Social media is a bit of a minefield, isn’t it? The whole industry has changed so drastically in the past few years that I know I struggle to keep up with it at times. That’s why I was so keen to attend the RetailFest: Social Media Trends & Tips 2023 Masterclass, hosted by Anna Jones from Your Ajency, at Top Drawer few weeks ago. The design-led trade show is strictly for brands, buyers, and interior professionals to connect under one roof. It’s a bi-annual event, hosted here in London, so I always try to go if I can.
The talk covered various trends that we’ll be seeing in 2023, as well as how brands and businesses can build a successful and sustainable social media presence. And for what it’s worth, Instagram was only a small part of this live talk. I love that Anna discussed the importance of diversifying your social media strategy; TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, email marketing, and Youtube should also be part of your strategy if you’re looking to have a successful brand in 2023 and beyond. And these tips aren’t just for businesses and brands. Pretty much the same rules apply to content creators, bloggers, etc. You see, writing and blogging are only a small part of my job. Not many people will see the content I push out without marketing it, which is why promoting your work is so important in this industry.
I found the session so fascinating and useful that I thought I’d share some of the most important points with you.
1. SHORT VIDEO ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE
So, there you have it! Keep making those reels even though it may find it time-consuming and a bit of a faff. The reality is that short videos are the best way to show your brand to a wider audience. People are addicted to video. Why do you think Tik Tok is so popular? Youtube shorts have also been trending. People’s attention span is probably the lowest it’s ever been as the market is saturated and everyone’s bombarded with so much information all the time. That’s why it’s better to keep your videos short and clear so that your followers can get what they need out of them. Of course, if you find that long videos work better for your business that is fine too (there are always exceptions to the rule). Find out what works for you and your brand and stick with it. It’s also important to speak to the camera as much as you can (especially in stories) and show your face. I know that can sound daunting but it is the best way to create engaging video content. Even if you just do it once a week!
2. AUTHENTICITY/SHOW IMPERFECTIONS
Imperfect is the new perfect on social media. There is less pressure to portray a perfect life and personally, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Of course, if you’re a business you need to show your product in the best possible light. However, you could share more behind-the-scenes content in the stories which might help you to connect better with your audience. It’s also more important than ever, to be honest about who you are as a brand or a company so that your followers have a good understanding of what they are supporting. If you’re a business, share as much of your mission and your ethos as possible. People like to buy from people, and since consumers have less money available right now, they are being extra careful where they spend their hard-earned cash.
3. BUILD A COMMUNITY
Engaging with your audience and customers is the key to success. With so much competition out there, it really is the best way to stand out from the crowd. Comment on posts, and respond to questions and messages promptly. People love to feel they are part of something so engage with your audience and give them something they want (ideas, tips, guides, etc)
4. KEEP AN EYE ON NEW PLATFORMS
It’s always smart to diversify your social media and to keep an eye out on up-and-coming platforms. Social media is constantly evolving and you need to evolve with it. That’s not to say you should be jumping into every new trend but it’s worth keeping an open mind.
5. BUILD LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH INFLUENCERS
Anyone else hate the word influencer? I prefer to use the term ‘content creator’ but nevertheless, influencing is definitely still a thing. In fact, it’s a pretty powerful tool if done right. Brands now prefer long-term partnerships over short ones. It’s been proven that continuing collaborations with content creators allow brands to build communities, build trust with customers and share more of the responsibility and outcome with creators. I personally think this is a win-win situation. It also means that the collaboration needs to be authentic or it will simply not be successful.
6. USE DIRECT MESSAGING
This one wasn’t exactly a surprise but it’s still good to know that direct messaging is more effective than emailing. I guess messages are harder to ignore than emails. And apparently, the algorithm favors interaction between accounts which is why engaging in conversations is so important.
7. GO LIVE
I’m not a huge fan of lives (yet) but they are great for engagement apparently. There is definitely an element of being in ‘real time’ and giving your audience a chance to chat with you. Don’t forget that live feeds also jump before stories so you have a bigger chance of your audience seeing them.
8. SOCIAL MEDIA IS BECOMING SEO
This was probably my biggest take from this entire talk and I think this is good news for brands and content creators. I was always under the impression that it’s better to keep captions short and sweet (although I love a long, detailed one). Instagram algorithm changing it’s best to put as many details in the captions as possible. People are now using social media as a search engine when looking to buy products or book hotels or restaurants. The algorithm already optimises your profile based on hashtags, keywords, and locations, and TikTok and Youtube are also heading in the same direction. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts brands and creators in the future.
9. LOOK AT IMPRESSIONS, NOT LIKES
I was quite happy to see this on the list. Obsessing over likes or upvotes is not great for your mental health, but as a business, you may not have a choice. The thing is, many people are now just browsing and not engaging. It’s not personal. People are just too busy and there is a lot of noise out there. The bottom line is don’t stress over the likes, and monitor impressions and saves instead, which are so much better in determining how your post is performing.
So there you have it! I hope the above is useful and if you have anything to add just leave a comment in the box below.
Sounds all so interesting Pia! I wish I was more into marketing and promoting… You make it look easy.
Although, I love blogging because it is a way to connect with a much wider audience about the things I love, aka design, I find it very difficult to balance family life, work life (because I do have clients to serve on a a daily basis) AND create content for my social media platforms and blog too… At times, it’s a real struggle. And that’s because there’s this “pressure” on having to keep up with social media. Yet, I can’t help but wonder if social media and its weight are somewhat overrated. From my experience, my most important clients are people who don’t engage much in social media. Word-of-mouth is what brings me clients – who treasure their privacy. So I’ve decided to prioritize and focus on making my brand the best I can, as opposed to trying to go viral and attracting a crowd for the wrong reasons. xx
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Hi Velvet! That’s a really good point. And trust me, I don’t find it all so easy at all. It’s really hard to keep up with social media and often it’s a lot of effort for very little return. I just see it as another platform to market what I do. SEO and Pinterest are equally (if not more) important but I just try to diversify as much as I can. Word of mouth is really the best thing, especially if you’re an interior designer, but it doesn’t hurt to have an online presence too 😉 You’re doing great, so keep doing what you’re doing! Xx