What To Expect In 2023: Social Media, SEO, Influencers And Beyond

We took a look at the 2023 trends that will be shaping the travel world last week. This week, we're digging into the digital realm—a place where things change faster than the blink of an eye. Here's what to expect :

RIP Google?

Well, not really. The search engine giant still reigns high above the rest. But an interesting development among the younger generations is that instead of typing search terms into Google.com, they're using social media platforms for travel tips, brand research recipes and even news. TikTok and Instagram are rising to the top in this regard. "In our studies, something like almost 40 percent of young people, when they're looking for a place for lunch, they don't go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram," said Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google senior vice president. For brands, this means that implementing social SEO tactics on those platforms is more essential than ever.

Getting Real

 With Twitter death-spiraling and Facebook's Metaverse landing with a thud, many social media experts are on the hunt for the next big platform. While we certainly can't make any 100% guaranteed predictions, a few upstarts have caught our eye. BeReal has been floating around for a little while now, but it grew exponentially this year (56 million downloads!) and it's likely that it will grow even more in 2023. This French photo-sharing platform is focused on authenticity, claiming that it's "not another social network." Every day at a different time, users are notified simultaneously to capture and share a photo in two minutes. No filters, no followers. Just friends being spontaneously real.

Copycats

Speaking of BeReal, one thing we don't want to see in 2023 is big social networks borrowing (stealing?) features from smaller ones. As BeReal started to take off, TikTok introduced a suspiciously similar feature called TikTok Now, and Instagram is reportedly working on something called IG Challenges. There's no such thing as an original idea, perhaps, but it would be nice to see a little more innovation in the social realm. It seems likely that whatever the next big platform may be, it's going to be different from what's come before.

The Livestream Revolution

It's not just gamers who are all in when it comes to livestreaming. According to Vimeo, 80 percent of audiences would rather watch a livestream than read a brand's blog. The immediacy of the format is appealing and exciting in ways that other content can't match. For brands, this can be a powerful (and cost-effective) way of reaching people. Live online events can increase brand awareness, encourage authentic engagement and build trust. In other words, it's time to go live in 2023.

The Rise of Cross-Channel Campaigns

The average social media user engages with an average of 6-7 different social media platforms. As a result, influencers are launching cross-channel collaborations in an effort to reach a much wider audience. For example, TikTok is mainly used for entertainment, but Instagram is for socializing, inspiration, and getting product recommendations. That means when doing a collaboration on both TikTok and Instagram, the product could be shared in a fun, creative way, but in a more aesthetic and informative way on Instagram.

Micro-Influencing Goes Mainstream

Celebrities may have a vast audience base, but the impact of micro and macro influencers is growing with each passing day. These "middle power" online personalities target niche audiences and, at times, deliver more powerful results than celebrity endorsements. It's the authenticity factor again; users instantly connect with such influencers, looking up to them for suggestions and advice. They don't necessarily need to be big names; they just need to make the right impact on the audience.