INSIGHTS

Now we all know how hard it is to keep up with the ever increasing social media platforms, algorithm changes and changing audience behaviours but staying knowledgable and trying to keep up with the latest trends will help you to adapt your social strategy, keep that awareness going and reach growing.

Here’s a few of the latest trends in 2023 to keep an eye on:

1. Video Content: Videos have been gaining popularity on social media platforms for the last few years now and businesses should be keeping this as a main focus for them when creating social media content. Short form videos like TikTok and Instagram Reels have really taken off resulting in high engagement rates across all platforms. In a recent survey, 86% of marketers say that video marketing helped with their lead generation and 81% say it had a positive impact on their sales.
2. Influencer Marketing: Collaborating with influencers (if you have big budgets!) and social media content creators can be a great way to promote your product or services and can help to reach a wider audience outside of your own. Tip: if you’re going to go down the route of choosing an influencers ,choose one who is aligned with your brand values and vision and one with an engaged following that isn’t going to damage your brand.
3. Social Commerce: Many social media platforms have now fully adopted e-commerce features, allowing users to make in-app purchases directly from the platform. If you are selling products, that this is defiently one to consider setting up to boost direct sales. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and now Tik Tok all have a shoppings facilities on the app and can help you reach a larger audience as customers use this feature to discover new products while looking on their feeds.
4. User-Generated Content (USG): This is when your audience on social media shares your content, ie a post about your product or service, your brand or customer service. Research shows that UGC content related to your brand can help increase your overall engagement rates, and helps to provide that ‘social proof’ that your product is worth buying, building trust between you and potential customers.
5. Personalisation and Customisation: Customising your social media content to specific audiences can also lead to higher engagement rates, Through the use of data and analytics, you can understand your audience better and then create personalised experiences through targeted ads, tailored messaging, and product recommendations.
6. Social Listening: Most businesses understand the benefits of posting on social media but when it comes to creating conversations and engaging with their audiences, this is where it tends to fall a little short. Listening to your audience, their wants and needs helps you understand what they are looking for and a great way to engage and retain your customers.

All of the above is great, but it is still very important to focus on being authentic, transparency and staying true to your values. Your audience will appreciate you being genuine showing who you are with behind-the-scenes content like employee stories and customer testimonials. Content like this helps to humanise your brand.

If you want to know more, drop Carol a message at carol@creativehutch.com.