The one thing constant in the social media landscape is change. So as you plan out your marketing strategy for 2023, staying updated on the latest social media trends will ensure that your brand stays ahead of the curve and stands out in the crowd.

To this effect, I asked a few marketers to share their thoughts on where they see social media going over the next 12 months.

And according to them, here are 12 of the most important social media trends you need to be aware of in 2023.

TikTok social media trends for 2023

User-generated content (UGC) on TikTok will play a more prominent role

Rajesh Namase is a digital marketing blogger and co-founder of TechRT. And he thinks we will see more UGC on TikTok in 2023.

“[More] businesses will use tools such as UGC and branded hashtags challenges to increase their presence on [TikTok].”

User-generated content was hugely popular on TikTok in 2022–and for a good reason too. A study shows that at least 90% of consumers trust brands that include UGC in their marketing campaigns.

Brands like Skims, Walmart, and GoPro do not only work with influencers but also encourage their audience to create content that features their brand.

Do you want to include UGC in your TikTok marketing strategy for 2023? Work with your brand enthusiasts, employees, or professional content creators. 

If you plan to use UGC specifically for your paid ads strategy, you should probably consider working with a content creator that aligns with your brand values and goals.

Social commerce is set to be more popular on TikTok

According to Insider Intelligence, 37% of TikTok users will make purchases on the app next year. That’s more than the projection for Instagram (35%), and it underlines how far TikTok has come as an eCommerce platform.

In 2022, TikTok rolled out interactive add-ons for its in-feed ads. These allowed brands to entice their audience with popups, stickers, and other visual elements.

The platform already provides TikTok Shop which allows sellers to advertise their products using Live and In-feed videos.

But Rajesh predicts that TikTok will aim to strengthen its position as an eCommerce destination and take things up a notch.

“Interactive video ads with clickable elements will become more commonplace on TikTok in 2023.”

That will surely be welcome on TikTok’s For You Page and Stories.

Instagram social media trends for 2023

Micro-influencers will continue their rise on Instagram

Instagram was the most preferred channel for influencer marketing campaigns in 2022. And it is expected to continue being effective in 2023. 

The average Instagram follower wants to consume content from people whose lives look like theirs. This is where micro-influencers provide an advantage. 

While they have less followers than their mega and macro-influencers counterparts, micro-influencers often have more engaged audiences, which favors brands looking to get more out of their Instagram marketing budget.

Brands will prefer to work with micro-influencers because they exude authenticity and provide access to a niche audience.

Instagram Reels will continue its rise to prominence

The rise of TikTok forced Instagram into creating Reels, and that already looks to be an inspiring move.

8 out of 10 GenZs who have used both Instagram and TikTok claim that Reels is “basically the same as TikTok”. Plus, Reels receive 22% more engagement than regular Instagram posts.

As TikTok and Instagram continue their rivalry in 2023, Sam McGraw–CEO of DesignHub– says “we’ll see an increase in Instagram Reels”.

Instagram used its algorithm to push Reels into popularity in response to TikTok’s growing dominance. And you should expect that to continue in 2023.

Live streaming on Instagram will become even more popular

Roughly 1 in 5 Instagram users watched a live stream in 2022.

What makes this product popular is it helps brands create a deeper, immediate connection with their target audience. And Rajesh thinks this advantage is why Instagram Live and Live streaming will become even more popular in 2023, especially on Instagram Stories.

“I believe live streaming videos on Instagram Stories will become [more] popular due to its immediacy–people love the idea of being able to interact with others in real time all over the world.”

In 2022, Instagram was almost thrice as popular as TikTok as a tool for live streaming. So you should definitely include it in your plans for live streaming in 2023.

🍭 Bonus articles:

• How to go live on Instagram? Secrets on successful Instagram live
• How to go live on TikTok in 2023? Here are all the answers

Facebook social media trends for 2023

We will see more AR technology on Facebook

Sam predicts that 2023 is the year augmented reality becomes mainstream on Facebook.

“With Facebook, I believe we will be seeing more of augmented reality as the platform is trying to promote its metaverse.”

There are already elements of AR technology on Facebook. 

For instance, you can add augmented reality camera effects to your ads. And a study shows that ad campaigns that featured AR delivered nearly triple in the brand lift at a 59% lower cost than campaigns that didn’t feature AR.

So that’s definitely something to look forward to if your brand generates business on Facebook. Maybe we’ll be able to use it in-feed and in Facebook Stories too.

AI will play a big role in Facebook post recommendation

Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced that the company planned to increase its use of AI for recommending content on its platforms.

So you can expect that AI-powered algorithms will play a big role in helping Facebook personalize each user’s experience on the platform by recommending relevant content.

But for Kate Wojewoda-Celinska, content manager at Spacelift, AI won’t just stop at recommending content. She expects that AI will also be used to “moderate content and detect fake news.”

Twitter social media trends for 2023

Twitter Blue will give rise to improved analytics and ad reach

No one is entirely sure what Twitter’s next move will be. Brands that depend on the platform are forced to stay on their toes to keep up with the spate of changes happening on the platform.

But Chirayu Akotiya—Global Head of Marketing at LeenaAI—says something can be deduced from the launch of Twitter Blue.

“The subscription culture on this platform promises an array of interesting features like improved analytics and reach for promoted content.”

If this happens, it’ll certainly be welcome news for advertisers on the platform who have long complained that Twitter’s analytics and ad reach are inferior to its social media counterparts like Pinterest or Meta.

More outlandish marketing will be seen on Twitter

If Elon Musk makes good on his promise to turn Twitter into a free speech zone, it will heavily impact how brands conduct their marketing business on the platform. That’s the view of Lieu Dang, Marketing Project Manager at Ling App.

“…[Twitter] will become a place for all out free speech. We will be seeing marketing we have never seen before.”

Of course, this means some brands will deal with social media crises more often. But it also means brands will have more freedom to test the boundary of what works and what doesn’t.

LinkedIn social media trends for 2023

LinkedIn content will entertain, not just educate

In 2023, more brands will embrace the concept of content as a tool to entertain their audience on LinkedIn, and not just to educate. That’s the view of Judy Schramm, CEO of ProResource, Inc.

“Professionals spend time on LinkedIn because they pick up valuable information that helps their career. But dry educational materials won’t cut it anymore. We are going to see more humor, more quirkiness, and more personality to keep people paying attention.”

Most brand content on LinkedIn focuses on being educational and helpful. While that’s a great route to take, it also means that they miss out on a great opportunity to connect with their audience on a human level.

72% of customers will choose a humorous brand over the competition, but only 18% of brands use humor in their online content. This means consumers are looking for humor, but brands aren’t delivering.

That’s something to keep in mind for 2023.

More B2B and DTC Twitter leaders will migrate to LinkedIn

Ashley Cummings is the Chief Marketing Officer at Reading With RIK, and she predicts that we’ve not seen the end of Twitter migration.

“We will see more B2B and DTC Twitter leaders migrate to LinkedIn and build their audience there.”

Forecasts show that that’s something you should probably prepare for–more than 30 million users are expected to leave Twitter over the next two years. And these people will leave as a result of technical issues and unsavory content.

But if you are going to leave Twitter, you can’t migrate to an unproven network. Instead, you need a platform that already has a solid user base and, like Twitter, thrives on real human connection.

That platform could be LinkedIn.

We should expect a shorter attention span on LinkedIn

The average human attention span is 8.25 seconds. It can’t get any shorter, can it?

Well, according to Judy Schramm, it surely can.

“You wouldn’t think attention span could get any shorter, but they will. And as a result, we’ll see content that can be consumed in seconds.”

This is the same view held by Matthew Ramirez, founder of Rephrasely.

“As people’s attention span shortens, they become more distracted and gravitate towards social media platforms that allow them to quickly digest information.”

So on LinkedIn, as Judy predicts, “videos will get shorter, more people will use captions.” Long posts will also be replaced by shorter updates.

Editor’s insights: How to stay ahead of the social media curve in 2023

Closely monitor the new features released by the social media platforms your brand prioritizes. 

Like we all did with Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and LinkedIn Newsletters, test these new features as soon as they launch. Create new content with them and include them in your social media strategy.

Usually, social media platforms tweak their algorithm to encourage and reward users for using their new features.

– Altynai Alamanova

Marketing Manager, Sociality.io