What To Expect From Social Media Marketing In 2023
The power of sharing is no new thing, but with the emergence of the online landscape, sharing has become a major force for consumers and businesses. With so many different platforms available to share one's opinion or use as a vehicle for marketing, having a presence in social media can be vital for any company looking to stay afloat in today's world. In order to do so, though, a company needs to be ready and willing to adapt, change tactics as necessary, and also stay ahead of the curve.
Social media marketing has come a long way from its early days as a means to share your life through status updates, pictures and videos. New research shows that social media marketing is now increasingly about interaction, as opposed to just broadcasting your words and posts to the masses. With the integration of machine learning into social media marketing platforms, businesses are able to better understand their customers and tailor their messages accordingly.
In 2023, these trends will have further evolved. As more technology becomes integrated into our lives, we'll begin to see social media marketing with even greater efficiency and automation. Social media marketing will be used in conjunction with other technologies like autonomous cars and smart homes to create a personalized experience for every user based on their habits and preferences. This data will be used for predictive analytics in order to give users targeted ads and tailored content based on what they've liked, commented on or shared in the past.
Even though this is all still very much in the future, there are some things you can do today in order to prepare for it. First, you need to understand what it is that makes people tick today—and this requires an understanding of how people interact with one another online. How do people choose what content they're going to share? How can you take advantage of this?
Here's what you can expect from SMM in the year 2023:
Consumers can expect more from chatbots
Social media marketing has come a long way in the past few years, but it's still just getting started. Consumers can expect more from Facebook chatbots (and chatbots in general) by 2023, including more integration with other devices and services and more natural interactions. Stronger AI will enable chatbots to provide a better customer experience and allow businesses to get useful data that they can use for better decision-making. Social media platforms will continue to evolve, with some of the most popular ones changing their formats for users in order to improve user experience and increase active platform engagement.
Image: Finances Online
Augmented Reality
Facebook has been making huge strides in augmented reality, which is great news for businesses hoping to take advantage of the new technology. In fact, by 2023, Facebook could have upended the entire digital marketing sphere.
In order to continue growing its user base and to accomplish its mission, Facebook will have to look beyond just being a platform for friends and family to connect with one another. It will have to evolve into something else entirely – a place where people go not only to keep up with their loved ones, but also a place where people go for information about businesses, brands, and the world around them.
In the fall of 2016, Facebook announced plans for an augmented reality device that would allow people to see other people's posts in their physical world. Whether or not Facebook will be able to release this device by 2023 is unknown at this time (namely because the technology isn't fully developed yet), but it is clear that Facebook understands the importance of augmented reality in connecting the world together even more closely than it already has.
Image: David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Social commerce is here to stay
Social commerce is here to stay, and Facebook is going to be one of the main platforms for implementing it. It's already the world's largest social network, with more than 2.85 billion active users, and the engagement rate of those users is higher than that of Twitter or Pinterest. In January 2013, Facebook reported that its users were interacting with its platform on average 1 billion times per day, which included everything from posts and comments to likes and shares.
The thing that gives Facebook an edge over other social networks is the sheer amount of data they have about their users. They know who you are, where you're from, what you like, who your friends are. That makes them the perfect place to target specific customers with custom ad campaigns that cater to their interests and needs. Those ads can appear in news feeds or in the sidebar under "Sponsored" for people who are logged onto Facebook on their computers or smartphones. These ads could even feature a "Buy Now" button that takes people directly to a purchase page on your website.
Facebook as the new Google
Other search engines besides Google exist, but most people use Google to find what they're looking for. In the same way, Facebook is becoming the new "go-to" place to find brands and businesses online, because it's become one of the first places people go when they want to find something.
Facebook is in a unique position to be the de facto online advertising platform of the future. It has everything that Google has, but more: it's more socially focused, more targeted, and more malleable.
Image: Revenue Hub
In 2013, Facebook generated $5.18 in revenue per monthly user—this was more than any other social network, including Twitter ($2.12), LinkedIn ($2.02), Pinterest ($1.90), Instagram ($1.88) and Google+ ($1.85). This revenue comes primarily from advertising on Facebook, but also includes payments made by users through Facebook Payments (Facebook processed 44 million transactions in Q3 2012 alone) and fees made by developers using Facebook Credits (more than 6 billion credits were purchased during the month of December 2011).
This is just the tip of the iceberg: Facebook's mobile advertising platform is still growing, and its Graph Search will open up new possibilities for businesses looking to target potential customers based on their expressed interests on the site (and not just their demographics).
Increased importance of influencers and brand advocates
Instagram marketing is an increasingly important part of the social media landscape, though some brands are still wary of diving in. While Instagram has been used for commerce since its inception, it's also been an excellent platform for influencers and brand advocates. While many companies are using Instagram as a way to connect with their target consumers, the value of influencers and brand advocates is growing significantly. In 2023, companies will find that there is no better way to market their products than by leveraging these influencers and brand advocates on social media.
Connect directly with consumers using Instagram Live
As Instagram continues to grow, there's no doubt that businesses will continue to try and use the platform to connect with their customers. They'll be using all of the available tools at their disposal, so by 2023 we should see a sharp increase in the amount of business use of Instagram Live. This will be because it is a cheap and easy way for businesses to connect with their customers, as well as provide behind-the-scenes access fans love.
This kind of usage will be good for business. But it will also be good for consumers, who will be getting even more exclusive content they can't find anywhere else, which should make them feel even more connected and invested in the company.
Not only this, but it provides us with a new opportunity to reach people we wouldn't normally reach with traditional ads and marketing methods. By sharing stories of real people and giving them a channel where they can share their opinions and engage directly with your brand, you are fostering a community that has an interest in your brand and wants to participate in your success. Social media has made it easier than ever before to foster these kinds of relationships between brands and customers and Instagram Live is poised to benefit from this burgeoning trend.
The rise of micro influencers
The social network is making a big push for more authentic and inspirational content, which falls in line with its new focus on visual products with the launch of IGTV. These new developments are sure to have serious impacts on the Instagram marketing industry, and it's important for brands to keep these changes in mind when planning their Instagram strategies.
Instagram's new emphasis on authenticity could lead to a rise in "micro-influencers." Micro-influencers are bloggers or social media stars with smaller but highly engaged audiences. In contrast to the traditional celebrity endorsements popularized by heavyweights like Kim Kardashian, micro-influencers have built up their followings organically over time by posting real and authentic content that resonates with their followers. With such a high level of engagement, advertisers are increasingly taking notice of their influence and targeting them as a specific audience demographic.
Furthermore, these influencers are more likely to speak directly to their followers through personal posts than celebrities who typically share sponsored content micro influencers have already been known to be more active on Instagram than celebrities.
Influencer marketing will see a surge in video content
Instagram's visual nature has made it the medium of choice for many brands, and the platform's native video capabilities have made it an even more attractive prospect. Before long, brands that are already taking advantage of influencer marketing can expect to see a surge in video content.
With the additional capabilities that IGTV offers with longer video content and vertical viewing, brands are looking for ways to leverage the channel for their own purposes. This presents opportunities for influencers to use their influence to grow their personal brand and build their audience. Many social media stars are using their platforms to make videos that they can then monetize on IGTV or other channels.
IGTV is still in its early stages, but it is likely that it will see a surge in popularity as it becomes more widely available. As viewers begin to see an increase in video content on Instagram, they may begin to spend more time on the app, resulting in an even larger audience for influencers.
Instagram will become a hub for e-commerce
Instagram has established itself as one of the most powerful social media platforms out there. It has almost 1 billion users and is expected to reach roughly 2 billion by 2023. With this kind of reach, it's no surprise that marketeers are looking to Instagram as a way to get in front of their target audience. And while Instagram has been around since 2010, it's only in the last few years that we've seen a surge in companies creating Instagram marketing strategies.
Image: Miva
In 2023, it's possible that Instagram will be the biggest social media network on the Internet, with over half of all users actively engaged in the site on a daily basis. With so many active members, Instagram will become an important hub for e-commerce, providing a space for users who follow brands to discover and buy products from these brands. In addition, users will be able to post pictures of their purchases and write reviews about them in order to share their experiences with other potential shoppers.
These added features will make Instagram a valuable tool for companies to use when selling their products. However, this will mean that businesses have to step up their game in order to stay competitive by providing high-quality content and engaging posts. Businesses should also be aware of the possibility that Instagram will change its algorithm, thus changing how posts are ranked and sorted on the feed—in 2023, business owners may need to pay a fee in order to have certain posts appear at the top of a user's feed.
More advanced tools for marketers
We're all familiar with Twitter's basic marketing tools, like the promoted tweets and accounts that appear in its sidebar. But what will it take to get the most out of Twitter in 2023? A few years ago, most people were familiar with only some of Twitter's tools. Going forward, expect to see new tools emerge that will not just enable you to take advantage of the current tools—they'll give you an edge over other marketers who aren't using them. In fact, it's already happening:
By making these changes, Twitter is acknowledging the needs of its marketers and giving them every opportunity to succeed on the social network. They can now use more strategies to reach their target audiences and provide better content for those audiences. And with a growing user base and plenty of business opportunities available through Twitter, there has never been a better time for businesses to get ahead by marketing on Twitter.
Better monetization potential for brands
Image: Digital Information World
As Twitter evolves, brands will find that they are able to engage with customers in ways they never could before. Rather than being just a broadcast tool to share content with followers, Twitter will become a way for consumers to share their opinions and engage with brands in the same way they do with each other on the platform. This will give brands another valuable source of data and insight, which can in turn be used to provide better customer service or create more relevant ads—and better monetization potential. With more integrated functionality between Twitter and other platforms, we'll see new interactive marketing strategies emerge.
Twitter will start rolling out a subscription platform
Twitter has been one of the first places people go to get themselves updated on what is happening in the Internet world. The site has been around for some years now, and it has seen a lot of updates that have changed the way users interact with it. Some of these updates have been very welcomed by most users, whereas others have not been so well received. It is clear that the platform is trying to make things easier for its users, but this does not mean there are not people who do not enjoy using such a platform. This is why there is a prediction about Twitter changing in 2023.
Image: Engadget
One of the big changes that will happen to Twitter in 2023 is the introduction of a subscription platform. This means that users will be required to pay for certain features on Twitter if they want to use them. For starters, the tweet limit will no longer be capped at 140 characters, but instead it will depend on how much you are willing to pay for your account. The more you pay for your account, the more characters you can send out in your tweets. Another change that is expected with this subscription service is that you will be able to send private tweets; however, these private tweets will cost money as well.
Twitter can be a news source again
The traditional news cycle is changing. While there are plenty of sources out there that can give you the news, they're often comprised of a single voyeuristic angle on an issue that doesn't represent the whole truth. Twitter, with its real-time, crowd-sourced nature, is making a comeback as a viable news source that can give you the most accurate picture of what's happening in the world.
In the future, Twitter will be called on to provide thorough reporting on issues of importance and have access to experts and primary resources. The speed at which information is delivered will be faster than ever before, since it's already so easy to use and share information.
Visual Search Will Expand Its Reach
Image: Tech Crunch
Pinterest is already a popular search engine for visual content, but if recent updates are any indication, it will only get stronger in this area. Pinterest has added a new visual search feature that allows users to snap pictures of physical items and find products similar to the ones in their photos on e-commerce sites like Walmart, Amazon and Target. This functionality will likely expand beyond this narrow set of retailers as well — expect more companies to adopt it over time.
Visual search will expand its reach in 2023 as more retailers begin offering this functionality in their apps and websites so consumers can instantly purchase items without having to leave the site or app where they found them.
Pinterest boards will become a hub for influencer marketing initiatives
Influencer marketing has been around for decades, but it's only recently been used by marketers as a tool to help improve brand awareness and increase sales.
Pinterest has already begun working with influencers in order to help brands market themselves more effectively on the site. For example, they've partnered with a company called Famebit which helps them find relevant influencers who can promote their products or services in return for compensation paid by Pinterest itself or on behalf of its clients.
Improved analytics features
The biggest change will be the addition of a tab at the top of the Pinterest analytics page for advertisement performance data. This will allow businesses to track how many users clicked on their ad, how many users landed on their website from the ad, and how much revenue each click generated. This will make it possible for businesses to determine whether their advertising is effective in generating business. Furthermore, advertisers will have the option of choosing different types of ads, each with a different cost per click. If they wish to promote themselves as an e-commerce site, they can choose to only use sponsored pins that link directly to their website; if they are instead simply trying to generate sales leads, they can choose Pins that lead straight to a landing page with a form where users can submit their email address in exchange for a gift or discount code.
Another addition will be heat-mapping technology that displays red areas on a business's profile that are more likely to be clicked on than other areas. This would give businesses insight into what images and content are being viewed by Pinterest users and which ones aren't being seen by anyone at all. Businesses can use this information to optimize
AR will make Pinterest content more realistic than ever
Source: Pinterest
The most obvious benefit of this is that content can be more tailored to each individual's interests. Instead of having to rely on the labels or descriptions people choose—which may not accurately reflect what they actually want—AR can supplement the visual experience and provide additional information based on the user's current surroundings. It's an exciting time for businesses, who will now have an even better way to connect physically and emotionally with customers.
Furthermore, AR content can be extremely useful in making recommendations. Related articles and products can be tied directly into related pins, allowing users to easily browse through related content without ever leaving Pinterest.
Live-stream shopping
By 2023, 50% of Pinterest users will have begun to shop online more frequently with the social network. Pinterest is known as a site for users to collect inspiration, but it seems that the site's massive audience of 300 million monthly users has made it a prime location for businesses to advertise their products, services, and brands. The increasing use of Pinterest as a shopping resource has prompted some companies to start using PInterest to market and sell their products.
The current trend in marketing calls for highly visual content, and Pinterest is all about the image. In addition, many social media sites require a great deal of text and long descriptions for each post. With Pinterest's simple layout and focus on imagery, businesses can advertise their items on the site in a visually appealing manner.
Image: Tech Crunch
Pinboards are also an effective method or marketing on Pinterest since they allow users to share personal collections of images with other pinners who may be interested in similar topics or products. This helps brand-related posts reach a larger audience which can translate into more sales.
Because social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have become popular forms of communication among consumers and businesses alike, it's only natural that Pinterest would be used as another way to promote merchandise.
TikTok
Video will still rule social media
The main reason is that it's the most effective way to get through to people. Videos are not only more interesting than photos and text, they're also easier to digest.
The video market is expected to rise by 50% in 2016 alone. People are rapidly transitioning off of written content and onto videos because they find them easier to understand, remember, and share.
Video marketing is also a lot cheaper than print or digital marketing. It's harder for companies to get their message across in a fast-paced world if they have to pay for every word of an article or for each ad space on a search engine page. With video, you can make a short, catchy clip that will reach more people than an article ever could.
TikTok marketing will become more accessible to small businesses
As it becomes increasingly accepted as a way to connect with consumers, businesses will begin to realize its potential as an effective marketing platform. This will lead to an increase in the prevalence of TikTok marketing within small businesses, who will find it useful for reaching a younger audience that may not be watching traditional media as much anymore.
Alongside this rise in usage of TikTok by small businesses, there will be a shift in attitudes about it. Rather than being seen as just another avenue for consumerism, TikTok will be seen as a way to express personality and creativity—a space where people can share their passions and interests alongside their peers. As this attitude toward the app grows, some of the most popular TikTok accounts will begin to gain wider notice. Businesses that partner with these influencers will have an easier time connecting with audiences and building their brands.
TikTok use will grow in the B2B sector, too
These days, it seems like every online community has a TikTok hashtag. The mobile app is wildly popular among teenagers, especially those from the B2B community, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It's easy to see why: It's an incredibly easy way for people to express themselves, and it allows them to connect with others instantly in a way that hasn't really been done before.
This is why we're expecting to see a strong appeal from B2B businesses toward TikTok in the coming years. They'll be trying to reach out to their specific demographic of users by posting on the app and even creating their own hashtags. The best part is that they'll already have a built-in audience when they start doing this—after all, if you're a B2B business, chances are good that your customers are already on TikTok sharing their content.
Image: Hootsuite
It's hard to predict exactly what TikTok will look like in 2023, but we do know that it has a strong chance of continuing its reign as the preferred platform for connecting with friends and family members. With that in mind, we do expect to see a rise in brand accounts using this app in the next few years.
More sponsored content
TikTok has made its name as a platform for short-form video, but the app is quickly adding more ways to monetize content. In 2023, we can expect to see sponsored content from many well-known brands, along with a few surprising new entrants into the realm of social media marketing. We've already seen large companies like McDonald's make the jump to TikTok, and we'll see an even greater number of dedicated marketing teams using the app in the years to come.
TikTok Live-streaming takes off
In 2023, it can be predicted that TikTok will be a force in the video-based social media industry. It may rival major players like Facebook and Instagram for advertising revenue. The reason for this is because its user base is so massive that companies of all sizes will have no choice but to advertise on it if they wish to reach a younger demographic.
It's predicted that by 2023, TikTok marketing will have shifted from a source of entertainment to a way for people to connect with one another online. While the app has seen an increase in popularity in the past year, it will be the live-streaming capabilities of the app that propel its growth over the next five years. Live-streaming is an entirely different platform than simply posting videos or creating and sharing content, but it can also be a valuable method of communication between friends, family members and other acquaintances. Live streams allow people to share their daily lives while they're experiencing them—the ups, downs and everything in-between. The close proximity to the content being shared can sometimes result in more intimate conversations between users than one would get through standard posts on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
AI-Driven Linkedin Ads
The AI-driven LinkedIn ad platform is expected to grow exponentially in the next five years. By 2023, there will be more than 10 billion profiles on LinkedIn. This will help businesses to reach their target audience through the use of specific keywords and hence, dramatically improve their engagement rate. Advanced AIs will be able to create more relevant ads based on business goals. For example, if a company wants to reach out to its existing customers, they can deploy an AI that collects real-time data from the internet and an employee's contact book.
The AI would then identify who among their contacts are more likely to purchase their product or service, and target them with ads based on their interests. Similarly, if a company wants to attract new customers who have an interest in a specific industry, they can deploy an AI that can automatically search for prospects based on keywords and other profile details. Moreover, most organizations are also likely to increase their advertising budget over the next 5 years. Thus, there will be a huge demand for services such as paid ads, which is why there will be a rise in the number of companies offering such services.
Everyone will jump on the live broadcast bandwagon on Linkedin
LinkedIn's live broadcasts are the next big social media marketing platform, and everyone will be jumping on board in 2023. The platform is currently in its beta phase, but it has already added a feature to allow anyone to broadcast live directly from their LinkedIn page. If a user doesn't have a broadcast scheduled, they can go to the LinkedIn homepage and scroll through the list of live broadcasts happening right now posted by users that they follow or that are recommended based on their profile. A lot of brands have already started using this tool to connect with customers, and we predict it will become more popular as it is rolled out globally later this year.
This new live broadcast feature is one of many recent additions that aim to attract more users to LinkedIn's platform. It has been expanding its video capabilities with the introduction of video profiles and updates to its video player that make it easier for users to embed videos from other platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Vimeo on their pages. There are also new features being released aimed at helping businesses flourish on linkedin: companies can now post job listings for free, set up company pages for hiring purposes, and even build an entire company page around its brand ambassador program by creating a group made up of employees who are willing to share information.
LinkedIn influencer marketing will hit the mainstream
In the coming years, expect LinkedIn to become a powerful marketing channel for businesses, not unlike Twitter or Facebook has become today.
Image: Sprout Social
A surge in popularity of LinkedIn influencer marketing will put the spotlight on this channel and make it more effective than traditional advertising. Here's a look at some of the reasons why:
First of all, as more people join LinkedIn, more businesses will be able to target their ideal audience.
Secondly, LinkedIn allows users to "follow" influencers without compromising their privacy like Facebook does. This is a huge advantage for businesses that want to gain visibility but are afraid of being seen by potential customers as pushy or intrusive.
Thirdly, there is no doubt that social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have made social media influencer marketing much more popular and effective than before. An increasing number of marketers are discovering that influencer marketing on these channels is a great way to reach out to a very targeted audience with little investment required. As more and more people realize this, they will start experimenting with similar strategies on LinkedIn. This could help drive up the effectiveness of LinkedIn influencer marketing even further.
An increase in lead generation campaign
As Linkedin continues to grow, the platform will become more familiar to the general public. With this familiarity will come the understanding that Linkedin is a valuable networking tool, which will open up a lot of new opportunities. The largest opportunity for growth in Linkedin's marketing platform is lead generation campaigns, which will likely increase by more than 200%.
Image: Search Engine Journal
The Linkedin marketing industry is going to see an increase in revenue generated from the lead generation campaigns. The main reason for the growth will be a result of increased mobile users and the number of members who are willing to do business on their phones or tablet. There is a great deal of data available about how people use their mobile devices, where they go, what services they access, and what information they provide to businesses. Through this data, marketers will develop new and better ways to target potential customers by location, demographics, interests, etc.
Conclusion
Through the past decade and beyond, social media marketing has dramatically changed what companies can do to market their products. As all businesses have seen, it's proven astonishingly successful at reaching potential customers and harnessing their attention and desire. It's also proven itself a necessity for those seeking to get ahead in the marketplace. Where will it be in 10 years? Probably even more successful than ever. Social media marketing, as we know it now and in its current form, is only just beginning.