As a business owner, leader, or entrepreneur in the modern era, leveraging social media to help your brand reach its business goals is no longer an option – it’s a must.
To continue to grow and thrive in today’s rapidly-evolving landscape of technology and consumer behavior, brands need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to their digital presence. And social media marketing has a major role to play. Without being active on these channels, you could be missing out on meaningful connections with customers and potential sales opportunities both now and into the future.
To dive a little deeper: With more and more consumers using social channels as pathways for discovering new products, services, and ideas – having an established presence on social media is vital for staying competitive in today’s crowded marketplace. Not only can social media help you foster relationships with customers that are already loyal to your brand, but creative use of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube can also open up additional opportunities that you may not have had access to previously.
Optimize your content for each platform to maximize the impact of your social media marketing strategy. This includes using keywords and hashtags to increase visibility and ensuring that your content is relevant and interesting to your target audience. The proper use of social media can help your brand reach new heights of awareness, but it’s important to get it right.
However, one thing remains the same across the social media landscape:
Social media is returning to its roots as a place for brand awareness, not for traffic generation, but truly as a way to connect with other people. It is crucial that brands embrace this.
Social media is a must-have in your marketing toolkit, whether you’re seeking to increase awareness, drive traffic, or generate leads. By staying ahead of the trends and best practices, you can harness the power of social media to expand your reach and achieve success in 2023 and beyond.
Social Media Trends that Shouldn’t Be Ignored
In 2023, brands should leverage a variety of social media trends to reach their customers and stay ahead of the competition. Here’s a quick rundown of seven social media trends this year:
- Social media is no longer just about the number of followers you have. It’s about creating meaningful interactions with your target audience.
- Niche communities are quickly becoming an important part of social media marketing, offering companies more specialized audiences who identify with their brand.
- Viewing habits are diversifying as people move seamlessly between screens and video lengths — with different needs and expectations for each. One trend that has grown significantly over the past few years is shorter-form, ‘snackable’ content. Brands are increasingly using this format to draw attention to their products or services as they offer viewers unique content they can’t get anywhere else.
- Another popular social media marketing trend is the ever-growing emphasis on authenticity. With so much noise on the internet today, being authentic and transparent with customers is essential for brands who want to stand out from the rest.
- As social media becomes more pay-to-play, brands should be looking more to influencers and to user-generated content to help them really appear and be seen through the noise, not from their own voice, but from the voices of others. In a nutshell, this means connecting with influencers that matter to your audience or industry.
- The potential for in-app purchases should not be ignored. In a trend known as “social selling,” consumers are increasingly getting on board with the convenience of in-app shopping rather than being directed to a third-party site. Facebook is currently the top social commerce platform, with an estimated 63.5% million estimated U.S. consumers in 2022; Instagram is the second, with an estimated 41 million U.S. consumers last year, followed by TikTok with nearly 24 million.
- Most importantly, though: Just take it easy, man. Don’t try too hard to sell your product or service on social media (this will only hurt engagement.) Instead, focus on creating and publishing interesting, well-researched content centered around your brand’s niche and target. Remember that your content should be cohesive in format, style, and tone. When done effectively, you’ll build meaningful connections with your audience that will help bring them closer to your brand.
The Seismic Shift in Influencer Marketing + User-Generated Content
Influencer marketing has been hailed as a trend for years, but in 2023, the concept of the buzzword is evolving. Influencer marketing is no longer just about the mega influencers with millions of followers. Instead, it’s about influencers with dedicated followers and niche knowledge that can create great user-generated content that helps tell your brand’s story.
It’s important to know the difference between influencer content and UGC content. While the first involves sponsored posts and a contractual agreement, user-generated content is someone talking about your brand or content related somehow to it.
This is particularly important for small or medium-sized businesses and B2C brands. As consumers look for content they need and crave, companies need to collaborate with influencers and content creators that have sway in that area.
What You Need to Know About Facebook Marketing in 2023
Facebook is a platform that brands shouldn’t overlook in their marketing strategy. Why? Despite all the rough PR, Facebook remains the most-used social media platform worldwide, with over 2.93 billion monthly active users. And last year? Facebook usage significantly increased, so it’s worth watching in the year ahead.
As we touched on above, one of the top social media marketing trends for 2023 is investing in social media communities. Spoiler alert: Facebook is still the best platform for doing so.
By creating content that resonates with your audience and encourages users to like, comment, and share it, you can reach their immediate network and others they know who might benefit from your products or services.
The bottom line? Creating relevant, engaging content increases your organic reach and places your brand higher on Facebook’s News Feed. This means that your brand can also reach your audience’s extended network through likes, comments, and shares.
Facebook Ads Reach Over Half of All Americans
PSA: Don’t neglect Meta in your marketing strategy this year. Facebook Ads reach nearly 63% of all Americans aged 13+. And 37% of Facebook users are expected to make a purchase on the platform in 2023.
Facebook also reports these potential local advertising audiences as a percentage of the total population over the age of 13:
- Mexico: 87%
- United Kingdom: 61%
- France: 56%
- Italy: 53%
- India: 30%
The Resurging Popularity of Instagram
Instagram is expected to be popular amongst brands in 2023 due to its accurate algorithms and potential for user growth. Increased investments are also in line with a trend known as ‘social selling,’ which sees brands favoring this app due to its potential for high ROI when directly selling products via an app.
Consumers have also praised Instagram for its superior in-app shopping experience compared to other social networks.
What Type of Content Works Best on Instagram?
In a nutshell: Entertaining, unique, niche-specific, motivational, and actionable content works well on Instagram. Additionally, tutorials and behind-the-scenes videos are some high-performing content types on the platform.
High-quality photos and videos of your products will likely be one of the places to start on Instagram. Sharing content featuring your products in all their glory will, of course, help you drive sales and promote your business on Instagram.
This is important: When photographing products for your feed, you want to avoid making them look like ads. Ideally, you’re showcasing your products in an aspirational yet relatable setting where your audience can picture themselves.
You’ll also want to include rich, exciting captions, not just a product name and a few trending Instagram hashtags.
Instead, you can consider treating a post like an opportunity to pitch a product. For example, discuss features and benefits, or highlight what makes it unique.
Don’t Neglect YouTube
By leveraging YouTube to share creative content, engaging stories, and unique perspectives in 2023, brands can benefit from increased visibility and higher levels of engagement.
According to Statista, 96% of Gen-Z in the U.S. has a YouTube account, and brands should take advantage of this insight by using high-quality videos to engage their target demographic.
It’s important to keep in mind that you only have eight seconds to hook your viewers when they land on your video, so make sure you focus on creating exciting intros that will spark their interest.
Additionally, if you want more views in 2023, add captions to your videos. Captions make your content more accessible––and allow those who are in distracting or loud environments to understand what you’re saying.
P.S., Make sure to double down on YouTube Shorts this year. YouTube Shorts now has 1.5 billion monthly active users and sees more than 30 billion daily views, making it a vast opportunity for advertisers.
What Sort of YouTube Content Do Users Want in 2023?
According to YouTube’s Culture and Trends Report 2022, viewers typically look for four things:
- Relevant content: 65% want content that’s relevant to their personal lives instead of what’s trending in pop culture.
- Soothing content: 83% use YouTube to relax.
- Nostalgia: 82% look for nostalgic content on YouTube.
- A fandom to follow: Over 60% are fans of someone or something, primarily online.
Is Twitter Still Relevant in 2023?
In short: Yes! With over 368 million monthly active users, Twitter remains a powerful tool for brands to connect with their target audience.
It’s also worth noting that SEO practices can be applied on Twitter, such as utilizing hashtags and keywords and optimizing long-term blog posts by tweeting links.
Furthermore, Twitter is a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and news in your brand’s niche while also gaining exposure in return.
Should My Brand Have a TikTok?
TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms in recent years, with millions of users spending hours browsing and creating content. But should you invest in TikTok marketing for your brand in 2023? This largely depends on your target audience. Suppose your target audience is within the platform’s demographic (over 92% of TikTok users are aged 13 to 34,) and you’re able to create fun and engaging content. In that case, TikTok can be a cost-effective way to reach a large audience.
However, if your target audience is not on the platform or you’re not confident in your ability to create engaging content, it may not be the right choice for your brand.
Remember, TikTok is known for its lighthearted, fun, and creative content. Brands that use the platform can tap into this vibe, creating more playful and engaging marketing campaigns.
It should be noted that TikTok has faced criticism over its privacy policies and the handling of user data. Brands must be mindful of these concerns and ensure they comply with all regulations when using the platform for marketing purposes.
Final Thoughts
Investing in social media doesn’t stop at creating accounts — you need a strategy and a steady stream of content. Understanding which platforms are best for your business, creating engaging content tailored for each audience segment, and responding quickly are all key elements for success. Without these things in place, it may be challenging to make a real impact on your target audiences and ultimately get the return on investment you’re looking for.
Whether you’re just getting started or have been using social media for years, now is the time to take stock of your current strategy and make any necessary changes or improvements so you can succeed in 2023 and beyond.
It can be very difficult for most business owners to properly manage to post on their social media pages. It’s time-consuming, it can be difficult to create professional posts, produce high-quality photos and videos, write catchy copy, and there are multiple platforms to manage – the list goes on. The reality is business owners should be doing what they are best at. Managing or working on their business. Let somebody else handle the social media marketing for you.
Want to talk social media marketing with an expert? Drop us a line here.
TL;DR
Social media can be an effective way to humanize your brand, connect directly with your target customers, educate your audience, build community, increase brand loyalty and trust, and ultimately, drive sales. To remain relevant on social media, it’s crucial to stay ahead of the trends and best practices for each specific platform. Hire EX Media to produce your social media content.