Top Social Media Marketing Trends to Watch Out in 2023

Social media marketing is constantly evolving, with new trends and tactics emerging every year. In 2023, we can expect some exciting changes that will shape businesses’ approach to social media marketing. 

Here are the top social media marketing trends to watch out for in 2023:

Live Video

Live video has been around for a while, but it’s becoming more popular as social media platforms prioritize real-time content. In 2023, we can expect businesses to use live video to connect with their audiences in new ways. Brands can use live video to showcase behind-the-scenes content, host Q&A sessions, or offer exclusive promotions.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) is another trend gaining traction in social media marketing. With AR, brands can create interactive experiences for their audiences, such as virtual try-on features or immersive product demos. In 2023, we can expect more brands to adopt AR  to engage their customers and stand out from the competition.

Personalization

Personalization has been a jargon in marketing for years, but in 2023, we can expect it to become even more important in social media. With the rise of AI and machine learning, brands can now deliver personalized content and experiences to their audiences. This includes personalized product recommendations, customized ads, and tailored content based on user behavior.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing has been a staple in social media marketing for years, but in 2023, we can expect it to evolve in new ways. As social media platforms continue to crack down on fake followers and engagement, brands will need to work with influencers who have a genuine connection with their audience. We can also expect to see more long-term partnerships between brands and influencers, as well as an increase in micro-influencers.

Interactive Content

Interactive content, such as polls, quizzes, and surveys, has become more popular in recent years. In 2023, we can expect this trend to continue as brands look for new ways to engage their audiences. Businesses can use Interactive content to gather customer feedback, drive engagement, and generate leads.

Social Commerce

Social commerce, or the ability to buy products directly from social media platforms, has been gaining momentum in recent years. In 2023, we can expect more brands to adopt social commerce to streamline the customer journey and boost sales. This includes features such as in-app checkout, shoppable posts, and social media marketplaces.

Voice Search

With the rise of voice assistants and smart speakers, voice search is becoming more prevalent. In 2023, we can expect more brands to optimize their content for voice search to reach new audiences. This includes using natural language and answering common questions in your content.

A new era in social media marketing.

In conclusion, social media marketing is constantly evolving, and in 2023, we can expect some exciting changes. By staying on top of these trends, brands can stay ahead of the curve and deliver engaging content and experiences to their audiences.

If you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve in social media marketing and need expert help,  contact us today to see how we can help grow your brand’s online presence.

The Importance of Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses

In today’s digital age, social media has become an integral part of our lives. From personal communication to professional networking, social media platforms have revolutionized the way we interact with one another. 

For small businesses, social media marketing has become an essential tool for building brand awareness, increasing customer engagement, and driving sales. In the past, small businesses relied heavily on traditional forms of advertising, such as print ads and billboards, to reach their target audience. However, with the rise of social media, these methods are less effective. 

Today, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide businesses with the opportunity to connect with their customers in a more personal and engaging way.

In this article, we will look at the importance of social media marketing for small businesses, like yours. Let’s dive right in!

• Social media marketing is cost-effective.

One of the main advantages of social media marketing for small businesses is that it is cost-effective. Unlike traditional forms of advertising, social media marketing can be done with a relatively small budget. Small businesses can create their profiles on social media platforms for free and use them to promote their products and services. Social media also allows small businesses to reach a larger audience than they would be able to with traditional advertising methods.

• It helps build a business-customer relationship.

In addition, social media marketing allows small businesses to build relationships with their customers. By engaging with customers on social media, businesses can create a more personal connection with them. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business. Social media also allows businesses to receive feedback from customers, which can be used to improve their products and services.

• It helps to level the playing field.

Another advantage of social media marketing for small businesses is that it can help to level the playing field. In the past, small businesses were at a disadvantage when competing with giant corporations, as they did not have the same resources to invest in advertising.

However, with social media, and an effective social media strategy, small businesses can create a strong online presence and compete with larger companies on a more level playing field. This is because social media platforms provide businesses with the opportunity to reach a large audience without the need for a large advertising budget.

• It helps in targeting a specific audience.

Social media marketing can also be used to target specific audiences. Social media platforms allow businesses to create targeted ads that are shown only to users who meet certain criteria, such as age, location, or interests. This means that small businesses can create targeted campaigns that are more likely to reach their desired audience.

• It helps improve search engine rankings.

Finally, social media marketing can help to improve a small business’s search engine rankings. Social media activity, such as likes, shares, and comments, can help to improve a business’s visibility in search engine results. This means that businesses that are active on social media are more likely to be found by potential customers who are searching for their products or services.

The bottom line.

Social media marketing has become an essential tool for small businesses. It provides businesses with a cost-effective way to connect with their customers, build relationships, and promote their products and services. By using social media, small businesses can compete with larger corporations, target specific audiences, and improve their search engine rankings. 

Therefore, if you are not yet using social media for marketing your small business, you should consider doing so to stay competitive in today’s digital age. If you need more actionable and inspirational ways to build your social media strategies, feel free to contact us, and our team will be more than ready to help you.

 How to create a social media strategy for your business.

Social media has a landscape with more competition, content, and network now than ever.  A clear social media strategy helps you to focus on efforts that serve your business goals.

A social media strategy is not as simple as creating a profile and posting content once in a while. It requires a marketing strategy that will bring you success.

A lack of a social media strategy might not look like a big deal at first, but it can stop you from seeing any results in your social media marketing efforts.

In this article, we will look at social media strategies that can be suitable for your business. Whether you are new to the social media world or want to double-check your progress, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive right in!

What is a social media strategy?

A social media strategy helps you plan what you want to achieve on your social media profiles. Setting up a well-thought-out strategy for your social media presence is highly beneficial. A more detailed and specific plan will better your social media performance.

A well-performing social media platform will;

• Increase your brand awareness
• Attract more customers.
• Make your social proof more visible.
• Gain more credibility.

This will strengthen your position in the market as a professional businessman.

Why would you want to invest in a social media strategy?

Nowadays, businesses don’t use social media just for fun anymore. It’s about brand awareness, making profits, or simply growing your business. Let’s look at the numbers and statistics about social media and its importance.

• Over 55% percent of people in the world use social media.
• Facebook is the most widely used social media platform, with 3 billion distinct users.
•  People spend about 2hrs 30 mins on social media every day.
• Over 90% of internet users are on social media.

As you can see, social media platforms have a lot of potentials that you can invest in growing your business. Let us look at how to make your social media strategy for your business.

How to create your social media strategy. 

Creating the perfect social media strategy is not easy, but once you learn how to create an effective one, you’ll be on the right path to achieving your business objectives. Some of the strategies include;

1.   Set realistic goals for your business.

 Ask yourself this question “what do you want from social media anyway?”. Your social media strategy should start with your goals. The most common goals for social media are;

•  Increasing brand awareness.
•  Increasing community engagement.

Do you want to have a larger following or a more active community? setting your goals first will help you reach them. Your goals will also make it easier to define social media marketing strategies. It will be easier to know how much time and resources you need to put into your campaigns.

Moreover, you need to set realistic goals. It’s better to tackle smaller goals that allow you to scale your efforts reasonably and affordably.

Goals that are suitable for all businesses of different shapes and sizes include;

• Generate leads and sales – Followers don’t make purchases by accident; whether online, in-store, or through your social media profiles.
•  Boost community engagement – Most consumers think businesses or brands that engage them are the best. So, it would pay to develop new ways of engaging your current followers. Try to experiment with your content and messages. It could be as easy as asking a question. Your customers can be your biggest cheerleaders if you engage with them.
• Move traffic to your site – social media can drive traffic to your website. You can use promotional ads, and keep an eye on your conversions and URLs. This will help you determine your ROI from social media.

A combination of these goals can get you started and help you understand which networks you can use. It’s best to start small rather than having too many objectives that might confuse you. Pick one or two and rally your team to work with them.

2.   Research your target audience.

Very few marketers use social media data to understand their audience. This can be a huge opportunity for you. What you need to know about your audience is already available. You just need to know where to look.

 Different social media platforms attract different audience.

•  Facebook and YouTube have a high-earning user base and can be prime places for ads.
•   Instagram and YouTube are the top social networks among millennials and Gen Z. These social sites show the strength of eye-popping, bold content that oozes personality.
•  Women visit Pinterest more than men; which boasts the highest average value order for shoppers.
•  LinkedIn has a well-educated user base, making it a platform for in-depth, industry-specific content.

Don’t spread yourself too thin. Instead, focus more on platforms where your core audience is already active.

3.   Identify your most important metrics and KPIs.

Your goals should always be data-driven, no matter your goals or the industry you are in. This means you should focus on social media metrics that matter to your business. Rather than focusing on vanity metrics, it would be best to dig more into data that aligns directly with your goals.

 Some of the metrics you should focus on include;

•  Reach – A post reach is the number of unique users who saw your post. How much of your content shows up on users’ feeds?
• Clicks – This is the number of clicks per content or your account. Tracking your clicks per campaign shows what drives your audience to your site and encourages them to buy.
• Engagement – Engagement is the total number of interactions divided by the number of impressions. This will show how well your audience perceives you and their willingness to interact with you.
•  Hashtag performance – Which hashtags were more associated with your business? What were your most used hashtags? The answers to these questions can help you shape your content in the future.
•  Organic and paid likes – Likes are attributed to paid or organic content. Organic content is hard to gain, so most businesses turn to paid ads. Knowing the difference can help you manage your ad budget by investing in different platforms suitable for your business.
• Sentiment – These measures how users react to your content, brand or hashtag. How did your customers find your recent post? Did they like it or did your content offend them? What type of sentiment does your audience associate with your content? It’s always better to dig deeper and find out what your customers think about your business.

An effective social media strategy will always root itself in numbers. With that said, you should always align your metrics with your original goals.

4.   Create engaging social media content.

It’s no surprise that your social media strategy depends on your content. By now, you have a pretty good idea of your goals, audience, and brand strategy. What about your content strategy?

 Some ideas and inspirations for your content strategy include;

• Stick to content themes.

Chances are you’ve come across a post from a particular brand that sounds more like them. Many brands rely on the same content formats and touches every time, from graphics to reels. These themes can help you become more consistent and focus on a content strategy that makes sense.

For example, you can use memes, product photos, etc., while using a defined color scheme.

• Use time-sensitive posts.

You can tap into your followers’ FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), which is interactive. Popping up first on users’ feeds can help your brand “skip the line” and keep your content fresh in audiences’ minds.

• Create Short videos.

Most marketers say video content is the most valuable type for achieving social goals, and for a good reason. Social video is very popular now, especially with the rise of TikTok and Instagram reels. Short and long-form videos dominate social media due to their high engagement rate.

 Plus, thanks to advancements in DIY (Do it Yourself) video production, you don’t need a massive production budget to make videos. You only need a laptop or a phone and learn a few editing tricks online.

• Show your human side with your posts.

Personal and personable content should be the cornerstone of your social media strategy. For example, during the pandemic, your post can touch on what people are going through and ease your customers. Don’t be afraid to remind your followers of the humanity behind your posts.

• See what your competitors are doing.

Before you start creating your content, you should know what your competitors’ content is like.

You can learn much from a simple view of your competitor’s social presence. The simplest way to find competitors is through a google search with your keywords, phrases, and industry terms and see who shows up.

You can see how their social channels compared to your social media strategy. The goal here is not to copy your competitors’ content. You can determine what works for them and what conclusions you can adopt to your social media strategy.

5.   Make your social media presence timely.

Timeliness is one of the most important strategies for your social media. Regularly post fresh content and always be available for your customers. But you can’t always expect your customers to operate during your work hours.

Timeliness can be helpful when your resources are minimal, or you have a small social media team.

 Some of the ideas that can help you maximize your time on social media include;

• Post when you can engage.

Ask yourself, when is your business available on social media to engage and interact with customers? Some people might recommend posting in the morning or evening. However, there is no point in posting at the “preferred time” if you can’t interact with your customers.

Always ensure that your social media managers are ready and available to answer any questions when you put your post up. You can take your time to review the best time to post on social media; however, it’s critical to engage after you post your content.

•  Respond to your customers ASAP.

Most customers love speedy responses and believe that strong customer service defines a “best in class” brand on social media.

Being present and talking to your customers can gain respect for your business. Social customer care is very important for businesses that want to increase audience awareness, and word usually travels fast about great service.

Whether responding to a question or capitalizing on a compliment, you should not keep your customers hanging. Research shows that social media is the #1 preferred channel for feedback and reaching out with service issues or a question.

Additionally, most users believe businesses should respond to social media within 4 hours. That should give you extra legroom to respond on time.

6.   Assess what’s working and what isn’t.

By now, you have a bigger understanding of your social media strategy. However, it’s essential to test your strategy throughout the year. There is no denying that many social media strategies are a matter of trial and error. 

You are bound to make a few digital marketing mistakes along the way.

Monitor your metrics to help you make a few tweaks to your social media strategy.  Do not shelve the whole thing, because that can be time-consuming to start all over again. You can proactively use the takeaways from your metrics to inform your next strategy overhaul.

Create your social media strategy for your business today.

This guide highlights plenty of strategies for your business’s modern-day social media presence. But putting it together doesn’t have to be hard. If you set your goals and address the steps above, you are already ahead in making the best social media strategy for your business.

If you need more actionable and inspirational ways to build your social media strategies, feel free to contact us, and we’ll be more than ready to help you. Best of luck!