Social media trends all marketers need to know for 2023
Summary/Overview
The world of social media is forever changing. Social networks are constantly making updates, releasing new features, and introducing new types of content. Additionally, new social media platforms are being released every year. It makes life for social marketers exciting, fun, and fast-paced, but also pretty hectic, to say the least. When you are operating on multiple social media channels and trends come and go faster than you can say ‘Harlem shake,’ it’s easy for businesses to get left behind.
If you’re wondering what the top marketing trending on social media are for 2023, then this is the guide for you. We’ll be running through all of the top social media strategies and trends that marketers need to know in order to make the most from their social media content.
Before you dig into current social trends, we recommend solidifying a social media toolkit to make sure your marketing team stays consistent and fresh online.
What are current social media trends?
Ephemeral content
Ephemeral content (content that is available for a set period of time) has risen in popularity thanks to networks such as Instagram (Instagram Stories) and Snapchat, and has since spread into other networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn (consider the recent rise in popularity of BeReal). Ephemeral content is popular because it is always current. It is used to either showcase something that is happening right now or give insight into whatever someone is thinking about in real time. Secondly, due to the temporary nature of the content, a sense of urgency to view the content is created meaning it often gets more attention than other social media posts.
One popular tactic many influencers and businesses use is to post a sneak peak of their latest feed post onto their stories so that people will go and visit their post and engage with it. If you’re a business, we recommend publishing some face to face video content with your team, or giving a tour of the office. Consider posting a sneak-peak of a new product. Video content will work best for Stories so try to make your content visual and speak to the camera wherever you can.
If you’re looking to get involved with ephemeral content, we recommend starting with Instagram Stories and Snapchat.
Short-form video content
Attention spans are short, and our tolerance for poor quality content is low. As a result, it’s no wonder that long-form videos are on the decline and short-form video content such as TikTok’s and Instagram Reels have become hugely popular in a relatively short space of time. Could it be the ease with which people can browse through TikToks, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts between tasks without feeling the need to set time aside, or is it that content creators can create better content when there’s less pressure on them to fill up time? Whatever the reason, short-form video content will hold its place as an immoveable social media trend during 2023.
If you’re a business and are interested in getting involved then fear not, TikTok in particular is becoming more of a space where businesses are welcome and there are also some paid advertising opportunities that you might like to look into. Check out some other businesses on TikTok for inspiration such as Ryanair, Marks & Spencer’s, E.L.F Cosmetics, and San Diego Zoo. If you keep your content creative and make use of TikTok trends, there no reason why your content can’t be trending on social media in no time.
Live streaming
Live streaming, whether it’s via Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook is still a crowd-pleaser in 2023. Live streams allow you to get so much closer to your social media audience, and them to you. The format is a great way for you to increase your social media audience engagement and simply foster a two-way relationship with your audience. Being able to interact directly with your audience, respond to messages, and generate live audio is a great way to improve authenticity.
As you explain something of value or demo something new in real time, you allow your audience to feel valued as you give up a designated amount of your time to focus on them. Live streaming often comes with the ability for your audience to leave comments and ask questions as you go, opening up the lines of communication and strengthening your relationship. Consider sharing and promoting user generated content (UGC) to really boost engagement. For even greater success, consider how you can use live streaming to present episodic content in order to keep viewers coming back, while also growing your viewership over time.
Podcasts
Along with TikTok, podcasts are another social media trend that rose in popularity during 2023. Podcasts provide an easy way to multi-task while consuming content. After all, what’s better than driving, working out, doing chores or work while listening to your favorite podcasters chat about news, pop culture, politics, or whatever niche subject you’re interested in?
Podcasters are now household names, with most podcasts widely available on popular streaming services such as Spotify and iTunes. If you’re looking to start a podcast, begin by finding your lane. If you’re a business, make sure your podcast subject is relevant to your brand. Invite guests to speak on your podcast, or simply keep the same speakers and change the topic each episode. The choice is yours. Just make sure that your conversation is engaging, has room for debate and discussion, and that your speakers are likeable and interesting people.
Tip: Podcasts don’t have to stick to an audio-only format. Many podcasts are also available to watch as videos on YouTube and Vimeo.
Employee advocacy
This social media trend places employees as brand ambassadors. Encourage employees to share content and news from the business, re-share / retweet the company’s social posts, and bring more eyes to your content. The more brand mentions the better. Your employees can use their networks to spread brand awareness. All this engagement makes your brand seem more human and personable by allowing your messaging to be communicated through an employee, rather than a faceless company page. We recommend that you provide your employees with some rules and guidelines for talking about your business online so that they don’t inadvertently push audience sentiment in the wrong direction by being brutally honest or venting about your company online.
Content monetization
As more and more people get involved in social media and content marketing, it’s only natural that we begin to see more methods of earning money through social media beginning to emerge. While the monetization of YouTube content has been around for years–allowing users to easily add ads into their video content–other newer methods of making money are becoming more common, such as charging a subscription fee to join a Facebook group. Consider investing in search engine optimization (SEO) to beat social platforms’ algorithms and drive more traffic to your content to earn even more money.
E-commerce
Social networks are swarming with businesses, especially B2C companies trying to find new customers to purchase their products. As a result, social media platforms have been making more and more updates to make e-commerce easier, and allow for in-app purchases. Instagram and Pinterest are great examples of this as they allow users to browse, discover, and make purchases without leaving the app.
An effective way to get your brand out there in a more organic way is to try influencer marketing. Consider creating a marketing campaign utilizing partnerships with influencers or micro-influencers. The social media landscape has changed, and users are more likely to follow and trust people they view as peers rather than brands. UGC is a great way to build legitimacy and demonstrate everything your brand has to offer. Create a social media marketing strategy that is geared toward your target audience and demographic and the social media networks they use the most.
Avatars and virtual personas
Avatars and virtual personas will become an increasingly important feature in the coming years as social media users, particularly millennials and Gen Z, will seek new ways to customize their online persona beyond profile images. Much like we see in games such as Roblox and Fornite, social media users will want to create their own unique online identity which can then be carried across multiple platforms as the path to the metaverse becomes better understood. As virtual reality and augmented reality rise in popularity, so has virtual personas.
Adobe Express helps you stay up-to-date
It’s hard to keep up with what is trending on social media, but it’s important to make the effort to understand what’s new on each social networks in order to seize every opportunity to make great content and connect with your audience. While you don’t need to jump on every social media trend, identifying the ones that fit with your brand and style and getting involved where you can will be a great step forward for your business. Even silly social media trends like the cinnamon challenge, or…well… any TikTok dance really, can still be a good idea when paired with the right brand.
Hot tip: There’s no need to start from scratch when you’re hopping on the latest social media trends. Begin creating with an Adobe Express social media graphic template so that you have more time to focus on the perfecting trends we’ve laid out in this post.
This post was updated on January 6, 2023.