Another year ends, bringing with it the same damn thing as last year—another 365 days of keeping up with the Joneses on social media. So let’s get ahead, dive in, and see where things are going.
Video (Duh)
Everybody already knows this. As the average user’s attention span drops to 8 seconds, the feat is no longer just getting eyes on your content– keeping them there long enough for your message to come across is the hurdle.
If you’ve been dragging your feet on creating video content, the time to stop is now. We know creating videos can feel like an undertaking, especially if you’re a smaller brand with limited resources. That’s why we recommend partnering up with influencers and content creators to our clients; they can help create quality content that you can stretch across multiple social channels.
~tHe MeTaVeRsE~
Okay, okay. Everyone has got to stop being assholes about this one. It’s happening. AR and VR experiences have captured the interest of many generations as early as the eighties. Have you seen Tron or heard of the Sega Master System?
It only makes sense that somewhere along the line, the virtual experience that has captivated us for generations would join forces with the social media world that binds us. That doesn’t mean we’re on our way to some Black Mirror-esque dystopian future. Although, paying 450k to be Snoop Dog’s neighbor on the Metaverse is a little concerning.
With NFT’s gaining popularity and Virtual Influencers on the rise, we’re going to see a lot of changes that may seem strange to Gen X but is very exciting for the Millenial sci-fi nerds in the office.
P.S. On the subject of AR—does anyone else get sketched out by Amazon AR? We imagine Bezos has a room full of monitors where he’s judging us peasants and our questionable design decisions.
Influencer Marketing
Y’all, Influencer Marketing will continue to dominate the social media marketing landscape. We could talk about this for hours, but we’ve decided a bulleted list might work better. Here is why Influencer Marketing matters and some changes you should anticipate in 2023:
- Micro-Influencers & Nano-Influencers will finally get the love they deserve. These influencers are much more in-tune with their audience, oftentimes are more relatable, and are friendlier on your budget. That means you can expect authentic engagement from their users at a more affordable price.
- Follower Count ≠ Success. Hey, we’re sorry. We are so proud of influencers who are hitting their follower benchmarks, but if your followers aren’t engaging? That’s a 🚩🚩🚩.
- On that note, companies working with influencers don’t want to know just about likes their posts receive; they want visibility on how followers are engaged, use that information to discover how it impacts their customer journey, and make future decisions based upon that information.
We could keep going about influencer marketing, but there’s more information to cover. Drop us a comment if you think we need to write an entire blog about 2023 Influencer Marketing trends (we already know the answer.)
Hard Evidence: Show ’em the Numbers, Baby.
One of the many things the 2020 COVID shutdowns taught us is that your digital voice matters, and it matters a lot.
Now that stakeholders, corporate and management teams are catching on, they’re starting to learn more about social media, how it affects their customer journey, and what their goals should be.
Gone are the days of follows, likes, and “going viral” being the only benchmark on social that matters. Leadership wants to see what’s working, whats not and where ther customers end up.
Those goals are catered to your business. Because of that, we can’t give you a running list of what you should measure in one blog. However, if you’re in need of some assistance, you know where to find us.
Social Commerce & Customer Service | A Double Whammy
Yeah, you’ve seen it while scrolling the Instagram feed. That little “Visit Shop” button that takes you to a retailer’s online store. To some, this can seem a little sketchy. To others? Highly convenient.
Wherever you stand, social commerce appears to be growing steadily. Digiday reports that by 2023, social commerce sales are projected to double. Although Tik Tok hit some snags along the way, it has re-launched its shopping experience for U.S. businesses just in time for the Holidays.
But what goes into creating a successful social commerce plan? According to Acenture, consumers’ primary concerns with social commerce vs. e-commerce are:
- Purchases not being protected/refunded
- Poor return and refund policies
- Not enough information to make a purchase
- It takes too long to receive orders
Once you’ve addressed these concerns and created processes around them to improve the customer experience, Acenture reports that repeat customers are:
- 1.4x as likely to buy from the same seller/shop/influencer again
- 2x as likely to buy a brand they have not heard of before
- 2x as likely to buy a bundle of products or services that have been recommended together
Social commerce is another one of those subjects we can go into pretty deep, and we probably will at a later date.
But with the gist of it now at your disposal, we cannot stress enough the next point: Customer Service is a part of social media, and consumers will utilize your social media channels to get what they need from you.
You’ve all seen it. Angry customers leaving comments on posts, poor recommendations on Facebook, etc. They’re putting you on the spot, and you have to be ready to address them publicly while maintaining your brand’s integrity.
That’s why you need a plan, and you need to be responsive, and you need to give an actual sh*t.
Okay, I think we’ve piled enough information on you for now. Social media is constantly changing, and a trend could crop up or flop at any moment. We’ll try to keep you in the loop, but subscribing to our newsletter will make it easier.
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