As 2022 comes to a close, businesses must be prepared to take a close look and examine which components are performing as anticipated and what areas may need a little more work as we head into the new year. If you’ve neglected to initialize social media as a core component of your consumer outreach and conversion, it’s time to seriously consider what you’re missing out on as we move towards a digital marketing sphere that is becoming more and more socially oriented. As of 2022, an estimated 59% of the global population is regularly reached by social content, and with a projected audience of over 4.7 billion users expanding into the social sphere, it’s no longer a question of “does social media marketing work?”, rather a question of how best utilize social media for your business objectives.

Below, we’ll take a quick look at some of the core concepts and key elements of social media marketing, as well as dominant trends you can expect to see gain continued traction in the coming year. Read on to learn more!

What is Social Media Marketing?

With social juggernauts like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram having become established household names, it’s rare for social media to be a completely foreign concept for most business owners and consumers in today’s market. In the last 12 months alone, social media usage has increased by 227 million users, with the average online daily time lasting about 2.5 hrs. Social media marketing is designed to harness this active usership and ramp up your sales and/or conversion pipeline by initiating active engagement and building brand awareness and trust throughout the social sphere.

Why It’s Essential in Your Marketing Mix

In today’s market, having a strong social media presence is essential to staying ahead of the curve and reaching your customers where they spend a considerable amount of their time daily. Whether you’re a B2B or B2C brand, social media marketing increases your brand’s exposure and authority, drives traffic to your website, increases your lead funnel, and ultimately helps you uniquely understand your audience. When you invest in a long-term social media strategy, you build a strong ROI-driven asset that keeps your brand relevant, engaged, and ready to convert when in matters most.

Building With the Future in Mind

Marketing moves fast, and social media is an avenue where it is particularly essential to stay ahead of the many changes and trends that are constantly evolving. At Atrium, we know that, to deliver consistent results, you always have to be ready to embrace the new and continuously build on your existing strategy to guarantee success. Our social team is always watching and ready to pivot for our clients to ensure you have the right processes and practices in place. Trends to watch for in 2023 include:

Continued User Growth

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, social media usage has seen an unprecedented and sustained explosion in growth. With projected numbers expected to close in on 5 billion users within the next few years, 2023 is a crucial time to ramp up your strategy and take advantage of new, as well as consistent users of various platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and more.

Authentic, Community Driven Content

Though highly polished and filtered content has been popular across various platforms over the past few years, recent trends have seen a growing demand for more authentic, community-inspired content that connects with consumers on a personal level. Brands that know how to delicately balance “poised and professional” content with “candid and community based” are well-prepared to gain extra views in the coming year!

Video Content at the Forefront

Content remains king on social media, but with users interacting with brands on the go more than ever before, video-based content has proven to be highly valued when it comes to engagement. Video-based platforms like TikTok have taken the market by storm, facing competitors like Facebook and Instagram to introduce Reels and Shorts as a way of keeping up. What does this mean for businesses? If you want to be heard and stay relevant, you’ll need to up your game and get comfortable behind the camera.

Social Commerce

There’s no denying that Covid-19 has revolutionized the ways, as well as the mediums in which customers buy. Social media has become a huge asset for commerce, with savvy brands finding new ways to link their products directly to their social posting in fun, intriguing, and compelling ways. The result? Millions of dollars waiting to be earned across multiple platforms if your conversion funnels are set up properly.

Social Customer Service

It’s not enough to post regularly on social forums as we head into 2023; if you want to stay on pace with industry leaders, you need to have a solid social engagement strategy in place. With users expecting to be able to question brands from the convenience of their favourite social platform, your business needs to be prepared to answer comments and concerns, and respond to ongoing engagement regularly.

Build the Consistent Results you Need in 2023

At Atrium, we know that consistency is one of the biggest determiners of long-term marketing success across all channels, including social media campaigns. Our marketing strategies are designed to evolve constantly in time with current and future trends, giving you access to the information and resources your need when it matters most. Contact us today to learn more about our social media marketing program, as well as our additional marketing services.