The social media marketing industry is in a state of constant flux. As new technology comes to the fore and as consumer preferences change, marketers have to constantly tweak and adjust their approach to keep up with shifting demands.
It seems like the next big trend is just around the corner. Being able to accurately predict what to expect is an invaluable tool for social media marketers, it can allow you to preempt trends and market changes and prepare your business to best adapt to them. We’ve put together a list with some of the top social media marketing trends you can expect to see in 2023. Keep reading to check it out.
More personalized algorithms
The enormous success seen by the video-sharing platform TikTok over the past few years has led a number of rival companies to rethink how their algorithm works. TikTok’s recommendation system is highly personalized and is extremely effective at drawing users in and giving them an incredibly individualized experience.
Meta has been keen to implement better recommendations through the use of an AI-driven algorithm, in an attempt to emulate the success seen on TikTok. However, as of yet it has failed to seriously compete, with users of Facebook and Instagram unhappy with the quality of the suggested content they are being delivered.
We can expect to see Meta, TikTok, and many other platforms continue to improve their AI and suggestion algorithms, as they seek to create a far more personalized experience for their users.
Live shopping
Live streaming is already a massive industry. Streaming platform Twitch, which focuses on video game content, reported $2.6 billion in revenue in 2021.
We can certainly expect to see this live-streaming phenomenon influence other industries, with the ecommerce industry already integrating it into content and services. Live shopping streams are already extremely popular in Asian countries like China and Japan, viewers watch them both as a form of entertainment and as a way to research potential purchases.
Live retail content is nothing new, shopping channels have been ever-present on television for decades. However, in today’s influencer-driven marketing industry, live shopping will offer a new type of entertainment that will combine retail information with larger-than-life social media influencers and creators.
More subscription models
We’re seeing more and more platforms introduce subscription models for users and for creators.
Meta recently rolled out its Professional Mode option for all creators. This will include a subscription mode that will allow content creators to offer exclusive content for subscribed followers.
Elon Musk’s highly publicized Twitter takeover has sent shockwaves through the digital and social media world. He has promised to introduce sweeping changes to the platform, from the outlandish to the relatively reasonable. One of these changes is said to be an update to how the Twitter verification process works. Users will now have the chance to subscribe to Twitter Blue, with the price of doing so rising from $4.99 a month to $19.99 a month, and will be awarded with a blue verification badge.
Subscription models can be implemented in different ways. They can be used by the platforms themselves to directly boost revenue, and they can be used by content creators to monetize their content and boost audience engagement. As we see more platforms focus on attracting creators to their platforms, we can expect to see far more subscription models launched in 2023.
AR & VR
Augmented reality (AR) technology has been tipped as the next big thing in digital advertising. Creators and brands are constantly looking for ways in which to further drive audience engagement, and AR would seem to be the perfect way to do so.
The digital landscape is oversaturated, brands must be able to make their ads stand out to differentiate them from the crowd. AR will allow them to do this quite literally, with 3D models and representations of products that can be placed or interact with real-life user environments.
Virtual reality (VR) is the next step up from AR. Meta has made an enormous push towards mainstream VR acceptance with the metaverse, in the hopes that it will give rise to an entirely new type of social media experience. While the technology might not be at the level required to see full VR integration in 2023, we can certainly expect to see more VR tools added to content creator options on Meta platforms within the next year.
Conclusion
Keeping ahead of the latest social media marketing developments can seem like something of an impossible task. However, being able to correctly predict what trends may lie ahead is vital if we want to effectively optimize and develop our strategies. While this list is by no means exhaustive, we can certainly expect to see these trends take off as we head into 2023.
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