A new year brings with it new social media trends to watch out for. The social media landscape in 2022 changed significantly, with shifting consumer trends, new technologies, and a growing number of social networks.
Now, as 2023 begins, social media giants and emerging platforms have rapid changes in store for marketers to keep an eye on.
So, which trends will shake up social media this new year? Here are 10 changes to look out for and include in your social media strategy.
The Environment Gets The Spotlight
Climate change is causing unstable weather conditions and affecting consumers differently. These situations have raised concerns about humanity’s impact on the planet, thus encouraging brands to take action.
Similarly, consumers want companies to support sustainability. 82% expect their favorite brands to make this move before current environmental issues worsen. This statistic can be your starting point for sparking change and connecting with environmentally conscious consumers.
Social Commerce Stays Popular
Social commerce (shopping on social media) isn’t going anywhere this year, either. Shoppers may keep flocking to social media platforms in 2023, and current data estimates that the latter will make $1.298 billion throughout the year. Moreover, global social commerce sales are expected to reach about $3 trillion by 2026.
But even before social commerce’s boom, social media platforms had already jumped on the bandwagon. In 2021, HubSpot found that 36% of social media users shop on Facebook and 24.5% on Instagram. Both platforms have features that allow users to buy products through them, including Facebook and Instagram Shops.
The Shops feature lets you create a “Shop” with product lists or collections in your digital storefront. Furthermore, it can be integrated with your Messenger, WhatsApp, or Instagram account to ensure seamless purchases. If you’re going beyond an E-commerce website, tools like Facebook Shops may help you gain more customers and engage with them in 2023.
Video is Here to Stay
Data from 2019 predicted that 82% of global Internet traffic would come from video streaming and downloads. Fast forward to 2022, and 86% of businesses have included video in their marketing strategy.
These statistics tell us one thing: video is sticking around, and it’s a must for social media success. But to keep your target audience engaged, short-form videos are king–73% of consumers learn about a product or service through short videos.
Since short-form videos are bite-sized, they’re easily digestible and perfect for social media. Think viral TikTok videos or Snapchat Stories that disappear after 24 hours. Still, quality is key to creating short-form videos, as it helps you catch everyone’s eye.
Social Audio
Remember Clubhouse, the voice-only app with virtual rooms where people discuss anything under the sun? Since the app arrived on the scene in April 2020, other social media platforms have followed its lead and made room for audio formats, including:
- Facebook and Soundbites (brief, creative audio clips)
- Twitter with voice Tweets and Twitter Spaces
- LinkedIn with Audio Events described as live, interactive conversations with users worldwide
Additionally, we have Discord for gamers and users with other unique interests. While it’s a gamer’s go-to video call and messaging service, the platform also serves as a video conferencing app.
The tools and platforms above are driving social audio’s rise, making it a social media trend to watch out for in 2023.
Decentralized Social Media Platforms
Most social media networks don’t offer much control on the user’s part. The people behind these platforms have always had the final say. But now, decentralized social networks have turned the tables and allowed everyone to manage their user experience.
These new platforms run on independent servers, whereas major social media networks use centralized servers. Moreover, founders of decentralized social networks can set appropriate conduct and rules.
Mastodon is one big name among decentralized social media platforms. After Elon Musk took over Twitter in 2022, users jumped ship to the open-source alternative with Twitter-like functionality. It set the precedent for federated social networks to become a rising social media trend for 2023.
Decentralized social media platforms may stay far away from the social summit this year, though. However, they’ll keep the giants on guard, potentially pushing them to give people control over their social media usage.
Building a Presence on “Smaller” Social Networks
Some marketers have comfortably settled on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, while others use Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. The latter group of social networks may play catch-up with the big players, but they still allow you to widen your reach.
As of October 2022, Pinterest houses over 433 million active users. The image sharing and social media service has thrived during the pandemic, especially among homeowners planning renovations on their online vision boards. As a result, Pinterest gained 26 million users.
LinkedIn is another platform that rides on social media trends. Marketers can reach an estimated 808.4 million users with LinkedIn ads, and engagement usually falls at around 2%. These numbers show why the top social network for professionals is a good place to find prospective customers.
Finally, Snapchat has 42 million Gen Zers, creating a huge opportunity for brands targeting younger audiences. The platform used to lag behind other social networks, but its messaging capabilities helped them catch up.
Multi-Sensory Experiences
Experts like to guess what format will come next to the social media landscape every year. But despite different singular predictions, we won’t see just one format on top of the social ladder.
The “Internet of senses” (wherein technology helps create digital sensory experiences) is revealing itself to be incredibly useful and sought-after. Hence, expect brands to use multiple channels and formats to create that environment.
They may offer multi-sensory experiences ranging from gamification (applying game mechanics for higher user engagement, happiness, and loyalty) to fully immersive digital malls. According to recent research, 45% of people will see the latter as a norm by 2030.
Artificial Intelligence
AI established its presence further in 2022, and it’ll keep doing so this 2023. Regarding social media, AI will play multiple roles in various areas, starting with copywriting. If you need help writing amazing, compelling copy–all you need to do is type some prompts on AI software and get helpful suggestions. Still, personalized, authentic content will always win audiences over.
AI has also become essential to predictive analytics, helping businesses assess performance with accurate, real-time industry data. 2023 may be a good time to include predictive analytics in your social media strategies, starting with social listening that instantly provides big data. Tweaks to AI can help it predict accurate and crucial actions you should take.
Nano & Micro-Influencers
Influencer marketing goes beyond popular personalities on social media. These influencers have a huge following and costly talent fee, making it difficult to establish partnerships with them.
Luckily, more consumers seek more authentic experiences, and they want to connect with brands and influencers that feel genuine. This may lead to more partnerships between brands and nano and micro-influencers in 2023.
The Metaverse
2022 also saw the combination of digital, augmented, and real worlds in the metaverse making headlines. It intrigued everyone, making them aspire to get in on the action.
In 2023, the metaverse may find itself in a format war. We may see more metaverses emerge, with some surviving and others losing the battle. Consumers will get to seal each metaverse’s fate and determine whether it meets their needs.
Widen Your Reach with a Winning Social Media Strategy
New year, new social media trends–and 2023 is no exception. From more emphasis on sustainability to the metaverse, we’ve got trends poised to change the world of social media this year.
Understanding these developments is crucial to choosing the right strategy for your needs and succeeding in the competitive social landscape.
Want to keep up with social media marketing trends this 2023? Get more updates from the Growth Rocket blog today.
