5 Social Media Trends for 2023

In a year that saw Elon Musk buy Twitter, and Instagram infuriate so many users that even the Kardashians posted their distaste… we’ve seen some pretty controversial changes on social media over the past twelve months.

But there’s been some brilliant stuff to come out of 2022 too! Including TikTok’s rollout of the thumbs down feature, to help flag inappropriate posts, and the capacity to add music to still image posts on Instagram (at last!)

So, what does 2023 have in store? Well, we can’t tell you if Donald Trump will make a return to Twitter (odds are he will), but we can tell you about these social media developments expected next year and beyond:

More user generated content (UGC)

Why do the hard work when your customers can do it for you!? We joke of course. But UGC is all about sharing authentic and relatable content created by genuine individuals using a product or service.

More and more brands are starting to realise the value of UCG to their marketing strategy and so we can only expect to see more of this.

The rise of the nano-influencer

While any big brand worth its salt will already work with relevant, though sometimes costly, content creators by now, many smaller businesses are only just dipping their toe into the creator-partnership waters.

If your business is new to paid partnerships, it might not be as out of reach as you think.

Of course, the days of sending free products or services in exchange for content are pretty much over. But when working with micro and nano-influencers, the costs are usually far more manageable, especially for small businesses where budgets are tight. And with a smaller audience (around 1000-5000 followers for a nano-influencer) you get the benefit of a more engaged, loyal following, which means more bang for your buck.

Social commerce

According to Hootsuite, global e-commerce sales are predicted to grow to a whopping $1.6 trillion in the next 3 years!

With social commerce, the process of shopping for goods and services through social media means instant access to products without breaking away from your usual scrolling. For businesses, this can only mean one thing (dollar eye emoji)

A quick word of caution though! Some social networks have actually scaled back on their shopping functionality, despite this being a massively growing industry, due to concern from consumers over buyer protection.

More paid ads, and make them personal!

Organic reach has been on the decline for a few years now. But for new businesses, make no mistake; if you want to be seen, you will need to pay! Boosting social posts simply won’t cut it; ads need to be targeted and personalised.

We can also expect to see more AR ad formats in the coming year, as the likes of Meta turn their attentions to the metaverse. Which leads us nicely on our last trend for 2023, and it’s kind of a biggie…

The Metaverse

The concept of the metaverse isn’t new, but the term itself didn’t really enter our vocabulary until last year, when Facebook changed its name to Meta.

So, what is it exactly? Well, think internet-meets-videogame with avatars and holograms thrown in for good measure. Simply don your favourite VR goggles and some motion capture gloves, and in the metaverse you can shop, explore, work, play games and socialise.

While we’re a few years away from the metaverse becoming mainstream, many large companies are already planning their strategy. So, expect to hear a lot more about spatial rendering, nonfungible tokens and holoportation in the coming year.

So, now we’ve shared our social media predictions, are you likely to change tact? If you need help with your 2023 social strategy, why not give us a shout?!