro or nano influencers with audiences that share the same interests have a higher success rate when promoting products from brands. The trick is to go for quality rather than quantity.
Gaming playground
You’re officially a gamer if you’ve ever played Candy Crush on your daily commute. The big news is that gaming offers a stack of exciting new opportunities for businesses in 2023. Netflix is set to expand its reach, building its first in-house video game studio in Helsinki. Plus, luxury fashion houses continue to use gaming as a community engagement. While it won’t replace social media any time soon, the gaming industry presents opportunities for brands to drive social interaction and engagement.
Rise of social justice
More and more brands enter a public discourse concerning social justice, political and environmental issues. This can either be a bold marketing tactic or a genuine involvement, which can have an adverse effect on parts of the audience. But since more than half of social media users support the trend of business activism, brands and businesses are expected to get involved even more. Today’s consumers don’t want to keep hearing words like “sustainability” or “eco-friendly, they want to make an actual impact.
Augmented reality
Do you know the filters you usually see people put on their photos? Those are called augmented reality effects. Essentially AR enhances real-life visual content and alters how it looks to make it stand out on social media. But augmented reality, a rising social media trend, doesn’t stop here. Facebook and Instagram keep improving the social shopping experiences for their users. Although only some products are supported, the tech has a high potential for the buyer to the consumer market.
Virtual reality
The VR trend isn’t as fast-moving as AR. What’s the reason? Well, the price! Luckily, any new technology, after some time, trickles down to the mainstream market and broader use. You can be sure that virtual reality has a feature, especially with Facebook’s backing and full hardware and content support. While the current focus is on virtual reality gaming, it’s safe to say it won’t stop there. Youtube is already experimenting, offering experiences like watching concerts, doing sports activities, and going on virtual safari tours.
Interactive ads
Extended reality technologies like AR and VR opened up new opportunities for user engagement. These days, interactive ads can deliver better shopping experiences and get personal in ways they haven’t been able to do before. This allows users to engage directly instead of blocking or skipping ads altogether. Allowing users to participate increases their likelihood of engaging with a particular brand or product. Interactive marketing is a great new way for brands to tell stories!
Social media is in perpetual change.
So what are your premonitions about the top social media trends in 2023?
If you want to talk some more about this, we’re waiting for your DM on Instagram.
Your biggest fan,
Jelea Oana-Corina.
