The top social media trends you need to know for 2023
As with most things in our lives (clothes, shoes, hair, makeup), social media trends tend to change.
What worked previously in social media may no longer be the case.
As a business owner, staying up to date with all the social media trends to keep your posts and content relevant is essential.
Consumers of your content will be pretty savvy too. If you post content no longer relevant (or interesting) to them, you’ll likely lose your audience’s engagement.
Here are my thoughts on the social media trends you need to know for 2023
A handy guide to the top 5 social media trends for 2023
Trend #1: Short video content is king!
People love watching videos. If you’ve got teens or young adults in your household, you’d know how many hours they lose watching TikTok videos! Many are addicted.
Here are the top performers:
TikTok: Younger people love TikTok, which has taken the world by storm! Clever brands and influencers upload short videos, with many becoming ‘trends’ that young people follow and share with mates. If your ideal audience is younger, you’ve got to be on TikTok.
Insta Reels: These are amazing for creating 90-second videos and are Instagram’s answer to TikTok. You simply record short snippets on your phone, then upload them to your Insta account. When you share your Reel, it displays in the Reel section, and you can share a teaser on your main feed.
YouTube Shorts: YouTube has always been a top player in the video field but has recently introduced ‘shorts’ as a new feature. Allowing you to produce short, engaging and creative 60-second videos (including music and filters), YouTube Shorts is rivalling TikTok and other short-form video platforms.
Trend #2: Increase in alternative (niche) social platforms
Building a community using bigger social network platforms is no longer the ‘in’ thing. They’re hard to manage, navigate and keep engaged with. As a result, niche social platforms are popping up.
These new platforms let you connect with others more easily and are perfect for targeted advertising opportunities.
Nextdoor: Nextdoor lets you connect with your neighbours and share local news and events. You can also ask for recommendations for local services and businesses, so it’s a great way to promote your services/products to a local network and build your brand locally.
Discord: Discord was initially started as a chat and communication platform for the gaming community but expanded to include more communities and interest groups. Discord is an easy way to connect and communicate with your group members and is brilliant for membership or community-type groups.
Circle: I am part of a couple of courses that have recently moved from Facebook groups to Circle. This excellent community space is very easy to navigate and allows users to customise the layout.
Trend #3: Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has boomed over the past few years, and it’s a trend set to continue becoming more and more popular. It’s always been a fact that people trust people (rather than faceless brands), so influencer marketing highlights the importance of personal branding.
Influencers can be powerful voices for brands looking to reach new audiences. When you use an influencer, you tap into the trust and loyalty they’ve built with their followers and leverage their influence to promote your products or services.
As a result, influencer marketing has become increasingly popular as a sound marketing strategy and is set to become more sophisticated, personalised and effective in reaching and engaging audiences.
Trend #4: Virtual and Augmented Reality
VR and AR are booming, and the big boys (Facebook, Google, Apple etc.) are all jumping on board, investing in new technology and devices that support this modern communication.
Businesses using VR or AR stand out by offering creative and innovative experiences for their audience.
With our world forever changing and technology getting smarter and smarter, VR and AR will continue to become increasingly popular.
Trend #5: Social eCommerce
My final prediction is the increase in social media platforms integrating eCommerce functions which will help brands drive more sales while using the platform. Think of it as an incentive program! Use our platform; sell to your audience.
Social commerce allows brands to connect directly with consumers via social media.
You can use features like shoppable posts and host live shopping events as a business.
As a consumer, social commerce makes it easier to discover, research and purchase new products or services. How many things have you bought while you’ve been scrolling social media? Like infomercials used to draw us in, so too will social commerce.
Are you up to date and using the top social media trends of 2023?
I’d love to chat with you about incorporating these latest and greatest social media trends into your marketing strategy.
By having a brand session, we can see what other platforms you can use to up your social media and remain relevant for 2023.
Not all platforms are suitable, so it’s best practice to find what works for you and your audience, setting goals and working towards achieving them for maximum social media impact.
If you’d like to book a brand strategy session, please get in touch.
You can find my services here or send me an email to connect.
Here are some other blogs you may find handy:
I'd love to hear if you’ve used any of the above trends in your social media marketing. Please feel free to drop your comments below.