From artificial intelligence to Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, there’s a lot going on in the ever-changing world of social media. Gard’s Social Media Strategist Nancy Oganezov sizes up the landscape for the coming year.
Social media platforms to emphasize inclusivity
We could expect new features to roll out for things like automatic captioning or alt text as more platforms strive to become more accessible in 2023, providing more representation of marginalized communities. For now, continue to camel case hashtags (making each word in the phrase start with a #CapitalLetter), use alt text to describe photos and be sure to add captions to videos that contain any voice over. Following protocols like the ones just mentioned helps social media be accessible regardless of who consumes the content.
Twitter continues to change with uncertainty
With Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, things will continue to be everchanging on the platform. As of January, Musk announced that any and all product developments will be routed through him. If your organization uses Twitter, continue to tread lightly and keep a close eye on any policy changes that might influence plans for ad campaigns or content rolling out on the platform. Twitter is still valuable if an organization has already built a solid following, but be timid about building communities there from scratch for the time being.
Creators continue to dominate brand video
Larger brands aren’t the only ones who will continue benefiting from leveraging smaller creators. As marketing budgets ebb and flow due to the health of the economy, tapping into small creators rather than pricier influencers will likely lead the charge when it comes to video content. Having a social strategy set out for the year ahead will help guide incorporating small creators into production timelines.
Artificial intelligence disrupts volume and quality of content
With the rise of AI technologies like ChatGTP or copy.ai, writing and creating content is becoming easier on one end all while making it more challenging to execute or find good quality content. With free access to some of these tools, content creation is now becoming a low hanging fruit for most as we enter deeper into the age of AI. AI technology will be both freeing to marketers but also limiting as it continues to saturate posts, blogs, articles and more with watered-down content. AI has its upsides, however, like staying organized, getting inspired or producing content quicker. What will make brands and organizations stand out is using this emerging tech to provide valuable insights that can’t always be found with search terms or keywords.
Last but not least, it’s important to note that trends and predictions may change throughout the year due to the quick and adaptive nature of social media platforms, their stakeholders and their users.