What does the social media landscape look like in 2023 for brands? The past few years have been a whirlwind of changes in the social media landscape, with new trends emerging and users playing a crucial role in dictating the success and focus of these platforms.
Social media is a vital part of our daily lives, and the power of virality changes creators' and brands' trajectories. Businesses must stay ahead of the game and understand the changes coming down the pipeline. We'll dive into what you should trash in 2023 and where you should crank up your focus.
What’s out in social in 2023
#ByeByeHashtags
Over the past few years, we have seen the reliance on hashtags fade in categorising, discovering and serving content on social media. But where to go from here? Social SEO.
To get further reach and exposure to new audiences, having a solid social keywords strategy in 2023 is vital for growth. Social SEO involves incorporating targeted keywords and details in the text elements like captions, alt-texts, and closed captions of social media posts to make them more discoverable to users browsing through social media. It operates similarly to traditional SEO, which is applied to regular search engines.
The BeReal breakup
From being downloaded over 73 million times worldwide as of October 2022, you may say our take on the app's expected fade into obscurity is controversial. BeReal's focus is promoting authenticity in content and participation. To view your friends' posts, you must first post your own, and you can only see posts from those you are friends with. By eliminating the follower-following dynamic, BeReal broke down the influence hierarchy and created a community of mutual sharing.
While a great concept, the consensus from Gen Z is BeReal is out. A true rise and fall that we have seen from many platforms in the recent social media landscape... Remember Clubhouse?
The battle of platform-curated content
With TikTok and Instagram battling over users, cross-posting content across different social media channels in 2023 will not cut it. With both Instagram and TikTok putting a strong emphasis on original content, posting the same content between the two can be flagged by the platform, reducing your content's reach.
With TikTok being a direct competitor of Instagram and, you may say, a threat, they are doing everything to keep users on their platform. That includes favouring users creating content, especially for their platform, you can't find anywhere else.
Social media trends ‘in’ for 2023
Pinning popularity
Pinterest may have been overlooked by some, but Pinterest is in its comeback era in 2023. With its massive user base of 459 million active users and high engagement levels, it's a platform to be noticed. What sets Pinterest apart is its ability to inspire and motivate users to take action. It's a valuable tool for bloggers, small business owners, and big brands alike, as it can drive traffic, generate leads and increase sales if you have your Pinterest strategy right. The platform is perfect for products and services visually aesthetic and provides an excellent platform for sharing tips, tutorials, and other helpful content.
UGC
In an age of authenticity and personal connections, UGC and low fi content is becoming an increasingly important aspect of marketing for businesses in 2023. User-generated content, which is any type of content created by customers or other non-brand individuals, can take various forms including product reviews, social media posts, photos, and videos. This type of content is valuable for brands as it helps establish trust and credibility with consumers, as well as providing valuable feedback and insights into the target audience. Brands can also repurpose and share UGC on their own channels, leading to increased reach and engagement.
Closed captioning (content assessability)
In 2023, brands are becoming more inclusive and aware of the needs of all their audience, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing. One important aspect of this is ensuring that all video content is accessible through closed captions. Most social platforms now have auto-captioning features along with a number of video editing apps such as our favourite Capcut Pro. Being inclusive of all people and their needs has an enormous impact on brand's popularity and recognition, along with helping create a world where everyone is included.
The social media landscape in 2023 is constantly evolving, and brands must stay ahead of the game to stay relevant. Hashtags are on the decline, and social SEO is becoming crucial for growth. Platform-curated content is also important, with TikTok and Instagram strongly emphasising original content. Additionally, platforms such as Pinterest, UGC and closed captioning are becoming increasingly important in 2023 as they inspire, motivate, drive traffic, generate leads, and increase sales. Brands should focus on these trends to stay ahead and engage with their audience effectively.
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