8 Social Media Trends & Their Impact on Marketers in 2023
The social world moves fast and with all that’s happened in 2022, including economic headwinds and uncertainty of consumer demand, it’s time to keep your head on a swivel as we move into 2023. Trends are constantly changing, new platforms are emerging, and the competition is picking up… is your brand ready? We’ll help get you there.
Let’s dive into the top social media trends you need to know as we move into the new year.
8 Social Media Trends for Your 2023 Marketing Strategy
From TikTok leading the social media charge to privacy measures you need to put in place, we’ve got you covered on the top trends we’ll be seeing this upcoming year. Let’s hear from our Tinuiti experts on what we can anticipate when it comes to social media marketing in 2023.
1. TikTok is Becoming the Biggest Social Platform
TikTok is far from the new kid on the block these days. The social media giant has grown significantly in recent years, in fact, eMarketer reports that U.S. adults will spend 18.6% of their social media time on TikTok in 2024, a massive increase from 2019’s 4.5%. Brands are moving beyond testing on the platform and are scaling their budgets for good reason. TikTok users are 1.5x more likely than other platform users to immediately buy something they discovered on the platform and one in three consumers have purchased a product because they saw it on TikTok in the past year.
Consumers spend hours of their day on TikTok, so as a brand, it makes sense to meet them where they are scrolling. We expect the momentum of TikTok to continue well into 2023 and beyond, so if you’re not on the platform, it’s time to get started.
“Since the rise of TikTok, mastering video on social media has become crucial to success. The tried and true 15-second video for social is about to be a thing of the past. Attention spans are short and the faster you can get your message across on video the better off you’ll be. Focus on getting video content that is 6-10 seconds long for max performance in 2023.”
— Lauren Walden, Senior Manager, Paid Social at Tinuiti
“With TikTok positioning themselves as an entertainment platform and increasing their minimum video length seemingly every couple of months, 2023 will become an interesting juncture for the platform to decide how they’re going to address long-from content consumption. We anticipate that as watch times increase and time spent on the platform increases, ad units like pulse and TikTok’s commerce solutions will become increasingly competitive, with TikTok searches surpassing google searches.”
— Jack Johnston, Senior Manager, Paid Social at Tinuiti
2. Brands Will Spend More on Influencers and Creators
As marketers, we know that influencer and creator partnerships are nothing new, but we cannot ignore that they are still working for brands in a big way. Brands are becoming more strategic in how they work with influencers. Long gone are the days of being obsessed with follower counts. Now, it’s all about who an influencer actually reaches and if they can represent your brand in a genuine and authentic way (don’t forget about those micro-influencers).
“With Gen Z’s disposable income on the rise it will be important for brands, and platforms, to adapt to these users in particular that have truly grown up with ads as a part of their social media presence and consumption. They’re hyper-aware of companies fighting for their attention online, and are choosy about their shopping habits matching their values and personal brand. More brands in 2023 will embrace micro UGC creators as a part of their evergreen social creative to meet this generation where it prefers to engage in what feels more like a peer-to-peer recommendation rather than an ad.”
— Haley Koch, Senior Manager, Paid Social at Tinuiti
Many brands are looking to build true relationships with influencers rather than working with them on one-time deals. It’s important to look for influencers and creators that are actually fans of your brand or product. Crystal Duncan, SVP of Partnership Marketing at Tinuiti highlights why…
“Brand fans are some of the best influencer partners you can find—they already love your product or company, and aren’t afraid to tell people about it. By tapping into true brand fans, you’re going to see the magic of influencer marketing, because their recommendations will be authentic, engaging, and trustworthy.”
— Crystal Duncan, SVP of Partnership Marketing at Tinuiti
3. User Generated Content (UGC) Is Increasingly Key to Marketers
User Generated Content (UGC) is any content (ie: images, videos, unboxings, etc.) that are posted to social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. UGC is posted by creators and users of certain brands rather than from the brands themselves. This content is extremely valuable considering the increased importance of authenticity and word of mouth on social media.
We expect UGC to grow in 2023 and many brands will work with UGC creators for paid social media content as well. UGC allows brands to showcase their products in an easily accessible way. This form of content also ties in well with social commerce as many UGC campaigns influence purchases on social media platforms.
“With Gen Z’s disposable income on the rise it will be important for brands, and platforms, to adapt to these users in particular that have truly grown up with ads as a part of their social media presence and consumption. They’re hyper-aware of companies fighting for their attention online, and are choosy about their shopping habits matching their values and personal brand. More brands in 2023 will embrace micro UGC creators as a part of their evergreen social creative to meet this generation where it prefers to engage in what feels more like a peer-to-peer recommendation rather than an ad.”
— Haley Koch, Senior Manager, Paid Social at Tinuiti
4. Consumer Interest in Social Commerce Will Grow
In 2021, global social commerce sales reached $492 billion. While that’s an impressive number alone, according to Forbes, those sales are expected to nearly triple by 2025 to reach $1.2 trillion. Social commerce is the way of the future when it comes to making the path to purchase seamless. With more consumers utilizing social media as part of their daily routines, integrating shoppable experiences directly within an app is a no-brainer.
What should marketers expect in 2023 as it relates to social commerce? Let’s hear a few predictions from our experts…
“TikTok will assert itself as a major player in commerce and shopping. Taking a cue from their Chinese counterpart, Douyin, we’ll start seeing shopping experiences (and live shopping) starting to become more prevalent on the platform. Younger users are already leveraging TikTok as a product discovery tool, so the next natural step is to have users convert right in app. They have a blueprint for it, the question now is how it translates in the U.S.”
— Avi Ben-Zvi, VP, Paid Social at Tinuiti
“Closing the gap between finding a new product and purchasing has become much easier when leaning into shopping ad units on Facebook and Instagram, such as the use of product tags or Instagram Shops. Brands are going to need to ensure they are playing in this space in order to keep up with the fast-moving nature of its consumers.”
– Chelsea Dyjak, Associate Director, Paid Social at Tinuiti
“The rapid expansion of TikTok’s eCommerce arm through warehouse acquisition and advanced in-app shopping features will continue to pose a greater threat to not only Meta, but also Google and Amazon, putting pressure on the long-standing industry leaders to make reactive changes to adapt to user behavior and expectations.”
— Rachel Legere, Director, Paid Social at Tinuiti
5. Shorter Attention Spans Will Mean Shorter Videos
In 2023, consumer attention spans are shortening. Think of how quickly you scan through content on Instagram, TikTok, or other social media platforms. This means that brands have a shorter window to capture consumer attention and the importance of creating meaningful, yet bite-sized videos will be more critical than ever as we enter the new year.
According to a Microsoft study, consumers have an attention span of eight seconds, a decrease from 12 seconds back in 2000. Are you effectively capturing their attention when it matters most? In 2023, consider testing different video lengths, try repurposing content, and make sure you’re telling the right story to the right audience. Time is limited, make sure you’re using it wisely in the new year.
6. More Platforms Are Adopting AR/VR Functionality
Consumers are looking to connect with brands and products on new levels, and Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) allows them to do just that. As we move into 2023, we will see more brands take advantage of these immersive experiences to capture consumer attention and ultimately increase product sales. In fact, 50% of U.S. adults have either used or are at least somewhat interested in using AR or VR while shopping (Source).
We’ve already seen huge advancements in the last few years when it comes to AR and VR. Snapchat has led the charge with popular AR filters and lenses where users can participate in virtual try-ons (ie. eyeglasses, clothing, cosmetics, etc.) and Facebook and Instagram have followed suit. These virtual try-ons give consumers the ability to interact with brands and products on a 1:1 level. This immersive experience can help build the consumer connection and ultimately speed up the path to purchase.
Let’s hear what our experts think of this growing trend…
“AR will start to play a larger role in performance marketing strategies. AR is the precursor to VR and web3, but with more options right now. It has already proven to be a worthy commerce tactic, as Snap has pointed out that it increases the likelihood of purchase by 96% when users engage with a brand through an AR experience. I expect more brands will catch on as specific attribution challenges continue and they look to new, smarter ways to woo consumers.”
— Avi Ben-Zvi, VP, Paid Social at Tinuiti
“Augmented reality (AR) will have a bigger place in marketing campaigns, especially for e-commerce companies. More and more companies are adopting AR and 61% of the customers say they prefer shopping with an AR experience. We can also expect Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to add-in new forms of content including AR and 3D posts.”
— Talip Sencan, Associate Product Marketing Manager at MobileAction
7. Measurement and Privacy Are Increasingly Top of Mind
Privacy concerns should be top of mind for any marketer in this day and age and this thinking will undoubtedly carry into 2023. With the (eventual) death of the third-party cookie, the importance of looking beyond last click in a post-privacy world is more crucial than ever. Measurement is going to look different in 2023, so now is the time to prepare to ensure you have sophisticated measurement and attribution tools in place. Start to think of how your business can adapt in the world of privacy and what experiments to run intermittently (geo-lift, brand lift, incrementality, etc.) to gut-check models and calibrate accordingly.
“As additional privacy regulations come into play in 2023, I expect that we will see more and more brands adopt new measurement technologies like MMM, MTA, and geo-lift studies to better understand the true value of their programs. For the same reason, I also believe we will continue to see additional privacy-centric measurement opportunities released by social platforms.”
— Natasha Blumenkron, Senior Director, Paid Social
“Meta will have a (somewhat) rebound year on the coattails of Reels adoption and the transformation of the Instagram feed. This year proved a more challenging year than Meta had initially experienced, with privacy controls bringing a slew of attribution challenges. But as Instagram evolves into its new form, and as Reels continues to increase in adoption (which it’s doing steadily now), advertisers will continue to adjust to the “new normal” for Meta performance. We’ll see a resurgence in some spend with an increase in more sophisticated measurement solutions that underscore true performance on the platform.”
— Avi Ben-Zvi, VP, Paid Social at Tinuiti
8. Brands Are Diversifying Their Social Portfolio
Savvy brands know the importance of diversifying social media strategies. This means not putting all your eggs in one basket by expanding your social portfolio for greater reach and efficiency. By incorporating a variety of platforms into your marketing, you can build a deeper narrative with your target audience. Consumers use different channels for different reasons and, as a brand, it’s important to gauge where your target audience spends the majority of their time so you can effectively and efficiently market to them.
It’s critical to test content on a variety of social media channels (not just the main players) to see what best resonates with your audience. Be open to trying out different platforms like Reddit and BeReal–they could be game-changers for your brand. For example, Tinuiti recently worked with Nautica to help the company stand out during a competitive time for marketers in Q4 during the holiday shopping season. Going beyond sales or promotional content, Nautica wanted to immerse consumers in their brand with a completely new approach on Reddit called Megathread.
This Reddit product allowed Tinuiti’s Paid Social team to showcase Nautica’s top items during the holiday season, while increasing brand awareness and engagement–and they would be the first retail brand to ever use the new Megathread on the platform. The Megathread drove a 108% higher engagement rate and a 48% more efficient cost-per-click (CPC) over our ongoing traffic campaign. The Megathread also drove 63% more purchases than our traffic campaign.
Want to see more predictions from our team? Be sure to download the 2023 Social Media Advertising Guide. Want to share a prediction of your own? Contact us.
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