Social media has never played a more central role to business, and has consequently evolved as the key to a successful marketing strategy. At the same time, it can be a challenge for organisations to keep up with this constantly changing industry. Marketers will need to be even more agile and strategic to ensure their social marketing strategies continue to meet ever-changing consumer needs.
In order to realise social success in this environment, organisations will need to take the time to carefully assess their business goals against customer needs, and focus on long-term impact. To help organisations get a step ahead, here are some of the top social media trends that marketers are watching for 2023.
Top platforms to watch
For many organisations, a successful social media strategy in 2023 will require a cross-platform approach as they seek to meet customers where they are. It’s also important that marketers get more strategic on the channels that they are using. Customers are using different platforms for different purposes and expecting personalised content on each. In 2023, the most successful marketers will spend more time exploring fewer platforms that best reflect their business goals, and creating content that is well suited to those platforms.
As organisations build out their social strategy, some platforms are especially important to keep an eye on:
TikTok
TikTok continues to grow exponentially, and shows no signs of slowing in 2023. A slew of new features in 2022, along with a partnership with Linktree, Shopify and WooCommerce, and a potential podcast app, suggest that TikTok is looking to become a “super app”. This means an all-in-one app that covers social media, messaging, payments, and other internet services.
Already, TikTok ranks consistently high when it comes to time spent and overall positive sentiment. For organisations that aren’t already on TikTok, now is the time to join.
BeReal
BeReal is a photo-sharing app that prompts users to post one unfiltered, unedited photo per day to select friends. As of October 2022, BeReal was the top social networking app on the App Store and has been installed roughly 29.5 million times. The platform is particularly popular with young people – the majority of users being under 25.
Unlike other social networks, BeReal doesn’t have ads or features for businesses, and users are limited to 500 friends. This does mean that there are limited opportunities for brands to engage with users on this platform (for now). However, BeReal’s popularity has signalled a shift in consumers looking for authentic, unfiltered content. This is sending an important message to businesses.
LinkedIn isn’t just used for job postings or professional updates anymore. Posts have become increasingly personal, leading some to question if the platform’s algorithm is favouring this content. It could be that the pandemic has blurred the lines between people’s personal and professional lives.
Whatever the reason, LinkedIn is here to stay. Organisations using the platform for thought leadership should take the opportunity to add a more personal touch to the advice they give. Just be careful not to come across as inauthentic, or there may be backlash.
Social commerce isn’t going anywhere – despite mixed signals
Social commerce was one of the biggest social trends last year, with sales soaring past $350 billion in China. But despite this success, North American and European consumers have been slower to adapt. Some social networks have even scaled back on shopping features. This includes Meta shutting down its live commerce functionality on Facebook and Instagram removing its affiliate product tagging option.
Ultimately, the main barrier to social commerce is trust. According to a survey of 10,000 global consumers, their biggest concern is that their purchases won’t be protected or refunded.
Looking to the new year, however, proactive brands will see this as an opportunity to get ahead of the competition, rather than give up on social commerce prematurely. To overcome the trust gap, organisations should focus on creating a trusted shopping experience built on the basics:
- easy returns and refunds
- displaying ratings and reviews from other buyers
- keeping buyers notified about the status of their purchase.
Lean into social customer service
Unlike other customer service channels, social customer care (that is, customer service that occurs on social media platforms) is usually handled by marketers. Almost half (49%) of organisations surveyed for Hootsuite’s 2023 Social Trends report said that social customer service was usually or exclusively the responsibility of the marketing team. Whereas, less than 8% said their customer service team was responsible.
Yet, only 21% of marketers feel they do a good job servicing customers on social channels, according to a survey by the CMO Council and IBM. This isn’t surprising, as social was never meant to be a customer service channel. Marketers may feel untrained in handling customers, or a lack of incentive to do so when this has traditionally been handled by another team.
But, it’s now a channel that can’t be ignored. If marketers see it as their responsibility to build brands, ignoring customer service is detrimental to that goal.
Clearly, a more holistic approach is needed. Organisations should treat social as a core function, by always looping senior members of the social team into high-level strategy and planning. This will ensure any social strategy is fully aligned with the organisation’s goals, and will enable the social team to see how their work fits into the bigger picture for the organisation. Leaders should also invest in customer service training for their marketing team.
How do we move forward with social media marketing?
Nobody can predict exactly how social media will change in the coming years. But by utilising research-backed trends and data, organisations can implement social media marketing strategies that will survive any challenge. This will enable them to stay ahead of the competition.