7 social media trends in 2023

Now is the perfect time to prepare a promotion strategy for the next 12 months. Social media activity is one of the key components of such a strategy. Our paid advertising agency in social networks and PPC has been operating in the market for many years. We always monitor trends in this area and want to share what social media trends are relevant for 2023. 

#1 Shopping on Facebook and Instagram remains 

Atomic Leap’s experts at PPC in Bristol and the UK are confident that e-commerce and social media will continue to work in tandem. 

Back in 2020, Instagram launched the Purchased tab. There, users can immediately see the new products of companies. Facebook encourages merchants to use the built-in storefront and has made it easier to upload products. The trend suggests that this feature will remain and may even be developed. 

#2 The future of live shopping is changing 

Livestream shopping is one of the online trading formats that is actively developing and gaining popularity. Such marketing activities involve celebrities or influencers who promote the product through live video. The idea itself dates back to before the advent of the Internet, but with new technologies, the format has received a second wind. So how does it work now? 

Well, directly below the comment block during broadcasts, links appear to the products that bloggers are demonstrating or discussing. There is also an “add to cart” button. 

In addition, back in October 2022, Facebook closed its social commerce network. Instead, their attention and resources have shifted to the further development of Reels video stories. 

As before, familiar to everyone, Facebook Live is used to broadcast events. But wait! Now you can’t create product listings and link to them in the videos themselves. 

What else has changed? As of March 16, 2023, it is no longer possible to tag items for sale on your Instagram live streams. 

Why did these changes take place? 

META decided to focus on in-post advertising and its effectiveness. Already in February, the “Purchases” tab was removed from the feed. We can confidently say that shopping on social networks remains a trend. But their format is likely to be simpler and more familiar, with minimal interactive elements. 

#3 Persuade and sell in 10 seconds 

The time that people can concentrate is decreasing. This means that effective video ad time is reduced from 30 seconds to 10 seconds. 

People spend more time on social media, but spend significantly less time viewing each ad. 

The average attention span today is just eight seconds! if you are reading this, then you have successfully overcome the trend! 

Most companies are already adapting their advertising strategies to the eight second rule. 

#4 Use augmented reality more 

Over the past five years, search queries related to social media and AR have increased in frequency by 81%. The market for augmented reality (AR) related products and services may still be in its infancy. But the forecasts from experts are amazing. In 2023, the AR sphere will generate £55-60 billion in revenue. And the upward trend will continue. 

Social networks are part of this party. Instagram has already jumped into the augmented reality game. Users can invent and create their own filters. Back in October 2022, Meta announced a new way to share content from Horizon Worlds – Meta’s flagship social VR app – to Facebook and Instagram Reels. In addition, they announced a Quest Pro VR headset. Users were promised that they would be able to “join the team and meet inside the Meta Horizon workspaces” in 2023. 

That is, just one top technology company fully invested in expanding the possibilities of virtual and augmented reality. 

#5 UGC and working with micro-influencers 

The demand for more relevant and “authentic” content is constantly growing. This means that brands in 2023 will begin to invest even more in micro-influencers. User-generated content (UGC) will also be in demand. This is done to build and develop a more trusting relationship with the target audience. 

Brands that manage to leverage user-generated content (UGC) increase their returning visitors by 20%. They also increase the amount of time potential customers spend on their websites. On average, this indicator grows by 90%. 

We are sure you will agree, this is a significant reason to make UGC content part of your strategy in 2023. 

#6 Meta strategy: Facebook remains a top product 

Facebook remains at the top of the social media hierarchy. It now has over 2.9 billion active users. After the rebranding, Meta plans to dominate the digital world. To a large extent, the emphasis will shift towards virtual reality. 

Facebook will not slow down the development of e-commerce features, Facebook stores and Instagram though. Their declared goal is to provide sellers with an easy and convenient way to connect with their audience. 

#7 Social media audio 

Audio files in social networks are a great tool for direct communication with the audience and collecting feedback. Interest in this content format will grow rapidly going forward. Such content is posted on audio-enabled platforms, such as VoIP systems, to connect the audience via voice chat. 

Back in 2021, Facebook launched podcasts, Soundbites and Rooms. The goal of the innovations is to give audio creators more tools to work with. Voice tweets from Twitter and Spaces along with audio events from LinkedIn suggest this trend is just getting started. 

An interesting year lies ahead 

The year ahead will be very interesting and full of changes. To make your promotional activity more successful, consider the following recommendations: 

  • Be sure to use analytics. Keeping track of keywords and trending queries on your social networks will help you stay one step ahead of the competition. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube business pages have their own analytics tools—use them to filter hashtags and monitor users to better understand how to communicate with your audience. 
  • Invest in quality social media management tools. It will help you organise, manage and plan your social media campaigns. Tools like Zoho Social and Hootsuite let you easily manage all your social media platforms in one window. This will allow you to optimise and change your strategy in response to changing social media trends. 
  • Keep a close eye on your competitors. Understanding how your competitors are doing on social media is a great way to assess the situation and make sure you’re one step ahead. 

And, of course, always remember that the specialists at digital marketing agency Atomic Leap will be happy to help your business conquer any social network.