It is not enough to know the 6 most important social communication channels and all their secrets. Catching up on social media trends for 2023 allows you to remember the importance of omnichannel and SEO, consider social selling and private communities, or accept the challenge of creating video content and the BeReal trend.
You are one step away from taking control of the image your brand projects. Do you know how you can connect with your audience in the coming months?
- What is our current relationship with social networks like?
- Main social networks with the largest general audience
- The 11 trends for 2023
What is our current relationship with social networks like?
The Digital 2022 study carried out in joint work by We Are Social and Hootsuite shows that the number of users on social networks has grown by 10.1% this year compared to the 2021 figure . This means that there are more than 4.62 billion users on social networks.
Source: Hootsuite
The Statista study shows the average time that users spend worldwide on social networks, which is more than 2 hours and 25 minutes a day, on average.
Thus, taking into account the presence that social networks have among the population, it is very likely that you can also find your target audience on them . Therefore, identifying where to meet the buyer personas and when to do so will be essential to be successful.
Main social networks with the largest general audience
Before looking at the social media trends for next year, let’s do a brief review of the main social media outlets that you should keep in mind for your marketing strategy. I recommend you start by evaluating these six, which are the most general:
- Facebook . For now, Facebook remains the most popular platform worldwide for people and marketers, with 2.9 billion monthly active users. Although other social networks are rising very strongly, by market share, Facebook is still considered the most relevant. So, especially for advertising campaigns, it is a great candidate to take into account.
- Instagram . It is the platform most used by influencers worldwide and will continue to trend thanks to its image and video format, especially with Reels . Furthermore, it is worth noting that, in terms of engagement with users, higher figures are achieved on this network than on Facebook.
- TikTok . Looking ahead to 2023, TikTok is presented as the preferred social network thanks to having increased the number of users around the planet . In fact, the short video platform is the fastest growing social network since its launch in 2016.
- Twitch . This streaming platform has managed to demonstrate its importance within the internet community. Its particular characteristics make it one of the options to take into account when carrying out new marketing strategies. Its effectiveness lies in the fact that it allows you to show a wide diversity of content that helps show a closer side. The result is a better connection between influencer and user.
- Twitter . Twitter has adapted very well to new trends with its latest updates. Its future plans include new functions, such as monetization (even with Bitcoins), audio content creation, financial, technical and marketing support…
- LinkedIn . Likewise, if your company is B2B, you should not forget the potential of LinkedIn as the main professional social network.
But in today’s article we will bring you some new channels that are going strong because they are working to stay and excel in the coming months. Knowing them will help you align with the social media trends for 2023. Let’s get started!
The 11 trends for 2023
1. New niche platforms
What is a niche social network? These types of channels emerge as an alternative to the big names, such as Facebook or Instagram, offering a much smaller volume of users, but, in exchange, much more similar profiles. The similarities between those who participate in this type of networks may have a professional or personal origin.
Examples of them are Twitch, ClubHouse, Goodreads or El Tenedor. Each one is specialized in an area, which is the reason that brings all those interested in the topics discussed there and the network they promise to them.
The most notable benefits of developing actions outside the mainstream are achieving greater knowledge of the audience and knowing that the public has a genuine interest.
2. Private communities
Exclusivity , customization and personalized attention are differentiating factors that, today, count more than ever. Those who decide to implement their social media strategy in private communities, such as Telegram, Slack or Discord, know this.
In them you can find users and brands that flee from the generic and pursue specialization, without caring about leaving aside notoriety and astronomical numbers of contacts or followers in exchange for greater authenticity and privacy.
The search for closeness is behind this paradigm shift, which shows that honesty and community are rising values.
3. Authenticity and reality (BeReal)
The new generations flee from posturing, artificiality and lack of originality. That’s why it’s becoming more and more popular to try the BeRea l . Those who decide to “be authentic” online opt for the most organic content, without filters or posturing . Doing so allows you to gain agility and immediacy (long hours of tinkering or searching for the perfect angle are left behind).
There is no doubt that it is one of the social media trends with the greatest potential, since, in fact, it is being TikTok’s biggest competition in 2022, especially among the youngest.
4. More ephemeral content, less fixed content
In relation to the BeReal trend that leads us to improvise more and prepare content less, comes this trend that inspires us to take advantage of the moment and share it, without further ado.
It is a new way of consuming images or videos that seeks to connect with the audience on another level and provide followers with the maximum update . Have you noticed the difference between people who upload stories daily and those who limit themselves to sharing fixed posts on the wall?
Brands can benefit from the potential of the ephemeral and the pull it has among followers, if they bet on this content that bears the seal of unrepeatable.
5. Shorter and more dynamic videos
Trends on social networks have led us for months to prioritize visual content, with video at the forefront. Even the most general channels are moving towards these formats, as it has become clear that this is what users consume the most and want to see.
Although it is a creative challenge for brands, since they have to find a way to communicate a lot in a short time, those who overcome it gain an important advantage.
Did you know that short videos have a much higher ROI than long ones?
6. SEO not only in search engines, but also in networks (IG and TikTok)
SEO in search engines (not only Google, but also Yahoo or Bing, among others) is not at all new this year, but it is still one of the main channels for attracting traffic. That is why it continues to have great importance in marketing budget items.
What draws attention among the trends on social networks is a new phenomenon related to the way users make these queries online. It has been discovered that consumers no longer only look for information in search engines but, increasingly, we turn to social networks to find the answer we want.
Isn’t it true that you started your last search for information in video format on YouTube? It all depends on your age and habits, of course, because the majority are those who launch their query directly on TikTok or Instagram.
Updating profiles, using keywords and hashtags, optimizing images and optimizing the links in the biography, using audio or filters on trends or sharing links through stories are some of the good practices that are recommended to start positioning in these RR.SS. to those who use them as a substitute for Google.
7. Greater advertising investment
Digital remains an important portion of the marketing budget. According to Hootsuite’s 2022 Social Media Trends survey , “more than 40% of respondents indicated declining organic reach and a need to spend more on paid advertising .”
Since many businesses aren’t getting the organic reach they used to, those with larger budgets will increase ad spend to reach their goals.
8. Native ads
This way of advertising goes unnoticed, since it is not perceived as advertising. It is the attribute that makes native ads unique, a growing trend. By not being intrusive, brand messages in paid media reach deeper into their audience and achieve better results.
Unlike what happens with traditional advertising, the approach of native ads is based on integration with the context (for this we must take into account the color palette and the chosen font). Even more important is to ensure that value is provided to the user, an additional effort in creating content that is rewarded with greater engagement and more conversions.
9. Omnichannel and experiences that allow you to differentiate yourself
Those who wish to align themselves with the 2023 social media trends will have to consider the need to create multi-channel campaigns. Its objective will be to reach users in different ways, with a unified and disruptive strategy.
We are already very accustomed to brands that always do the same thing, and in order to generate a positive impact and good memory we will have to make changes in our strategy as a brand and try tactics that are out of the ordinary.
For example, when it comes to content generation, “copy and paste” will no longer work and it will be crucial to find a way to create unique, creative texts with a high degree of originality. This probably means being present on fewer, but more carefully selected, platforms.
Although it is not something new, it will become much more important. Omnichannel marketing is a strategy whose purpose is to unite the different media in which your brand is present to enhance interaction and customer service. For example, establish a strategy that relates the physical store with ecommerce, real-time chat and social networks.
10. Social Selling: increase in purchases in RR.SS.
Social networks increasingly play a prominent role in the field of online sales. The two reference networks in this context are Facebook and Instagram, which began to implement it from 2020.
There is data that confirms that up to 64% of the users of these social networks had already purchased at least one product through them. For this reason, it is key to implement strategies in this regard in order not to be left behind. Do you know the relationship between smarketing and social selling ?
11. Metaverse and artificial intelligence
We know that consumers are always looking for new, more engaging ways to connect with the brands they want to do business with. The metaverse , with its focus on customer experience and one-to-one connections, is another communication channel. Have you considered integrating it into your brand strategy?
Aside from its power as a marketing tool, the metaverse promises to provide entire platforms, tools, and virtual worlds where business can be done remotely , efficiently, and intelligently .
We can expect the concept of the metaverse to merge with the idea of the “digital twin”: virtual simulations of real-world products, processes or operations that can be used to test and prototype new ideas in the safe environment of the digital domain .
Trends in social networks confirm that digital technology continues to set the pace of change, although with a progressively greater focus on the more human side of communications. Being authentic, connecting with the values that are shared with the community and making updating as easy as possible can be the keys to getting the marketing strategy right on social channels for 2023.
