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Social Media Trends 2023: What You Need to Know


Fionn Kientzler and Khalipha Ntloko

Dec 2, 2022

Social media continues to play an increasingly important role in marketing and sales, for companies big and small across the globe. And the social platforms we use have kept us on our toes with new updates and features to assist in our social marketing efforts. 2022 was full of updates from our favorite social media platforms, and it means that 2023 is going to be a lively year for marketers.

That’s why we researched and explored what social media trends to look out for next year, so your social media strategy can stay up to date and successful throughout 2023.

Table of Contents

Social Media Updates — Summary

Before we get into predicting the social media trends of 2023, here's a summary of social media updates from 2022:

Want to keep up with social media updates throughout the year? Be sure to watch for our weekly updated Social Media News blog post!

Instagram

  • Creator media kit
  • 60 second Stories
  • Business map-search
  • Respond to comments with a Reel
  • Reels maximum duration increased to 90 seconds
  • Sunsetting of IGTV & all videos converted to vertical Reels format
  • Subscription model introduced for influencers
  • Pinned posts
  • The chronological feed returns

Twitter

  • Elon Musk purchases Twitter
  • Audio chats tested in Community Spaces
  • More ways for users to control their in-app experience, such as restricting who can @ you
  • Edit button in the works
  • Public “view count” on Tweets
  • More business page features including bio CTAs, location spotlights, and product listings
  • Status indicators on Tweets

Facebook

  • Mobile-friendly Facebook Shops
  • 3D image posts
  • Messenger Rooms
  • Care reaction for posts

TikTok

  • 10 minute TikToks
  • Growth in TikTok Live usage
  • Viral TikTok challenges
  • Photo Mode introduced
  • Accelerator program to help small businesses
  • More in-app shopping features
  • Increased character count in video descriptions

Tip: Stay on top of trending topics on TikTok with our TikTok trends blog!

LinkedIn

  • Native scheduling
  • GitHub integration
  • New "focused" inbox to minimize sales InMail
  • More posting templates and styles available
  • Link sticker introduced
  • More tools for B2B professionals
  • Polls de-valued in the algorithm

YouTube

  • Shoppable Shorts
  • Create a Short from a longer video
  • Connected TV improvements for viewing Shorts and videos
  • Primetime channels available
  • Creator handles for all accounts
  • Music library for creators
  • Shopify integration

Based on the updates we saw happen in 2022, here's what we predict the social media landscape will look like in 2023.

1. Virtual Reality is Becoming More Mainstream

VR started gaining more mainstream traction during the pandemic, with people looking for ways to meaningfully connect with others during quarantine. Today it's uses continue to evolve and more social media platforms, Snapchat in particular, are experimenting with ways to take advantage.

Take the fashion industry for example, and more specifically, Sephora, who introduced Sephora’s Virtual Artist. This allows customers to put on digital makeup and then tap the selected product to purchase it, all in the comfort of their home.

sephora virtual artist for virtual reality as a social media trend for 2021

Learn how to create immersive experiences for your customers to take your marketing to the next level.

2. Augmented Reality Continues to Grow

This current social media trend is based on a more technical basis: social networks are increasingly posting content that offers an augmented reality (AR) experience rather than a fully immersive one. Users can “try” the product on and through this visual interaction experience what it could potentially look like on them.

While Snapchat remains a frontrunner and innovator in this space — in 2022 they partnered with Amazon, adidas, European soccer league LaLiga, and a number of other businesses to promote AR features — others are not far behind. Meta has partnered with more than 700 brands to expand their AR capabilities, and it's likely that in 2023, we'll see more AR features being released across many of our favorite social media platforms. In turn, we'll also see a lot more marketers utilize AR in their digital marketing campaigns and advertising.

social media trends facebook updates and augmented reality ads

Estee Lauder is a great example of this new social media trend, as they have used AR to allow audiences to try different lipstick shades within Facebook Messenger. This is an example of one of the ways that we will see brands using Facebook's AR features throughout 2023.

Screenshot Chatbot

Advantages of using AR in your 2023 social media strategy: 

  • Personalized user experience
  • Allows users to experience your product before purchase
  • Encourages sharing & user-generated content

3. Social Commerce is on the Rise

Another social media trend that marketers can expect to continue lifting off is social commerce. Facebook and Instagram have particularly been investing this social media trend as we see more features in these platforms that support an easier shopping experience.

pinterest shop feature for social media trends 2021

Brands like Vans have already set up their Facebook Shops and marketers may find this feature to be the perfect tool to drive more online purchases.

Consider the fact that having a Facebook Shop can shorten the customer journey, since audiences can buy the products that they like on social media right on the platform. This is as simple as adding a "Buy Now" button and starting some live shopping streams (although there are some extra steps to successfully setting up your social media store).

Advantages of social commerce for your business in 2023:

  • Provides an enhanced and seamless customer experience
  • Increased sales via mobile consumers
  • Increased audience engagement and traffic

4. It’s All About Vertical and Video Content

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it seems like video might be worth even more.

Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, announced in 2021 that Instagram would no longer be a square photo-sharing app, but that it was gearing itself to become more focused on video content. And they've certainly made good on this, pushing Instagram Reels hard in 2022.  

In the meantime, Facebook has now integrated its own Story application, with a user's Instagram Stories automatically being shared on Facebook. On WhatsApp, a status feature was also introduced, where users can post their everyday life, news or experiences in a story-like format. YouTube made several improvements to Shorts as well, throwing their hat firmly in the short video ring.

So how can you include short-form video in your 2023 social media strategy? Make sure that the content you share is valuable to your audience, but don't be shy to make them as engaging as possible through gamification.  For example, use Instagram's poll feature to gamify your posts and increase engagement with your audience.

Tip: Learn more about current Instagram trends.

Instagram Story Screenshot

As for vertical content, naturally, this social media trend continues to remain prominent as people generally spend around 3 hours on their mobile devices. 2023 is going to continue to feature much more mobile-first vertical content. Marketers should start creating mobile-first, vertical content to effectively reach their target audience. Don't leave out Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube when thinking about which platforms to distribute your vertical content on.

Tip: Find out what TikTok is all about and how to use TikTok for businesses.

screenshot of facebook video content

Advantages of using vertical and video content:

  • Interactive, immersive and more engaging
  • Can have a higher reach than actual posts
  • Perceived as less polished but more authentic
  • Convenient (Snap on your mobile & post)

5. Inclusivity, Authenticity, and Transparency

Sparked by online movements such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, along with transparency around how inclusive brands really are, this year has been one where making more meaningful decisions and actions around diversity and inclusion was the name of the game. 

With purpose-led marketing taking centre stage, online audiences now want to put their money behind the brands and businesses that align with their values and show true investment in addressing social issues. This means that staying silent about issues that your target audience passionately cares about should be avoided. 

In the same breath, audiences are standing behind the brands who are authentic and can be transparent with them. Owning up to mistakes and allowing your brand to be authentically "human" when a crisis strikes on social media can go a long way in the eyes of your audience. Use Meltwater for real-time alerting, so you can pick up on brand mentions during a crisis, then respond in a prompt but transparent way. 

On the other hand of the spectrum, audiences are also becoming more aware of performative activism, and are simply not going to accept it. Thus businesses need to ensure that their content and brand messaging when addressing such issues is be well-informed. 

When it comes to inclusivity, a brand that marketers can take a page from is Fenty Beauty. This beauty brand has become known for being inclusive - both in who the target audience of their products are, as well as the influencers used for campaigns and the repurposing of user-generated content from their inclusive audience. 

Dove is another great example of being authentic and diverse in their marketing campaigns. Their Real Beauty Pledge aims to appreciate women of all ages, sizes, and races, highlighting their desire to be more diverse and inclusive. By featuring real women, instead of models, in this campaign, their brand messaging of building body confidence in young girls and women remains authentic and genuine, which resonates well with their target audience.

Advantages of being more inclusive, authentic and transparent:

  • You earn the trust and respect of audiences
  • Higher reach and increased customer pool
  • Builds stronger connections with audiences

6. Livestreaming Isn't Going Anywhere

Video content has firmly cemented itself as a strong social media trend, including when it comes to livestreaming. 

In a study from Livestream, they reported that 80% of audiences would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog. To add to this, Influencer Marketing Hub recently revealed the following stats on live streaming:

  • The online live streaming industry has grown by 99% between April 2019 and April 2020
  • By 2026, the live video streaming market is expected to grow to $149.34 billion
  • Twitch has more than 15 million unique daily visitors and 3 million content creators, or broadcasters, as well as 500,000+ active daily streamers
mobile phone live streaming a concert

If you are yet to utilize the latest social media trend that is livestreaming, consider this your nudge to go for it. Going live on social media has been one of the most popular ways for people to consume content and brands can truly benefit from this trend to grow their online presence.

You can also explore the advantages of live shopping!

Advantages of going live: 

  • Authentic and interactive
  • Inexpensive
  • Creates high audience engagement
  1. Don't ignore virtual reality
  2. Make use of social commerce
  3. Augmented reality is a game changer
  4. Use vertical and video content 
  5. Be inclusive, authentic and transparent
  6. Experiment with livestreams
  7. Go live

If you'd like to learn more about capitalizing on the trends discussed above for your own brand, fill out the form below and we'll be in touch!

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