There’s no denying that brands need to stay on top of their social media presence now more than ever. With more than one billion active monthly Instagram users, this increase in platform saturation means that staying ahead of the game is vital for your brand’s presence and awareness.
Before jumping into our 2023 trends, let’s look at why following the changes to our favourite social networks is so important.
Why are social media trends important?
Keeping up with social media trends is vital for both individuals and brands, to allow you to effectively tell your story to current and potential audiences. It allows you to stay relevant in social media’s constantly evolving landscape and keeping up with trends ensures that your content and strategy are pertinent to your audience.
Because of this, it can help improve engagement — if you create content that speaks to your target audience, you’re more likely to see bigger engagement and therefore build a loyal following. This helps retain a competitive edge too; by keeping on top of the latest changes, you may get a head start on your competitors and potentially leverage new leads before they do.
Four social media trends we can expect to see in 2023
Let’s look at our predictions for what we’ll see across social platforms this year.
- Social-first business strategies: 2023 will be the year in which businesses will truly see the value of connecting with consumers and treating social as part of their core strategy. Social media has redefined our buying behaviours. What we purchase and where we choose to shop are influenced by the content we consume online.
- Augmented Reality: Think of AR as anything that supplements (or ‘augments’) the real world. So, whether you’re tagging a location on your Instagram Story or adding a virtual office to your Microsoft Teams background, AR is already part of your day-to-day life. While it’s possible we’ve already reached ‘peak filter’, AR as a concept is going nowhere. In 2023 we expect to see brands working to make their products pop in the space where the real and digital worlds collide.
- Live Shopping Take 2: 2022 saw eCommerce (in particular, live shopping) attempt to make its global mark. However, with mixed reviews and an insignificant impact with western audiences, platforms have had to rethink their strategy. But change is very much on the way. Just last month, TikTok launched its first in-app Shops in the US and our prediction for 2023 will be a refreshed approach to live shopping as all the platforms attempt to maximise its revenue potential.
- Goodbye to the hard sell: Forget CTAs and ‘link in bio’, social media in 2023 is all about entertainment, community and discovery. Increasingly, followers don’t want to feel ‘targeted’ by content or ‘sold to’; it feels impersonal, alienating and can easily determine whether a consumer will engage.
How will social media change in 2023?
Want to know more about our predictions for how social media will look and change in 2023? Download our Trend Report for 2023.
Looking to see how well we predicted last year? Have a look at our report from 2022.
