Social Media Trends to Watch Out for in 2023

In a relatively short period, social media has become deeply embedded in almost every aspect of our daily lives. What began as a way to keep in touch with friends and family has evolved into a platform for brands and corporations to reach their intended demographic. Countless social media trends have sprung up and shifted throughout the years as social media itself has expanded rapidly. And in 2023, it's anticipated that it'll go up even further. Therefore, companies may stay ahead in today's competitive market by adopting these emerging trends.

Whether through e-commerce or augmented reality (AR), companies are committed to moving their interactions with consumers online. As a result of attracting over 2.6 billion people in Quarter 1 2023 and generating over $17.65 billion in total revenues in the Third quarter of 2020, Facebook can achieve this. Furthermore, Instagram now has over 1 billion active users each month, with 90% of those following at least one brand. And that's not all. The platform has a median engagement rate of 1.60% across all sectors.

The fact that consumers feel comfortable using social media for entertainment and interaction with brands strongly indicates consumer confidence's recent rise. Here are the top six social media trends of 2023 that your company should prepare for.

Social Media Trends to Watch 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.

1. Short Video Clips & TikTok

When it comes to video content, YouTube is the most popular option. Even more so for the 92% of marketers that consider it an essential aspect of their overall approach. Mainstream social networking sites have upgraded their video features to keep up with rising popularity and emerging trends, adding fuel to the video's momentum. But as TikTok has become more popular, an intriguing trend has emerged. Especially among younger demographics, the popularity of short-form videos has skyrocketed. Even though Generation Z is primarily responsible for this shift, others have followed suit. In addition, it is easy to see why attention-grabbing short videos have become so popular. The low barrier to entry and low cost of production ensures a steady stream of high-quality user-generated material.

To accommodate users' growing appetite for short-form video content, Instagram launched a new feature called Instagram Reels. This video, "microcontent", has also seen an uptick in popularity, even though its target audience is different. This trend in content creation will only grow as people's ability to focus decreases with each passing generation. For instance, these brief movies are used by influencers to introduce their audiences to the products and services of their partners.

2. Value Authenticity

Video content has been at the top of the trends list for the past few years. And authenticity has progressively overtaken it as the significant factor determining the success level that you can achieve on social media platforms. Authenticity, real-time updates, and posts that customers can relate to are becoming more of a demand than an expectation in this day and age of highly altered images and videos and growing customer cynicism. 

The fact that platforms like TikTok and the up-and-coming BeReal have become so popular demonstrates the need for genuine tales and personalities that users can connect with. This method is quickly becoming more popular, which means traditional, filtered "Insta" content will become less prevalent.

3. Social Commerce on the Rise

These days, consumers are more knowledgeable than ever before. They're doing an extensive background study on your company and its products. And that's why this method of conducting business holds so much promise. Customers value ease of access highly. Most consumers (54%) now use social media to investigate items, so making it easy for them to access information about you and what you're selling is essential. 

Customers can make a more educated decision and speed up the buying process if they can engage with and read about your business in various formats online. This tendency will likely expand as other social platforms try out similar features and methods to provide businesses with new sales venues, which will make them more in line with the desires of businesses to get new customers and the needs of their target demographics.

4. The impact of Micro-Influencers 

In 2023, this pattern will be even more prevalent. With the rise of online shopping, establishing relationships with influential people in your target market will be crucial to the success of your brand promotion efforts. It's true that influencer marketing is a highly efficient kind of social advertising, but it also comes at a high price. As a result of their unexpected notoriety in the social media spotlight, popular influencers increasingly demand substantial payment to endorse products. As a result, smaller companies lose access to a sizable market segment. For this reason, it could be wise to instead approach relatively minor influencers in your field.

Macro-influencers struggle to interact with their massive audiences because of this. However, micro-influencers audiences are more engaged since they are smaller. And working with them will save you money. The return on investment for your business may be higher if you collaborate with a number of lesser influencers who are a better fit for your target demographic.

5. Targeted Social Media Advertising

Paid advertising is effective, which is why over half of all businesses want to increase their social media advertising budgets in the coming year. Instagram is expected to receive the largest share of social media advertising dollars because of the platform's prominence in the ever-growing trend of sharing video and visual content. Plus, the current popularity surge of the service's user base certainly didn't hurt. There will be a rise in the number of advertisements and the promotion of content on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. 

Hootsuite reports that these are the most successful marketing channels for achieving corporate objectives. And they work wonders for a variety of business expansions. You'll need to use some imagination while crafting your advertisement material if you want to increase its readability and success rate. Stand out from the crowd with the use of social proof and user-created content. Similarly, you should put effort into making material that has a short shelf life.

Wrapping Up

It starts with a single idea, even when it becomes a popular trend. That's why it's essential to pay attention to the latest social media trends and keep an eye out for promising openings. However, don't try to do too much. Pick a few trends that will work with your marketing strategy and master them. Determine what resonates with your intended audience while being true to your brand's values. A social media optimization agency can help you determine which strategies will yield the best results for your brand. Benefit from their expert marketing team as they help you maximize your brand's potential on social media.