Social Media Predictions for 2023-24

In recent years, social media has become a tool that is available to everyone and it’s use is only projected to increase with time. As the use of social media is becoming more and more popular, new social media platforms are being created.

Here are some predictions as to why and how social media platforms are expected to grow in the year 2023-24

Customers need quick responses

Social media has served as a support to customers who have doubts regarding a company’s products or services. Customers surfing through the site look for an immediate response whenever they have a query regarding a product they are interested in. The increased demand for quick responses led brands to offer customer support through social media platforms. Not only queries, if customers have any suggestions or personal feedback to give, but they can also directly connect with the brand online through the use of social media. It has helped companies to improve and they have also taken this as an opportunity to show customers that they are valued by listening to all their needs. If a company has quick and efficient customer service, it further adds to the brand value. In the upcoming years, more and more brands will try to incorporate the use of social media platforms in order to offer their customer support through it.

Instant crisis management

Businesses must have a crisis adverting plan in place as a business comes with it’s own set of risks. All social media platforms must be handled by a professional as any mistake can lead to a crisis which has a way of blowing up out of proportion in social media channels. Customers want brands to be honest and connected to their values. Companies must take full acknowledgment for any mistake that has been made and should instantly put a plan in place to solve it at the earliest. If a company delays in solving such crises, their brand value can be tarnished and they can lose customers. Every business must have a crisis management plan set to be in motion if the need ever arises.

Advertising through social media

Advertisements through social media platforms has become an eminent marketing strategy in recent years. Companies are spending millions on advertising as it really increases their customer base and adds to the brand value. These ads have become a great source of generating revenue because it is with the help of these ads that people find out about a brand’s products or services. Social media platforms allow you to target specific kind of customers to which you want your ads to reach (customers looking for similar services or products). Marketers use data points to strategies and reach their target audience. Advertising through social media is only going to increase with time and it’s essential that every brand promotes their products or services on social media platforms in the upcoming times to provide maximum exposure.

Transparency and Authenticity

These days, everyone wants to connect with their brand and make sure that they are transparent and authentic to them. A brand must promote values like “sustainability” or a “go-green initiative”. Everyone is climate-conscious these days (as they very well should be) and customers love when brands promote such values. The use of “clean ingredients” has really trended in the year 2022 and customers are becoming more and more aware of what they are putting in their bodies. It is best that brands use only clean ingredients in the manufacturing of their products. A brand must have its own story, where it started and how it has reached to where it is today. This is what makes the brand authentic and helps customers build a sense of trust with them. Brands should take all measures to provide full authenticity and transparency to their customers.

Introduction of podcasts

Podcasts have been very hyped-up in recent times and with good reason. In our everyday life, we often don’t get time to read books or watch videos but you can listen to audios even while working. A brand can have their own podcast on which they talk about topics relevant or trending during that time. They can expose their brand to an even wider range of audience through the use of these podcasts. Social media marketing services  of a brand can also be promoted through the help of these podcasts, they are also a great way to further build your trust with customers as they allow you to share knowledge, insights and experience with them. In the coming times, every brand should incorporate the use of podcasts in order to increase their sales.

Social media itself becomes a shopping platform

After covid, online shopping has seen a major rise and everyone wants to shop virtually from the comfort of their homes. Social media apps like Instagram and Facebook have added a “shop” feature on their apps through which users can check out the products or services and rates of a brand. They can also order directly through these apps without having to visit any sites. Shopping has become much more convenient these days, anything and everything can literally be ordered within seconds. Brands should make their products available on platforms like Instagram and Facebook in order to boost sales. Many SMO companies in India  provide services that will help your brand reach their target audience.

Posting video content like reels and shorts

This is the place where most of the trends are born. Reels and YouTube shorts tend to have higher engagement than regular posts. People create videos on trending audio and many brands use this as an opportunity to promote their products or services. Everyone watches reels these days and if your video goes viral, you are likely to rack up thousands of customers. It doesn’t seem like reels are going to go anywhere anytime soon. Marketers should post strategic and innovative content through reels in order to drive up engagement.

Apps predictions for the year 2023-24

Facebook

After a year of ups and downs, Zuckerberg has incorporated some new strategies. In an interview, he stated that more posts are going to be recommended by AI. It would basically be focused on showing the best content and your page is going to be filled with new posts (even from people you do not follow) to help you connect with more people or brands. Facebook will not be promoting external links anymore since they want people to spend more time in the app itself. Meta is constantly encouraging people to create their digital avatars in order to increase metaverse engagement. Meta might push avatars to users even more in the coming year. Meta has highlighted the use of “click to message” ads as it helps users directly connect with the brand and inquire about anything they would like to know.

Instagram

It is the hub of trends which has about 2 billion of active users around the world. So what’s coming next? Even Instagram will show more of AI-recommended content in order to maximize engagement with users. We can definitely expect more of reels as it is one of the fastest-growing content formats. New forms of content creation can be added like AR and 3D posts that might be showcased in the app. More interactive ads will be shown on the feed to make sure users engage in new ways as well. Instagram might experiment with live shopping as it has excelled in other markets.

Twitter

As we all know, Elon Musk bought Twitter last year so who knows what’s really coming? He has already made some huge changes like the engineering and management team is all set to be replaced. Musk intends to use subscriptions to help boost the revenue of Twitter. He is likely going to charge a monthly fee to business users with the promise of improved analytics. He has also stated that he is going to charge verified users a monthly fee if they want to keep their blue ticks. Musk also intends to eliminate all the bot profiles on the app and is trying out a way to authenticate real users.

These 3 apps are most widely used in social media marketing and any changes in them affect the marketing sector as well

 What is SMO?

SMO stands for social media optimization. It involves using different social media outlets to increase a brand’s online presence and to increase awareness about its products. SMO services direct customers from social media platforms to the company’s site. SMO is one the leading digital marketing strategies as it allows the online marketing sector to operate more efficiently by providing improved content. It also implements online reputation management an ensures that negative reviews are not shown first.

SMO strategies: –

• Make sure your social media presence is unique and different from others. Your content must be innovative so that you stand out from the rest of your competitors. Keep up with all the relevant trends going on as it increases your chances of engaging with customers. If your content connects with the audience, it is much easier to drive up engagement. Give your brand a personal touch to prove its authenticity. Include stories about how you started on your content page as it helps keep in touch with the values of the brand.
• Your social media profiles should be constantly updated as it attracts more views and shares. It should be attractive enough to catch the attention of potential customers. Use attractive colors in your content as it gives life to the information provided and makes viewers want to further read it.
• External links must be added to your social media profiles as it increases your reach on the internet. Attach external links to all your posts, so that if anyone is interested, they can directly visit your site to avail your services or purchase your products.
• Influencers are becoming increasingly popular and collaborating with them is a great way to provide exposure to your brand. Social media influencers can promote your products on their pages as it helps increase the number of visitors on your profile and also increases your brand’s visibility.
• Your posts may perform differently across different social media sites. You must have goals set for every social media network that your company is present on. Strategies should be made based on the audience you intend to reach and the product that you wish to promote. Use analytical tools to measure how your posts are performing across several platforms and implement relevant strategies accordingly.
• Use the correct tools for SMO like marketing automation tools, image creation tools and audience research tools.

Conclusion

Social media usage is only expected to rise in the coming years. Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Constant updates and add new features like short videos and AR are succeeding in catching the attention of users. Engagement is expected to grow and online businesses may generate more revenue than ever. Companies must look for ways to improve their social media strategies now more than ever. Social Media Optimisation is an economical technique that helps increase brand recognition and creates a social impact on the users. SMO can even help your brand become global with the proper use of its techniques. Social media is a very influential virtual place where one can promote their products or services. Marketers are able to expose their brands to a huge number of potential customers through the proper use of marketing strategies. The ability to constantly interact with customers helps cater to their needs better. You must analyze the performance of your competitors and get inspired by what they’re doing right. Build a sense of trust and loyalty with your customers so that they feel like they are heard. Even the most well-thought-out ideas don’t work well enough if they are not implemented correctly. In the upcoming times, social media marketing is only going to gain more traction, hence companies should always keep their digital marketing strategies up to date.