Alex Miles
2023 is just around the corner!
And with a new year comes new trends to follow and and utilise in our marketing strategy.
Social media trends can change in a space of weeks, platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook are frequently updating and adding new features in order to keep up with a new generation of users.
Whilst constant changes can be overwhelming, making use of these trends in your social media strategy can improve your results as well as benefit your customers.
In this blog we’ve compiled a list of 5 social media trends you should consider for the new year.
Short Video Content on The Rise
We’ve discussed before how platforms like TikTok have seen a significant increase in users thanks to its short video format. And other social platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and even YouTube have begun to add short videos to the list of formats creators can publish.
This format of short video has been proven to be successful in showcasing products and services whilst accommodating to short attention spans.
Microcontent like Instagram Reels and TikToks doesn’t have to be expensive, some of the best videos are created just using a mobile phone and in app effects. Aesthetically pleasing videos, product making and humour seem to be the most popular types of content as long as you keep it authentic to your brand.
Increase in Social Commerce
Social commerce has been on the rise since the 2020 pandemic, features such as Instagram and TikTok shop allow users to shop without having to exit the app to a third-party website.
These shops allow social media users to instantly buy products that are showcased in videos and images. This allows customers to see how products are used and services are carried out before committing to a purchase.
However, there are still a significant number of users who may not fully trust social commerce. This means you must work hard to build trust with your followers with good customer service and branding.
Customer Communications
With most customers using social media to view and purchase products, customer service is needed on similar (if not the same) platforms. Again, this is convenient for the customers, allowing them to contact businesses from the app they are using rather than switching between two sites.
Whilst platforms such as Instagram and Facebook enables customers to contact them through direct messages, Twitter and TikTok only allows you to tag the brand. This doesn’t always prove helpful, as customers wait in hope that the business see’s their particular post in a sea of other queries.
It's important to have a direct line for customers to reach out and address potential problems or questions they may have. Answering customers quickly is efficient and will improve your brands reputation.
Brand Involvement
Nowadays a brands voice and what it stands for is just as important as what services it has to offer. Customers want to buy from businesses who share the same values and addresses global issues, by showing support to movements or disagreeing with hate.
Although it’s great to show your support to movements be aware your efforts may be seen as insensitive if you are only getting involved for the benefit for your business.
“Rainbow washing” is a common term used for when brands change their logos and imagery in advertisements during pride month, to indicate progression support for the LGBTQ+ community and earn customer credibility. However as soon as July comes around, the support is no longer there. With logos switching back to normal and advertisements losing their inclusive messaging.
Similarly many businesses will find they loose customers if they choose to work for influencers who are known to promote hate speech.
You don’t have to go full out to promote your messages across, consistent messages on social media and representation throughout your campaigns will be enough for customers to notice and appreciate.
Use Of Micro-Influencers
When we think of influencers, some may think of free holidays, free designer good, a dinner at a five-star restaurant and more. However, since the pandemic customers have started to drift from content made by mainstream influencers and are now influenced by those who are more relatable and authentic.
A micro-influencer has between 1000 – 5000 followers, creating content for a smaller but more niche audience with similar interests. They choose to work with brands who share their own views and suit their audience, rather than brands that would give them more interaction.
So, whilst their following is significantly smaller, you can be assured your business will be promoted to your target audience.
Remember, if you have a good relationship with your micro-influencer at 5k followers, they will continue to work with your business in the long run as their following continues to grow. Again, this will help your business to maintain a good reputation.
Conclusion
All of these 2023 trends can be used to improve brand awareness as well as creating lasting relationships for your customer by improving their experience with your business.
Luckily, the trends we mentioned are long term trends that can be implemented into your strategy at a steady pace in order to not scare your customers with an overwhelming number of updates.
For more tips and tricks to social media marketing download our FREE "The Definitive Guide To Social Media" eBook.
About Insynth
At Insynth we deliver a predictable flow of leads, customers, and specifications for building product brands through our inbound marketing approach, proven to reach a technically demanding audience.
We use the latest marketing techniques such as construction inbound marketing, to equip building product companies to grow sustainability in this era of digital transformation.
As the only HubSpot certified agency to major in construction marketing. We have a proven formula of bringing a variety of functionalities together including CRM Implementation, Web Design, Sales Automation, SEO, and Email Marketing to achieve your ultimate aim: Growing your business and gaining new specifiers and customers.