Stay ahead of the curve by understanding and leveraging the influential social media trends shaping the digital landscape in 2023.
Most small business owners understand that to be successful; it’s essential to be active on their potential customers’ favorite social media platforms. While this has been true for a long time, there are some new social media trends for 2023 that you’ll want to implement to successfully promote your business.
TikTok
With 672 million downloads in 2022 alone, TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2022 and will likely hold the #1 spot again in 2023. Over 1 billion people watch TikTok monthly, and while some older adults still have an unfavorable view of this platform, if your target audience is under 35, your company needs to have an active presence there. TikTok for business is a marketing trend that took off exponentially during the pandemic and has remained successful in creating active users through quality content executed by content creators and the platform’s increasingly user-friendly functionalities.
TikTok Video Marketing & How To Grow Your Business
Twitter uses text. Instagram and Facebook use pictures. YouTube uses video. TikTok uses it all and the clock is ticking.
Video content
Video accounts for about 82% of all internet traffic. It allows you to easily engage with audience members, especially those with short attention spans. Short-form video, such as reels or YouTube Shorts, are key to engaging with social media users. As a bonus, audience members are also able to share videos with little effort, dramatically increasing your market reach and furthering brand awareness.
While working with a professional is always best, there are some easy-to-use apps for businesses that want to create marketing videos on their own. Just be sure to post videos with a consistent look and voice across social media networks to best promote your brand.
How to Grow Your Business Online With YouTube Marketing
Atlanta social media experts offer YouTube marketing tips to grow your business online.
Authenticity
In 2014, Google introduced the concept of EAT, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness, as a sort of guideline for determining what content is valuable to readers.
Online shopping has now become the norm for most people. Because of this, brand authenticity is more important than ever, with many customers complaining that they’re tired of seeing the same old gimmicks used again and again thoroughout content creation to try and draw their attention.
If you want to attract a larger customer base, it’s critical that your company’s personality shines through and is consistent across any platforms you use to market your business. Try to show the human side of your business and any products you promote so potential customers will feel a connection to your brand that will keep them coming back.
Social listening tools
Companies that are not using a social listening tool will definitely want to start in 2023. Social listening tools like HubSpot and Brandwatch use special software to monitor what users are saying about you on social media and analyze trends.
At a minimum, they allow business owners to see what others say about their brand, making it easy to incorporate those ideas into your marketing. They’re also a terrific way to receive feedback from your customers on what features they love about your products and what needs improving.
Loyal communities
Successful companies need to build a loyal community of followers around their brand, making social media marketing an essential tool for any business owner. Online community building is vital because people looking for your product are more likely to trust the reviews of others they think have similar interests and values.
Building a loyal following starts with having an above-average product backed by world-class support, but a great product often isn’t enough on its own. To be successful, you need to constantly provide your potential customers with fresh, engaging social media content that they’ll want to share with their friends. You should also consider implementing a loyalty program that rewards customers for repeat business.
Augmented and virtual reality
People are becoming more unwilling to go into a physical store to test a new product. Augmented reality and virtual reality let potential customers test products from the comfort of their home to see if it is right for them.
These experiences are also widely shared, which can be an effective tool when you are trying to reach a larger target audience.
Micro- and nano-influencers
It’s become important to target industry influencers who have both large and small audiences on social networks if you want to reach a more extensive customer base and build brand loyalty. Influencer marketing is especially effective on the younger generations, such as the Gen Z demographic.
Generally, micro-influencers have fewer than 1 million followers but more than 1,000. They’re instrumental when you want to get your opinion to a broad target audience.
Nano-influencers, on the other hand, have a smaller audience (usually less than 1,000) but are perceived as influential within their specific niche or local community. While they have less of a reach, they’re seen as extremely authentic by their followers, which means their opinions about your business or products will likely be trusted.
Social audio
Another top social media trend in 2023 is using social audio. Social audio is a term used to describe social platforms that use audio as their main networking device to connect with their customers. The most significant advantage of social audio, such as podcasts, is that it helps your business establish a more intimate relationship with your listeners.
Since many apps are available, but only a few companies are currently using them, they’re a terrific option for small or mid-sized businesses that don’t have the advertising budget to compete with more prominent players.
Chatbots
One of the biggest drawbacks to online shopping is the difficulty many customers have when they try to contact a company with a question or an issue with a product. Yet, many companies lack the resources to hire enough staff to answer these calls and emails efficiently.
Chatbots are a terrific option that can engage with customers and get information into their hands without human involvement. This software is also easy to implement and can be highly specialized for your company.
Marketing help for your business
While social media is an excellent tool for marking your products and business, the way you implement your social media marketing strategy largely determines its effectiveness. Hiring a social media marketing company can help take your business to another level, saving you time and money in the process.
If you need help implementing a social media strategy for your business, contact our team at Brown Bag. We’re a full-service digital marketing agency passionate about helping companies achieve their goals and reach that next level of success. Contact us today to see how we can help your business grow.