Social media trends in 2023 to grow your community

As a designer, social media has always been an elusive area to me the older I get and less in touch with what the next generation find appealing. Designing to match ever-changing trends and formats keep me on my toes and I’ve learned to embrace it as part of a yearly (if not daily) challenge.

As social media continues to transform the way brands connect with their customers, even a passing day brings a fresh new landscape for marketers to play with. In 2023, it continues to be a critical component of a brand's marketing strategy with slang and popular trends coming and going in record time, staying up-to-date on the latest trends is essential for brands to successfully grow their community on social media platforms.

Here are the top of the social media trends to (still) watch out for in 2023 that can help your business grow your community around their brand of you.

1. Live Streaming

Live streaming has been a popular trend for a while, and it will continue to be a valuable tool for brands in 2023. Live streaming allows brands to connect with their audience in real-time, building authentic relationships that are difficult to replicate with other types of content. Brands can use live streaming to provide exclusive behind-the-scenes looks, product launches, and demonstrations.

It doesn’t take much to create a live streaming setup these days, with most opting for just a smartphone, tripod, simple lighting and an interesting or plain background. This format seems to be the lowest hanging fruit, and if you are able to turn the culture or knowledge around your product into talking points or a way to illicit opinions from the audience, you have got a sure fire way of building new and refreshed connections in your community.

One great example of a brand using live streaming effectively is Sephora. They use Instagram Live to showcase makeup tutorials, product launches, and beauty tips from beauty influencers. This type of content is engaging and interactive, leading to social media impressions for the brand and increasing its visibility to the audience’s connections.

2. Social Commerce

Social commerce is the integration of social media and e-commerce, allowing customers to shop directly from social media platforms. With social commerce on the rise for the past few years, brands have leveraged their social media presence to drive sales, which is why it's important to have a strong social media strategy build around your products.

It also makes it extremely easy to have branded influencer content who can share shoppable posts by tagging products in their feed posts or Instagram Stories. This creates a seamless experience for them and increase your social reach.

One example of a brand that is using social commerce effectively is H&M. They have integrated their Instagram account with their e-commerce platform, allowing customers to shop directly from their Instagram posts. This type of integration makes it easy for customers to purchase products, making it a seamless shopping experience.

3. Interactive Content

Interactive content is content that requires the audience to engage with it actively. It can be anything from quizzes, polls, and surveys to interactive videos and augmented reality experiences. Interactive content is an effective way to engage with your audience and build a sense of community around your brand.

One brand that has used interactive content effectively is Glossier. They created a quiz called "Skin Quiz" that helps customers identify their skin type and recommends products that will work best for them. The results could then be posted on social media, enticing others to take the quiz as well. Interactive content is not only engaging but also provides value to the audience, and is worth investing some money to build.

4. Personalisation

Personalisation is the act of tailoring content to meet the specific needs and interests of an individual. In 2023, personalisation will be critical for brands to build a community around their brand. Customers are looking for personalised experiences, and brands that can deliver them will be more successful in building a community around their brand.

One example of a brand using personalisation effectively is Netflix. They already use algorithms to personalise content recommendations based on a user's viewing history making the user experience more tailored and enjoyable, but they take this a step further in their social media campaigns. They dive deep into shows that their audiences love through exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes and special after shows. Couple this with social media platform targeting tools and users will continue to find their favourite content anywhere they look. This type of personalisation is an excellent way to build a sense of community around the brand, as users feel like they are receiving a personalised experience that saves them time from putting in effort to find it.

5.Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is the practice of partnering with influential people on social media to promote your brand. Influencer marketing has been a popular trend for a while, and it will continue to be effective in 2023. Working with influencers can help brands reach a wider audience who are highly engaged with them.

One example of a brand using influencer marketing effectively is Airbnb. They partner with influential travel bloggers, Instagrammers, as well as celebrities like Lady Gaga and Mariah Carey to showcase unique Airbnb properties around the world. This type of content is not only visually appealing but also helps to build a sense of community around the Airbnb brand.

In researching this article, I notice that in 2022-2023, the trends began to evolve rather than completely changing. Businesses continue to improve the quality and way they create their content for social media, focusing on associations as well as down-to-earth interaction to their community to reinforce shared values. Still, social media is a living animal and it's essential for you and your business to at least make a move on one of these trends to foster positive conversations. The better you connect with your audience, the stronger their affinity and recall will be of your brand.

Social media trends in 2023 to grow your community

As a designer, social media has always been an elusive area to me the older I get and less in touch with what the next generation find appealing. Designing to match ever-changing trends and formats keep me on my toes and I’ve learned to embrace it as part of a yearly (if not daily) challenge.

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