As an executive or marketing professional, staying ahead of social media trends is crucial for your business to succeed. In 2023, we can expect significant changes in the social media landscape, and it’s essential to be prepared. This article will explore the social media trends likely to shape 2023 and what they mean for your business. Without further fluff, let’s dive in:

Edutainment

“Edutainment” Content A combination of education and entertainment, this content is designed to engage users while delivering valuable information. The rise of “edutainment” content can be attributed to users’ increased interest in informative and entertaining content. As a digital marketer, this is an opportunity to create informative and entertaining content, building brand loyalty and engaging your audience. 

New Platforms are Making waves.

New Platforms With the rise of decentralised social media platforms such as BeReal and Mastodon, we can expect to see an influx of new social media platforms emerge in 2023. These new platforms allow digital marketers to reach new audiences and build an engaged following. It’s important to stay aware of these new platforms and be ready to join when the time is right. 

Shifting the focus to organic reach

Building Organic Social Reach Standing out in a crowded social media landscape is becoming increasingly complex, and organic reach is becoming more critical. Organic reach can be achieved through several strategies, and the route will largely depend on your resources and the type of business or brand you are. 

As a digital marketer, it’s essential to focus on building organic reach in 2023. Brands will continue to hunt down the creator community, leveraging influencers and engaging with their audience regularly. Sprout Social emphasises the value of influencer content with their research highlighting that influencer content was watched 13.2 times more than media and brand content in 2022.

Engaging Creator Communities

We’re likely to see an increase in creator communities, and don’t mistake these as typically social communities (you’re not measuring engagement here). Creator communities are distinctly different. Creators’ communities are not about personal connection but more about influence, niche interest and content channels. TikTok is a creator community, not a social network; you are not required to connect to friends to use the app; the app distributes creators’ content – the same as youtube, and we will see more like this in the future. These communities are an excellent way for digital marketers to reach their audience and build the brand through the creators. Staying active in these communities, partnering on valuable content and engaging with other members can help develop vigorous brand advocacy and position you as an authority in the space.

Developing Employee Advocacy

One of the biggest trends in 2023 will be employee advocacy. In both B2B and B2C environments, employee advocacy offers businesses and brands considerable opportunities to gain back their organic social reach through the profiles and networks of their employees. Brands increasingly need to leverage their employees to help spread their message. In turn, it’s increasingly important for employees to utilise these platforms to build their careers, profile themselves, network, sell, develop and grow, stay in touch with the world and remain a valuable asset to the business. The relationship is symbiotic and mutually beneficial. As a digital marketer, it’s critical to empower your employees to advocate for your brand. In our own experiences, we have seen that employee advocacy leveraged in campaigns leverages better engagement and reach than advertising. It is not a simple process to implement as it involves change management, internal engagements, contents planning and distribution, strategy and governance. Not simple, but it promises a significant return. 

Social Commerce Will Continue to Grow 

As more users turn to social media for shopping, social commerce will continue to be a popular trend in 2023. Social media is now a critical part of the customer journey, and customers are likely to purchase a product or service from a brand they follow on social media. Creating content that drives conversions through shoppable posts, influencer collaborations, or product videos is essential.

Social Customer Care

Another trend to watch for in 2023 is social customer care becoming a vehicle for surprise and delight marketing. As a digital marketer, this is an opportunity to use social media to build relationships with your customers and create an engaging experience. Brands will leverage social media to engage with their customers more personally and meaningfully, creating positive and memorable experiences. Whether through personalised messages, gifts, or exclusive offers, you must create a positive and memorable experience for your customers.

And yes, the metaverse again

I hate to bring it up again, but we will see brands and businesses chase the metaverse hype in 2023. More and more brands will be leveraging virtual reality and augmented reality technology, and we’re likely to see more and more brands embracing metaverse brand activations. As a digital marketer, this is an opportunity to create immersive and engaging customer experiences. It’s more important to focus on creating engaging, immersive digital experience that resonates with the new audiences that the metaverse hype is building. 

Social and Legal Teams will ‘Buddy Up.”

As a digital marketer, stay up to date with the latest social media governance developments and ensure that your brand complies with the latest regulations. As governance intensifies, the relationship between social and legal teams will need to be streamlined internally in 2023 as legal controls strengthen. Brands will need to be more conscious of the content they’re posting and the legal implications of their actions. So it’s essential to ensure that your legal team and social media team are working together to ensure compliance.

In conclusion, 2023 is an exciting year in the world of social media. As a digital marketer, staying ahead of emerging trends is crucial to taking advantage of social media opportunities. From creating “edutainment” content and producing engaging videos to exploring new platforms, building organic social reach, utilising influencer marketing, nurturing creator communities, social commerce, employee advocacy, social customer care, and metaverse brand activations, there are numerous opportunities for digital marketers to grow their businesses in the year 2023. By staying ahead of the curve and embracing these trends, you’ll be able to elevate your brand and build stronger relationships with your customers.