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 :
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.
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.
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 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.
