Social media is constantly changing. Trends and algorithms evolve, and it’s important for brands and marketers to stay up-to-date with this evolution. To help you out, here are the top five social media trends we’re expecting to see in 2023.
Authenticity
Authenticity is everything to Gen Z, who make up a huge part of the user base of social media platforms like TikTok. Authenticity is what people want to see from brands and creators, and if you can’t offer that, people may go elsewhere to find it. It’s about putting yourself out there in order to build trust with your audience and relate to them on a personal level. People are fed up with seeing unattainable perfection and want to see more content that they can relate to.
In particular, influencers need to be careful about seeming out of touch. There has been significant backlash over the last few months with people calling out influencers for living in a bubble and being unrelatable. Particularly as many people are battling a cost of living crisis. Brands also need to tread carefully to avoid backlash for their campaigns. As the recent Balenciaga controversy has shown, brand campaigns are under a microscope and people will pick up on even the smallest detail that seems out of place.
If you’d like to learn more about scroll-stopping Instagram posts, be sure to check out this blog post.
Social Media Shopping
In the past, social media platforms have been used as an interactive marketing tool for brands to reach their audiences. However, social media has become a place where consumers can buy products directly from brands and influencers.
From Instagram Shopping to TikTok links, it’s never been easier to buy a trending new product with the click of a button. The journey from discovery to checkout is getting quicker and easier than ever for the lucky brands that are taking advantage of this new consumer behavior.
Social Media as a Search Engine
Social search is a trend that will continue to grow, helping users find people, places, businesses, and products through their favorite social media platforms. At a recent Google event, an executive for the search engine revealed that 40% of Gen Z users prefer to use TikTok and Instagram as a tool to find a place to go to lunch over using Google Maps.
Did you know that Google now also indexes TikTok videos directly in their search results now? This just increases the power of these social media platforms as search engines. Brands need to carefully consider the SEO of their content. This includes using keywords and hashtags in posts to take advantage of this trend and boost their discoverability.
Youtube is Back
YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms around, and it’s likely to continue to see a resurgence in popularity with creators. The reason for this is that it is possible for creators to make a lot of money through the platform when they create longer videos (over 10 minutes). We may see the resurgence of longer-form content as these creators aim to build a profitable audience on this platform. In addition, we may see consumers prefer to sit in front of longer videos rather than constantly scrolling through short-form videos.
However, many creators will need to carefully rethink their video creation strategy to justify this longer video length. It’s much harder to keep your audience engaged for 10 minutes than it is for 10 seconds! Check out some tips on improving your video content here.
Creator Economy
Creators are essential in allowing brands to reach their target audience, and there has also been a rise in micro and nano creators who have a very specific niche in which they excel. So it’s no surprise that these creators are making bank. They’re well aware of their value as they begin to charge more and negotiate harder for contracts.
There also continues to be a rise in UGC creators, creators who make content for a brand’s channels, rather than their own! All things considered, this can be a very cost-effective way for brands to create inspiring content that has the authenticity their audience is craving.
In short: the creator economy is here to stay!
Conclusion
Social Media trends can seem to arrive in a blink of an eye and disappear just as quickly! However, if you stay active on your target platforms and do your research, it shouldn’t be too difficult to evolve with these trends. Thus creating content that your target audience loves. It’s perfectly possible to DIY your socials and grow quickly when you focus on great content and put your audience at the heart of your strategy.
Good luck out there!
About the author
Natalie Lasance is a Social Media Strategist and is the founder of boutique Melbourne Social Media Agency, The Meaningful Social Club.
