Top 6 Social Media and Influencer Trends in 2023

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social media and influencer trends

The ever-evolving social media and influencer landscape is steeped in competition, as evidenced by the controversy surrounding Twitter during Elon Musk’s brief tenure as chairman.

Despite the complexity of operating in this dynamic environment, brands have an incredible opportunity to reach customers on a social platform through creative and meaningful engagement. With proper vigilance, companies can keep pace with new technologies and take advantage of various content and digital marketing opportunities.

Social media marketing is an effective way for a social media marketer to make a brand gain visibility and build relationships with customers in the digital space, making it a crucial component of any successful business strategy.


1. The Changing Landscape of Influencer Marketing

In 2023, the concept of an influencer is changing. Gone are when a person’s social media following was the only metric for success; today, it’s all about having dedicated followers and niche knowledge that can create great user generated content (UGC).

UGC involves brand awareness or related to its content without any contractual agreement with the company. Brands should look more towards influencers and UGC to help them appear through the noise of other voices rather than their voice. 

The Benefits of UGC

User-generated content involves someone talking about a brand or related to its content without any contractual agreement with the company—in other words; it’s an organic form of promotion. Brands should look more towards influencers and UGC to help them appear through the noise of other voices rather than their voice.

UGC has proven to be an incredibly effective way for businesses to market themselves and engage with customers. It builds trust between brands and their target audience by providing valuable insight from real people who have used or interacted with the product or service. 

Finding The Right Influencers

Finding the right influencers is vital to successful influencer collaborations and marketing campaigns. Companies need to collaborate with influencers for small or medium-sized businesses/B2B brands to get noticed by their target audience, which could include internal employees or customers as well as subject matter experts from a B2B marketing perspective.

Since these collaborations rely on mutual trust and respect, companies must seek out influencers who share similar values and will be able to represent their message authentically and accurately.

2. Decentralizing Social Media Platforms

social media

With the increasing demand for a platform owned by everyone instead of an individual, social networks are beginning to decentralize. This shift has created a new wave of decentralized social media platforms, including Mastodon and BlueSky. But what exactly do these platforms have to offer? Let’s take a closer look. 


Mastodon: Exploring New Horizons

Mastodon is an open-source social network that allows users to join different “instances” based on interests or geographical location. It also provides more freedom when creating content since each instance can have its own rules and moderation policies.

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Unlike other centralized networks such as Twitter, Mastodon isn’t controlled by one single entity, allowing users worldwide to connect without worrying about censorship or data privacy concerns. 

BlueSky: The Future of Social Media

Another upcoming option is BlueSky, built by ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey which will offer more choices in terms of algorithms and usability. Based on Dorsey’s vision, BlueSky will be a protocol-based system that allows developers to build applications using the same underlying technology but with different features and user interfaces.

It will also give users more control over their data privacy settings and allow them to choose which application best suits their needs.

3. The Future of Mobile Search: Introducing Super Apps & ChatGPT 

In the age of technology, companies such as Apple and Google are looking for ways to access customer data to provide personalization. This has led the way for a new type of app – the ‘super app’ – which has access to customers at various touchpoints, allowing it to track behavior and preferences.

What Is A Super App?

A super app is an all-in-one mobile application focused on providing users with one convenient platform for their daily needs. This includes services such as hailing a taxi, booking movie tickets, ordering food delivery, making bank transfers, and more.

WeChat is a perfect example of this type of app – it’s been successful in China due to its convenience and ability to integrate different services into one platform.

Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine and ChatGPT

Microsoft aims to break Apple and Google’s hold on mobile search with its Bing search engine launch in early 2023. It plans on integrating Open AI’s ChatGPT chatbot into its platform – something that could revolutionize natural language processing (NLP).

This technology would allow Bing users to ask questions in natural language rather than using specific keywords or phrases. The chatbot would then be able to interpret what was asked and provide an accurate answer or service as quickly as possible. 

By utilizing ChatGPT alongside other NLP technologies, Microsoft will create a suite of products that enable users to find information more easily and quickly than ever before – giving them direct access to services within the search engine itself without opening up multiple apps or websites.


This could potentially make Bing a super app similar to WeChat in function – allowing users to access all their daily needs from one place.

4. Tiktok is Evolving to Attract B2B Audiences

tiktok

TikTok has announced significant changes in its focus for the year 2023. The platform aims to provide “actionable entertainment,” making space for joy and community-built ideals. As a result, marketers are encouraged to create entertaining, personalized, and uplifting videos rather than focusing on a selling point.

On top of that, TikTok is working to make its business tools simpler and more usable with new ad targeting options. Moreover, B2B content is becoming increasingly popular on the platform, with experts in dry industries gaining large followings.

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Business Tools Simplified

TikTok has seen a dramatic increase in business accounts since 2019 and continues to make strides toward becoming an effective tool for social media marketers or marketing teams across all industries. With new insights, such as deeper analytics into viewers’ engagement with content, businesses can better track the success of their campaigns.

Furthermore, marketers now have access to more advanced targeting options, including interest targeting, which allows advertisers to target users based on their interests or behaviors while using the app.

Additionally, more creative options are available, including branded hashtag challenges that will enable companies to start conversations around topics relevant to their brand or product.

B2B Content is Becoming Increasingly Popular

The amount of B2B content from TikTok influencers and users has grown exponentially over the past few years. Experts in dry industries such as finance or accounting have gained large followings by creating fun yet educational content related to their expertise.

Furthermore, many businesses have found success by leveraging influencers already established in the industry and using them as spokespeople for their products or services.

This content marketing strategy can be powerful as influencers often have loyal fanbases who will be willing to try out your products just because they were recommended by someone they trust online. 

Optimizing Your Videos

For your videos to be successful on TikTok, you must optimize them, so they get found through search. Google indexes social media posts in SERPs based on keywords, expertise, authority, and relevance.

It’s also important to include hashtags related to your brand or product to maximize visibility within the app and other social media platforms such as Twitter or Instagram, where hashtags are essential in driving home visibility through search engine optimization (SEO).


Additionally, you must post regularly, so you don’t fall off people’s feeds too quickly after publishing a video or getting featured on a trending page!

5. The Power of Vertical and Long-Form Video for Marketers 

A video is a powerful tool for marketers. It can provide information, entertain, and engage with viewers engagingly. In the last few years, different video formats have become more popular due to the rise in mobile users worldwide.

One example is vertical videos, which are becoming increasingly widespread due to their convenience on mobile devices. Long-form videos have also increased in popularity, especially for B2B purposes, as it helps convey complex information visually. With the proper execution, these videos are an effective way to reach prospects and customers. 

Vertical Videos

According to a study from Animoto, 80 percent of marketers use vertical video when marketing on a social media platform such as Instagram Reel or Instagram Story —and for a good reason. As more and more people are using mobile devices to consume content, marketers must tailor their media accordingly.

Mobile users prefer watching videos in portrait mode (vertical) rather than landscape (horizontal) because it’s easier to navigate through their feed without rotating their phones or zooming in/out of the video.

Additionally, vertical videos take up the entire screen while horizontal videos only fill up half of it – thus providing a much better user experience and higher engagement rates on social media platforms. 

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Long-Form Videos

On top of vertical videos, long-form videos have also become increasingly popular among marketers — especially when targeting B2B audiences, as they can be used in webinars or seminars that inform and influence prospects/customers.

As opposed to a short form video, which typically ranges from 15 seconds to 1 minute in length (e.g., Instagram Stories), long-form video content typically ranges from 5 minutes up to 1 hour+ (e.g., YouTube tutorials).

This type of video is ideal for delivering detailed information about a product or service that may otherwise be difficult or tedious to explain with short copywriting or text alone — making them much more effective at driving conversions than shorter forms of content like images or GIFs.

6. Social Media Return to its Roots: How Brands are Adapting

social media and brands

In the last few years, we’ve seen a shift in social media use. Companies are no longer just using it for traffic generation; they’re also using it to connect with people on a more personal level.

According to digital transformation expert Neal Schaffer, this trend will only continue in 2023 as brands strive to create content that social media users crave and engage with on social media platforms. Here’s a look at how some of the biggest social media companies are adapting to the changing landscape.

Web Traffic from Social Media Decreases

According to statistics from Statista, web traffic from social media has decreased from 2% in 2018 to 1% in 2021. This is mainly due to the rise of other online activities, such as streaming services and gaming platforms, which have become popular over the past few years.

As a result, brands must find new ways to engage their audiences on their social media channel if they want to succeed on these platforms.


Meta Launches ‘Feeds Tab’ Feature on Facebook

In 2022, Meta announced that they were launching a new ‘Feeds tab’ feature on Facebook, which would recommend content tailored specifically for each user based on their interests and preferences.

This initiative was designed to help Facebook users discover relevant and engaging content while assisting brands in reaching potential customers more effectively. The Feeds tab has proven incredibly successful, with millions of users already taking advantage of this feature.

Instagram Introduces ‘Candid Challenges’ Feature

In response to the rising popularity of BeReal—a platform designed for Instagram influencers and brands looking for real-life stories—Instagram launched its version called ‘Candid Challenges’ earlier this year.

The feature allows content creators, social media influencers, and Instagram users to post candid videos or photos without having them be heavily edited or curated by Instagram itself. This has been a trendy addition for influencers who can now share their stories without worrying about being judged or criticized by others on the platform.

Conclusion

In the ever-changing world of social media, brands must keep up with the latest trends to stay relevant and engage their customer base. TikTok will offer new features for B2B marketing in 2023, and decentralization of networks is anticipated. This means that influencers are entering a new era while vertical video content is increasing in popularity.

There is also the emergence of a ‘super app’ which consolidates all your favorite apps into one convenient place. These changes present challenges and opportunities for businesses that want to maintain an active presence on social media.

About Norman Anthony Balberan

I am a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy graduate turned full-time web developer and designer. Although my professional background is in pharmacy and tech, I have a passion for writing and am excited to share my insights and thoughts through my blog. I write about various topics that I am knowledgeable and passionate about, and I hope to engage and connect with my readers through my writing.



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