Guest post by Nina Petrov.
Social media advertising requires marketing professionals to proactively respond to continually evolving user habits and adapt to different trends.
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The last year in social media saw consumer preferences shift, new technologies emerge, and certain social platforms flourish. TikTok continues to gain traction even as concerns grow about it being Chinese spyware. Elon Musk acquired Twitter, prompting concern among some advertisers and a freak-out among some users even as daily user growth hit all-time highs.
The velocity of change across social networks shows no signs of slowing, prompting advertisers to brace themselves for what lies ahead in 2023.
While the social media marketing environment is constantly shifting, there are several social media advertising strategies that marketers may choose to focus on this year. Here’s a preview of five social media advertising strategies to look forward to in 2023.
More TikTok campaigns
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TikTok’s appeal stems from its short-form videos, which often mix entertainment with information in an easy-to-digest format. While this platform has already played a huge role in social media trends over the last couple of years, brands will likely continue to utilize it for advertising purposes this year, despite serious security concerns.
Regardless of your other marketing efforts on social media, such as the Instagram or Facebook ad design tips you’re excited to try out, many of the traditional advertising giants are slowly losing their “default” status. In 2023, TikTok will likely remain the benefactor of other platforms’ shortcomings.
Therefore, if you’re a B2C marketer focused on teens and 20-somethings, you probably need to seriously consider TikTok advertising campaigns in order to keep up with competitors, despite its data security risks.
Collaborating with microinfluencers
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Influencer marketing has grown to play a major part in social media marketing initiatives. This year, in an effort to put out more authentic and organic-looking content, companies are stepping up to collaborate with smaller content creators to help generate brand awareness and loyalty.
Microinfluencers have a better success rate when promoting items from companies since they have fewer followers, making nearly all of them highly relevant target audiences. These small communities share interests and requirements, making them more inclined to purchase the items and services the microinfluencer vouches for.
Using the rich trove of real-life testimonials through nano and microinfluencers should be a no-brainer for marketers. This approach not only saves time and money, but also helps brands pinpoint their most loyal customers while helping prospects make educated purchasing decisions.
Live videos
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Last year, many brands turned to live streaming in order to take fan interaction to a more personal level. In 2023, expect to see even more companies of all sizes choosing live streams as a way to advertise on social media and maintain a high level of brand authenticity and relevance.
The success of live video initiatives makes it clear that consumers want to see the faces behind their favorite companies. Hosting frequent live sessions on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook encourages customers to see the benefits of live shopping, increases brand engagement rates, and has a positive effect on follower count.
Overall, live video provides a personal touch and authenticity, both of which are increasingly valued among audiences on social media. Brands often provide viewers with special offers or discounts when they tune into live feeds, to spark interest in future live streams as well.
More interaction with audiences
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Social media customer service is a crucial channel that addresses both acquiring new customers and nurturing existing ones. In 2023, expect to see companies put in more effort to give users a traditional one-on-one experience through actual dialogues, rather than simply putting out successful advertising campaigns.
Customers are increasingly turning to social media to learn about the brands and products they’re interested in, make purchasing decisions by looking up reviews, and ask for help or file complaints.
Above all, customers want to be able to communicate with the brand they’re interested in. This element of a human touch is becoming increasingly vital, no matter the size of the company.
Therefore, marketers should focus on engaging in conversations with brand followers, and enhancing the customer experience through real interactions rather than one-sided content.
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Brands such as Lululemon, Amazon, Spotify, and Chewy have developed reputations for getting social media customer service right. In contrast, companies like reMarkable and ONYX BOOX have lost sales and damaged their brand reputations by almost willfully ignoring inquiries on social media and online brand monitoring (a.k.a. “social listening”).
AR and VR content
(photo if Nina provides) In 2022, social media material based on augmented reality and virtual reality started to gain traction, and it appears that this trend will continue this year.
More brands are using augmented reality to get prospective customers to check out their new items. For instance, filters that allow a beauty brand’s audience to test out a new product are actually effective at helping people make positive buying decisions.
When prospective customers have a near-personal encounter with a product online, they are more likely to convert. Since online shopping has evolved sufficiently to include such experiences, 2023 is a good time to start testing out the applications of AR and VR as a social media advertising strategy.
Online shopping is growing much faster than retail sales overall, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z purchasers. Many buyers order products without knowing whether or not the items will suit them in real life. That’s why AR and VR marketing materials can be a huge benefit for businesses, and will undoubtedly become more widely used in 2023.
When choosing social media platforms for marketing, keep in mind that even though Instagram and TikTok are trendy among younger generations, Facebook has the highest CRT. Experiment with multiple platforms, but be sure to monitor and respond to customer and prospect questions and feedback across all platforms.
Takeaways
Understanding the hottest social media marketing and strategies and trends for the coming year will help you plan out your efforts and allocate budgets.
The key is to make the most of your social media platforms by discovering and exploring all of the features that might assist you in increasing engagement, follower count, and sales.
Hopefully, this list of social media advertising strategies is useful as you plan your approach for this year.
