Change is the inevitable constant of social media. The year 2022 was a defining moment in the world of social media, with changing consumer trends, the emergence of new technologies, and the rise of emerging platforms. The pace of change in social networking apps hasn’t slowed down.
While the marketing landscape is uncertain, there are a number of social media trends that marketers can predict in 2023, all based on consumer expectations, social interactions with youth and current KPIs drive brand success.
In 2023, experts predict an even bigger shift towards community-driven content and originality. Let’s take a look at few below:
- TikTok to dominate 2023
TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. And it’s not just a fad—it’s here to stay.
This year, we expect to see TikTok’s popularity rise even further. The app’s new features show that it isn’t just focused on dominating the marketing social networks, but aspires to be the world’s largest social network.
TikTok is rumored to be on a trajectory to becoming a “super app,” according to a slew of additional features, its partnership with Linktree, Woocommerce, and Shopify, as well as a number of other factors, including rumors about acquiring a podcast app. (A super app is a piece of software that combines social media, messaging, services, payments, and other online activities into one program.)
- The Rise of the Nano-Influencer and UGC (User generated content)
In the last few years, influencer marketing has gone from a niche strategy to a mainstream tactic. Today, it’s not just small businesses that are getting involved—even major corporations are beginning to see the value in partnering with online influencers.
However, we believe that there’s another category of influencer that hasn’t been explored as much: Nano influencers. Nano influencers have a growing presence on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and it’s estimated that their influence will increase exponentially by 2023.
In 2023, we expect to see more companies utilizing word-of-mouth advertising by sourcing user-generated content (UGC) from their customers through social media. When compared to campaigns or websites that don’t use UGC, marketers have observed that UGC drives 29% higher web conversions.
- AI takes over Content Creation
Artificial intelligence is a hot topic these days, and it’s no surprise that businesses are looking for ways to incorporate the technology into their marketing strategies.
Forrester predicts that AI will continue to grow in popularity over the next few years. In fact, by 2023, Forrester believes that it will be 50% more popular than other software categories. Software that generates AI content, like ChatGPT, CopyAI, and Jasper, can be used by businesses to create social media posts.
AI can help with copywriting and content creation by outlining or reformatting existing content for other contexts like email campaigns or social media posts. More companies can use AI tools to suggest ways to boost user engagement and tailor their posts and captions to appeal to their target markets.
- Domination of Short Video Content
According to Cisco, video content will make up 82% of all consumer internet traffic worldwide by 2021.
With the rise of social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels and Stories, users prefer shorter formats over longer videos.
This is good news for businesses looking to use video as part of their marketing strategy. Organizations are using live streaming to interact with customers and capture their attention. In fact, Hootsuite recommends limiting videos to about a minute in length.
- Be ready for BeReal to explode in popularity.
BeReal, a photo-sharing app that encourages users to share one unfiltered, unedited photo with a select group of friends every day, has seen impressive growth since its launch in late 2019. With approximately 29 million installations as of October 2022, it ranked as the top social networking application on the App Store.
While it may be too early to predict BeReal’s future success, it is clear that this network is poised for explosive growth and could become a major player in the social media landscape.
How to move forward?
Social media trends are constantly evolving. By monitoring social media buzz and experimenting with new opportunities and networks, it’s critical to stay ahead. Early adopters frequently reap benefits that are exponentially more important than the rest of us.
However, be careful not to overextend yourself by trying too many new things at once—concentrate on a few trends that you can apply to your marketing strategy and carry out successfully. Keep testing and figuring out what works for you and your business while paying attention to your audience.