In November, the global population surpassed 8 billion, a momentous milestone in human history. But not only is the world more populous than ever, but it’s also more connected. With 4.74 billion people estimated to have access to a social media account, 59.3% of the world’s population is now interacting with each other through social media. For businesses, this is an opportunity too attractive to pass up.
Dedicated, or even occasional, social media users provide a regular and receptive audience to advertisement that allows businesses, influencers and brands to gain easy exposure. 190 million people joined various social media platforms this year, proving that this popularity is only growing. So, with that in mind, let’s look at some of the upcoming social media marketing trends for 2023.
TikTok is Dominating
Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has become one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, with over 1.5 billion monthly active users. Plus, in 2021, it was the most used website, surpassing Internet search giant Google!
From social media influencers to brand advertisers and businesses, people from every corner of the marketing world are capitalising on the immense popularity and success of TikTok.
What sets TikTok apart from other platforms, at least in a marketing context, is why people access it. While users might engage with Facebook to keep in touch with family or Twitter to check up on daily news stories, TikTok’s popularity comes from people looking for entertaining content.
TikTok’s clear position as an entertainment destination, as well as its highly engaged and discovery-oriented audience, gives marketers the liberty to prioritise entertaining and engaging content rather than purely informative content.
So, if you haven’t been active on TikTok, now is the time to get involved, as this platform is predicted to continue its domination, making TikTok marketing one of the biggest social media trends we’ll be seeing in 2023.
Importance of Influencers
Influencers usually have a well-established value and will likely continue as one of the most important upcoming social media trends for 2023.
Firstly, they often have a ready-made following, having built a viewer base on whichever social media platform they use. This gives you easy access to an audience already engaged with the product or service marketed by the influencer.
They can also give you important SEO information, as comment sections and questions from followers can provide a rich resource for keywords. This, in turn, can help you optimise the influencer’s social media platform to reach an ever-wider audience.
Perhaps the most crucial feature of influencers, though, is their human touch. Where a brand might seem faceless or unapproachable to consumers, an influencer can provide an identifiable touchpoint for an audience, helping your brand to hit home with your chosen audience.
Growth in Personalised Marketing
When polled, 63% of customers were annoyed at brands relying on traditional marketing strategies that use generic advertisement messages. This proves that personalised customer experiences are rapidly becoming a key part of building brand trust and providing a competitive advantage in social media marketing.
Research conducted by Accenture found that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands who ‘recognise, remember and provide relevant offers and recommendations,’ meaning that personalised, unique content is more important than ever.
And, with the same study finding that customers feel digital experiences are falling short of expectations, it’s likely that brands will push this aspect of their awareness campaigns to make personalised content one of the critical social media marketing trends for 2023.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) social media gives brands a new, exciting way to engage with customers and promote products and services.
Ranging from filters to virtual fitting rooms or superimposing furniture to see how it would look in your home, AR techniques are undoubtedly one of the continued social media trends we’ll be seeing in 2023.
The thing that makes AR so popular with social media users is the engagement it allows. Previously, consumers had a choice: either trust the images and description on a business website or go in-store and try out the product themselves.
AR bridges that gap, allowing customers to engage and experiment with products from the comfort of their own homes. Whether it’s a face filter showing you what you’d look like with a specific shade of hair dye or even full-blown virtual reality shops, the increase in this brand of marketing is likely to be an important social media trend for 2023.
Social Awareness and Accountability
In our blog discussing our favourite marketing campaigns of 2022, themes of social awareness featured heavily. That’s because we believe the environment where brands could opt out of global social issues and operate purely as businesses has ended. Companies that don’t accept accountability and responsibility for their impact on the world are losing their popularity.
This is even more vital to brands aimed at Gen Z and Millennial audiences, which have highlighted social awareness over issues such as sustainability, ethical sourcing and fair pay as some of the key attributes they look for in a brand.
With these two generations also forming the majority of the social media audience, it’s clear that ethical and accountable marketing campaigns are likely to continue as one of the most prominent social media trends of 2023.
The prevalence of value-driven social media is a tool that brands can use to market their products. They can achieve this with what’s known as ‘positive impact marketing,’ a technique where brands use their social media platforms to exhibit their company’s principles and ethics rather than simply their products and services.
Want to make the most of social media in 2023?
At One2create, we offer expertise in social media marketing that can help you get the most out of whichever platform you use.
To find out more about what we offer, head to our social media page or get in touch for a more detailed chat.
