Social media has managed to become an integral part of our lives in a short time. What started as a medium to stay in touch with friends and family soon became a channel for brands and businesses to connect with their target audience through well-crafted social media strategies.

With the rapid growth of this medium, numerous social media trends have emerged and evolved over the years. Adapting to these new and upcoming trends is what helps businesses keep abreast of the fierce competition.

Top 22 Social Media Trends to Watch Out For in 2023

We’ve compiled a list of top social media trends for 2023 that every marketer should follow for better engagement and improved online visibility.

AI Will Be a Game Changer

AI writing and marketing tools like ChatGPT and Jasper.ai are gaining increasing popularity at the moment. ChatGPT, for example, attracted over one million users in less than a week of its launch. 

That said, brands are likely to leverage AI tools to get content ideas for social media.

However, AI writing tools can’t replace human writers in terms of creativity, thought leadership and originality.

Businesses that don’t overuse AI tools and are cautious enough to maintain a human touch in their content are likely to perform better than brands that rely heavily on such tools.

With AI tools going mainstream, we may see new players in the market in the years to come.

TikTok Will Still Be a Massive Hit

Followed by the hype for short videos, TikTok will secure one of the top slots in social media trends for 2023.

While TikTok first came up to be a platform for people, especially youngsters, to show off their dance moves and other artistic talents, it has moved beyond that.

With the unleashing of features like ads and business profiles, the platform is expected to be an integral part of the social media game.  

Business owners can leverage TikTok to feature short and creative videos to engage their target audience and create brand awareness. Plus, these videos come in handy for businesses to pitch their services real quick and crisp.

Social Media Will Be A Destination For Online Search

Today’s users, especially youngsters, use social media platforms to perform online searches.

In fact, Google themselves have admitted that 40% of searches happen on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Given the scenario, if brands want themselves to be found easily on social media, they have to optimize their posts with the right keywords.

So, will social media be the new Google? Well, at this point, I may not be surprised if a question like this pops in your head.

To answer that, it’s a no.

Holding more than 90% of the search engine market share, Google is by far, the biggest industry player.

However, with people beginning to do online searches on social media, you should start doing SEO for your posts so that they show up for relevant searches.

Full-Screen Content Will See Better Engagement

Users love the comfort of accessing social media content on full-screen without having to flip their devices horizontally.

In fact, vertical videos see a whooping 90% completion rate. That’s clearly a sign of better customer engagement.

Following TikTok and Instagram, YouTube and Facebook now support full screen vertical videos.

Therefore, brands are more likely to create videos with an aspect ratio of 9:16 (full-screen) to help customers watch videos in a hassle-free way.

YouTube Shorts Kick Off

According to Statista, YouTube Shorts attract an average of 30 billion daily views across the world. This is probably a reflection of users moving on to short-form videos.

Creators who come up with Shorts are able to get more people to view their long-form videos. Just like midway storytelling, this strategy comes in handy to stimulate curiosity and prompt visitors to watch corresponding long-form videos.

Plus, with the upcoming monetization possibilities using YouTube Shorts, brands are likely to double down on this feature for a wider audience reach.

Customer Support Via Social Media Will Rise

Brand interactions with customers isn’t something uncommon. However, in the post-COVID era, customers expect more personalized, quick responses than the generic ones like predefined auto responses.

Social media platforms are the best choice for brands to provide such one-to-one responses at a faster pace. This will also lay the foundation to build genuine customer-vendor relationships.

In fact, 64% of Twitter users say that they would they would reach out to the dedicated support handle rather than calling a business

That said, it is forecasted that as a part of their social media strategy, businesses will focus more on providing dedicated customer support via their official social media handles.

Social Media Crisis Management Becomes A Necessity

Social media is expected to be widely used for crisis management in the days to come.

According to a recent Twitter report, 61% of respondents opine that brands should acknowledge crises in their advertising and communications.

In the digital age we live in, information spreads faster, especially on social media. This may sometimes land brands in crisis, which is part and parcel of any business.

When left unaddressed, a small issue is likely to transform into a massive one and result in a big blow for any brand.

Not all businesses have a crisis team in place. But rhe good news is social media platforms can act as effective crisis management tools.

Given the expectations for brands to address crises effectively, we may see more businesses investing in crisis management through social media platforms.

Integrations May Play A Major Role in Social Media User Engagement

Integrations are the next big thing on social media.

Facebook, for instance, has integrated digital avatars in the metaverse as a move to improve user engagement.

Following Facebook, Instagram is also investing in integrations in order to empower creators by allowing them to create content in the metaverse.

With the metaverse being in trend, many such integrations may happen across social media platforms in 2023 and beyond.

Gaming Becomes the New Social Media Playground

Gaming is predicted to hit a net value of $200+billion in 2023.

What does that mean for businesses and social media?

With social media being a tried and tested channel for ads, gaming has exciting opportunities in store for brands in 2023.

Organizing live events and competitions for gamers on social media will help brands take advantage of these social conversations and translate them into business opportunities.

That said, brands are likely to host such gaming based events to entice more followers and also partner with gaming companies to expand their reach.

Brand Authenticity Will Be Paramount

Do you know more than 80% of customers say that they count on brand authenticity and transparency?

Yes. People are more likely to buy from brands they trust rather than opting for random, unfamiliar businesses.

Given the scenario, it is expected that businesses will invest time, effort and money to establish their authenticity, genuineness and thought leadership.

Clearly, social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and others are a go to place to execute it effectively.

Gated Content Will Be Trending

These days, users are drawn more towards content that specifically interests them than the randomly suggested social media posts.

That’s the major reason behind the rise of gated content.

Gated content is content that’s exclusively available to subscribers and top fans. 

Brands are expected to use features like Instagram Subscribers and Facebook Top Fan to come up with gated content in order to strengthen their connection with loyal followers.

Helping businesses in establishing a stronger connection with their prospects, gated content will be a prominent brand strategy in 2023.

Midway Storytelling Will Be Around

Reading a long narrative from the beginning may be a boring business, but catching a glimpse of it somewhere in the middle is likely to kindle curiosity.

Telling a story midway is a sure-shot at hooking up the attention of users on social media.

I mean what’s more interesting than making people want to find out more?

Businesses will use this technique to tell followers their brand stories, build trust and get more conversions.

User-generated Content Will Get More Impetus

User-generated content (UGC) is any form of content generated by users on social media. Many brands have started leveraging UGC as social proof of the quality of their products or services.

Many brands actively promote user-generated content as a part of their branded content. By doing so, they reap two benefits. The first benefit is that they can cut on the marketing budget of branded content by displaying UGC, and second, it allows them to bring customers to the forefront and make them feel valued.

UGC is entirely authentic as brands don’t have control over what users might say or post. It is the most trustworthy source of information anybody could get about a brand or a business. In the coming days, brands will encourage their customers for UGC to boost their engagement rate further. So do add UGC to your social media calendar for stellar branding.

Social Commerce Will Keep Growing

Many brands are already using social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to sell their products and generate more revenue.

Did you know that social commerce is expected to hit $80 billion in 2025?

That said, social media is no longer going to be a place just for big names. In 2023, more retail businesses will be seen to harness Instagram Storefronts, shoppable posts and more to boost sales and increase their profit margins.  

So, if you’re looking forward to using social commerce to your advantage this year, you need to ensure you opt for a design that complements a smooth and hassle-free shopping experience.

Third-Party Cookies Are Going Away

Do you know 95% of users actually reject cookies?

It’s true that cookies are a great way for marketers to provide users with personalized content. However, people are quite frustrated over cookies and are more concerned about their privacy.

In fact, Google is going to phase out third-party cookies from Chrome by 2024.

That said, we can expect to see more privacy-focused measures to roll out in 2023 and beyond.

Brands on social media may have to ensure customer privacy and transparency to magnetize more followers and win their confidence.

Brands to Continue Investing in Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is dominating in 2023, and it will continue to do so for the next few years. However, the way through which brands and influencers collaborate will see changes in the coming days.

Brands will now collaborate with influencers over a series of social media promotion posts and not just for a single promotion post. They will put equal effort into promoting the content created by these influencers.

Bigger brands are expected to collaborate with micro-influencers and niche bloggers to bring inclusivity and transparency to their marketing efforts. This also means that brands will be cautious in choosing influencers and crackdown imposters thriving on fake followers.

When it comes to endorsing branded products or services, influencers can no longer get away with posting pictures of themselves with the product. They also need to put equal efforts into content creation for brands, focusing more on long-form content, how-to videos, demos, and photo stories.

Social media channels are now offering exclusive monetization options for influencers to support them in securing their future as they work hard to leverage brands. Many social media platforms like Facebook and Youtube have launched a paid subscription model for followers to get exclusive content is a new social media trend today.

Social Audio Will be More Prominent

Numbers speak louder than words. Let me give you some numbers as to why social audio will be a trend for 2023 and beyond.

According to the Social Media Trends 2023 survey by Hootsuite, 74% of businesses are interested in investing in audio-only content.

Additionally, Clubhouse, an audio-based social networking platform, has been a sought-after place for online users ever since its launch in 2020. Meanwhile, Facebook also launched Live Audio Rooms, Soundbites and podcasts to bolster audio conversations.

Now, that’s a clear sign of increasing competition for social audio and as a rule of thumb, anything that’s facing high competition is trending.

The LinkedInfluencer Culture Will Flourish

LinkedIn + Influencer = LinkedInfluencer

Doesn’t seem like these two words go together, right?

Well, in 2023, they do.

Unlike other social media platforms where any Tom, Dick or Harry can be present, LinkedIn is a space dedicated to professionals and industry leaders.

Having said that, influencing is a relatively new concept when it comes to LinkedIn.

However, the platform has rolled out features like LinkedIn Creator Mode and also initiated the creator accelerator program to help achieve a wider reach. 

All these are expected to prompt professionals to create great content to establish their field expertise, interact more frequently, and boost their following on the platform.

Memes

Memes are everywhere and in everything, and it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like them.

They are one of the most creative content forms so far and a hotcake in the market at the moment. 

With a tinge of creativity, you can tailor memes to fit in any context and convey any message with its elegance untouched. 

Niche-specific memes are a great way for creators to seamlessly connect with their audience and promote a brand often without losing the fun element.

This way, memes open doors for brands to converse and build relationships with their target audience in 2023.

Inclusivity Will Continue to Be in the Limelight

The global audiences are now reacting to social issues more than ever before. Given the scenario, they connect better with brands that reflect the common voice.

For example, when protests against racial discrimination spiked in the US in 2020, it did create a global impact that the India-based (formerly) ‘Fair & Lovely’ beauty cream was rebranded as ‘Glow & Lovely’ to emphasize positive beauty. That was clearly a genuine response to the social issue.

So, inclusivity is expected to take a deep root in the social media landscape this year and beyond. 

Businesses that take steps to incorporate this trend into their marketing campaigns and keep up the promises they make to their customers can build better customer relationships and improve their brand credibility.

Sustainability and Environment Aren’t Empty Words Anymore

Buzzwords related to the environment, such as sustainability and eco-friendly, are still trending. But they aren’t just words anymore. Today’s consumers want to see it happen.

But what does that mean for brands?

Suppose a brand says “Save Trees”. Customers want to see if they are actually saving trees.

That said, brands are expected to use their social media handles not just to deliver product or service-based value to users but also to showcase that they care about the environment.

To Conclude!

There are a number of social media trends that will rule the year 2023 and have a massive impact on the users, as well as brands. If you haven’t adapted to these new trends year, it’s time you do so to leverage your brand on social media and stay ahead of the competition.

 

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