6 Social Media Trends For 2023

A New Year, a new digital marketing landscape! Social Media Marketing continues to thrive for authenticity and 2023 will further spotlight the consumer as both influencer and decision maker, openly sharing their content and experiences.

With the customer in mind, we gathered social insights, to give you a peek into what’s happening in the industry next year.

Based on our research and testing, we've got some insights to share with you. We've also taken these insights and applied them to our own work on "social" - as well as to a couple of clients who are early adopters.

Social Video Is A Game Changer
In October of 2022, Firebelly shot and published a staggering 30 pieces of original video. These videos were published across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. The lift in organic reach was upwards of 300%, engagement saw a 90% increase, and leads were up as well.
Specifically, short form video will continue to trend upwards, while long form video will trend down.
In particular YouTube Shorts (1.5 billion active monthly users), TikTok (200% growth year-over-year), and Instagram Reels (80% of all companies published last quarter) proved the most effective platforms.
Pinterest Continues To Flourish
Pinterest is a solid alternative to the Meta machine. It has full funnel capabilities, extensive targeting criteria, and a robust ad engine. The male audience has grown significantly and it's a particularly attractive option for food and beverage—especially for brand building curators who are in the planning stages. Additionally, there are numerous benefits with new social commerce features and a myriad of shopping options.
An average 48% of social buyers head to the platform for their purchases. In 2023, Pinterest will actively develop their own ecosystem, developing new and convenient features for their continuous stream of users.
Chaos Is Good: Don’t Write Twitter Off Yet
Social has been like the Wild West since the mid-’00s. As new tech and generations enter the market, old tech matures; chaos can be a necessary byproduct. We’re not writing Twitter off just yet—especially when Amazon's business practices are far from exemplary (I don't see anyone discontinuing Prime.)
While we don't always care for Elon's rhetoric, we’re bullish on his ability to run the platform like a business. Our feedback is to incentivize smaller businesses and increase their involvement with Twitter; it’s vital to rebuild critical functions and encourage agencies/large brands for their feedback. This would ensure that we continue to have a public square.
Despite the Musk ownership transfer, the platform is still expected to grow to 335 million in 2023.
TikTok Vs. YouTube Vs. Instagram Reels
It seems like the front runner is Instagram Reels. However, we would be remiss to dismiss both YouTube Shorts or TikTok. Each has its perks (revisit my No. 1 observation), but despite its sizable built-in audience, YouTube shorts does not permit product links or monetization. Since TikTok was the first trendsetter in short form, I expect a continued emphasis on its discoverability and top-of-the-funnel opportunities.
Video Ain’t Easy
Most brands don't have the budgets or internal resources to produce high-quality video. Producing so much content—specifically short form video, which necessitates agility—can be tricky and time consuming from a planning and production standpoint.
Underproduced content with vulnerability is the order of the day. And all this requires a mindset. My guess is that risk-taking marketers with a dynamic and agile mindset will triumph and we will see the slow movers fall away.
Increase Marketing In Down Markets
While most companies will lower marketing investments in order to maintain profitability—we suggest that you double down on marketing. Put the right metrics in place, move quickly, target your competitor's audience, and re-invent your approach. This is the time to be aggressive and win market share and new clients. We aren't the average agency—we've done the same ourselves. It's working.

But What Does This Mean For Me, Duncan?

Firebelly will be hosting an 2023 Executive Briefing series in January, in which our team will offer video presentations to educate our clients and prospective clients on what is working, upcoming trends and deep insights.

Please accept our invitation to the executive series by selecting the topic below that you’re most excited to learn about. We’ve recently briefed a few clients, associations, and top executives. And now we’re offering you the opportunity to attend!

During our briefing, we will be discussing your executive to-do list for social media marketing for 2023 including:

🔥 Utilizing an integrated social approach.

🔥 Getting organic and paid to work together.

🔥 Using story and building characters through engaging video.

🔥 Installing a paid and organic testing framework and following that up with measurement.

🔥 Accessing new markets and hitting your objectives by stepping into deeper relationships with influencers.