Social Media Trends: what lies ahead in 2023?

2023 looks amazing so far, right? Well, of course, our startup is about to launch, and we're excited just thinking about what lies ahead 😜. One thing is for sure, no matter if we are launching a startup or not, 2023 is going to be a year of many exciting changes.

What should social media marketers expect in 2023?

1. UGC (user-generated content) from nano-influencers 🤳

In 2022, only 28% of brands worked directly with creators (Hootsuite); however, this is about to change as some big companies have been forced to stop investing in content creation partners due to cutbacks. That will leave new players available for small companies! 🤠

Furthermore, Later predicts that “UGC creators will fill a gap in the market and lead to an increase in Nano creators monetizing on social in 2023, without the need to post on their own channels.” Nano-influencers have more availability than macro-influencers and they have an average engagement rate of 3.69%, which is higher than that of macro-influencers.

Most creators are paid less than $100 per post (Hootsuite) - that’s pretty affordable no matter how much your budget is! 💸 (Check this report of how much influencers charge.)

There are also emerging new micro-influencers on LinkedIn creating expert posts that are increasingly attracting users back to this social network. If your company is B2B, it’s your time!

2. Use AI to create real value! 🤖

People are starting to warm up to AI, and they are using it more and more. Some AI tools people are using include TikTok's new backgrounds with AI, GPT Chat, or Jasper.ai, to generate content ideas (or even full articles), but keep in mind that these cannot replace your human mind and natural creativity!

In 2022, 86% of consumers claimed that transparency has now become more important than ever, and this will remain the same in 2023.

If you want to be noticed, you have to create authentic, branded content and use the AI tools in a smart way that helps you get the most out of them:

• Acrolinx helps make sure your content meets your brand parameters.
• Lately recognizes context from long articles and makes a draft.
• Jasper.ai makes drafts of your articles.
• Phrasee helps with brand language optimization.
• QuillBot repurposes existing content.
• Brand24 monitors your social media.
• GrowthBar finds keywords suggested in your articles.
• SEMrush finds Keyword and content trends.
• Emplifi helps with influencer marketing and audiences.
• Heyday creates conversational bots.
• Cortex analyzes your competitors.
• Smartly.io programs your ads.

3. Define a channel and format, do not replicate content 📝

Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram are all releasing the same formats, albeit months apart, so we no longer have to break our heads trying to adapt content from one social network to another. But this is a double-edged sword that extended through 2022, and now should be eradicated: reusing the content on different channels!

Investigate your target audience; more than 84% of TikTok users also use Facebook, and nearly 88% of Twitter users also use Instagram (Hootsuite). Furthermore, according to Hootsuite, "people not only get different types of value from different networks, but they explicitly use different social networks for different purposes."

Stop thinking that sharing the same thing on all your social networks will give you more visibility. The key in 2023 will be to identify which channel is more appropriate for each type of communication and then focus on finding the right message for each channel 🎯.

This does not mean that you can not reuse an article or a video; for example, this article could be shared by making a presentation for LinkedIn with the most relevant tips; however, on Twitter, it could be a thread inviting people to comment on any of these tips, and on Youtube by making a short video with the tips and the link to the article.

4. Not yet with an integrated chatbot? This will become a MUST! 🤖

We know that chatbots are not “pure” for marketers! However, we frequently open channels with a different goal than how our customers will use them, and we must be prepared to appropriately refer them to the right info or change our strategy. 80% of consumers now use social media to contact brands, and according to Gartner, by 2023, digital channels will handle 60% of all customer service requests.

Social media is not only a communication channel currently, but also a marketplace, an e-commerce platform, and, for many businesses, a customer service channel, such as with Nike Service or Starbucks Care on Twitter.

If our customers are writing on your social media channels, test an AI-powered Talkative's Chatbot Advisor or Sprout Social, or if that sounds too complicated build a chatbot with simple rules.

5. Short videos and sort-form videos, still the kings! 🎥

Video is already used as a marketing tool by 86% of businesses (Wyzowl). In 2022 the average American was watching 80 minutes of TikTok every day, so business leaders realized that it was no longer "emerging", it was there (Washingtonpost)

Companies such as Forbes, HubSpot, Mediatoolkit, and PR Daily all predict that short-form videos will at the very least maintain or grow in presence and influence in 2023.

Short-form videos include reels on Instagram, TikTok videos, and YouTube shorts. What is brief and effective is twice as effective (Spanish proverb), so keep going with your video strategy or double your effort into it!

6. Last but not least: Data, data, data, always! 📊

Of course, social networks have their own set of rules and data. Understanding the keyword topic, which videos everyone is watching, or why everyone now likes a type of video vs another type of content/post is the key to succeeding on these channels.

In order to continuously analyze the market, incorporate regular analytics to monitor topics, trending topics, and content ideas with tools like:

• ContentStudio helps determine the best time to post and schedules.
• SocialBee helps with customization and distribution for small businesses.
• Sendible repurposes content.
• Keyhole is an influencer tracking and marketing tool.
• SocialPilot can help you track sentiment, engagement, and geographic data.
• Buffer lets you compare statistics.
• Hootsuite lets you automate messages.
• ZOHO Social allows the monitoring of keywords.

2023 will be a year of changes.

We don't know which of these trends will emerge and which will fall to the wayside, but we know that we will need to be on fire to face all the new challenges (and tools) that are coming 🎉!