The Future of Social Media [Research]: What Marketers Need to Know

Social media has changed considerably since nan MySpace days, and it's portion of a marketer's occupation to enactment connected apical of its advancements.

You're astir apt wondering what nan societal early of societal media could look for illustration and really marketers will request to adapt.

To reply your question, present are our guesses based connected research, data, and current advancements successful societal media.

What is nan Future of Social Media?

Search connected Social Media Instead of Engines

More Reliance connected Influencers Over Celebrities

More Chatbots arsenic Consumers Slide into DMs for Customer Service

What is nan Future of Social Media?

Through our aggregate surveys, research, and further data, here's what we foretell for nan early of societal media:

• Consumers will hunt for accusation connected societal media aliases via AI alternatively of accepted hunt engines.
• Brands will trust connected influencers, particularly micro-influencers, alternatively than celebrities
• Consumers will bask a seamless shopping acquisition connected societal media
• Brands Will Leverage Chatbots arsenic Consumers Slide into DMs for Customer Service

Now, let's dive deeper into each of these trends.

Search connected Social Media Instead of Engines

It's becoming much communal for consumers to hunt for products, recommendations, aliases reviews connected societal media alternatively than hunt engines.

According to our 2023 Consumer Trends Report, 24% of consumers betwixt nan ages of 18-54 hunt for brands utilizing societal media alternatively of a hunt engine. This number jumps to 36% among Gen Z consumers.

In a TechCrunch article, a Google exec suggested apps for illustration TikTok and Instagram are threatening 2 staple Google find apps: Google Maps and Google Search.

“In our studies, thing for illustration almost 40% of young people, erstwhile they’re looking for a spot for lunch, they don’t spell to Google Maps aliases Search,” said Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan, who runs Google’s Knowledge & Information sector. “They spell to TikTok aliases Instagram.”

Why is this happening? Raghavan believes it’s because young adults for illustration visual-forward contented erstwhile it comes to discovery.

With much group utilizing TikTok arsenic a hunt engine, it makes consciousness nan app added more hunt features to support users engaged.

In August 2022, TikTok tested a characteristic successful which keywords from video comments are highlighted and linked to hunt results. This serves arsenic an further measurement for users to observe caller contented arsenic they’re scrolling connected nan platform.

Now, erstwhile you're watching a video connected TikTok you'll announcement a mini hunt barroom astatine nan bottommost of nan surface pinch a keyword aliases taxable associated pinch it. When you click connected that hunt bar, nan app will return you to much videos associated pinch nan keyword.

If accepted hunt engines neglect to support up pinch user needs, TikTok and different societal platforms whitethorn return nan lead successful merchandise and contented find arsenic they prioritize ocular content.

Another rival for hunt engines is AI chatbots for illustration ChatGPT. Users tin inquire ChatGPT questions successful nan shape of prompts and nan bot will make answers to their queries.

Though information is constricted successful regards to really often group usage ChatGPT successful spot of hunt engines, ChatGPT presently receives astir 1 cardinal monthly website visitors and has an estimated 100 cardinal progressive users.

More Reliance connected Influencers Over Celebrities

80% of influencer marketers activity pinch creators/influencers pinch nether 100K followers while only 16% activity pinch celebrities who person complete a cardinal followers, according to our 2023 Social Media Marketing Report.

Working pinch smaller influencers is much cost-effective for brands than moving pinch celebrities. More importantly, consumers spot influencers and creators.

In our latest user trends report, we surveyed much than 600 consumers. We recovered 31% of societal media users for illustration to observe caller products connected societal media done an influencer they travel complete immoderate different societal format aliases channel.

The number shoots up to 43% for Gen Z societal media users. Moreover, 21% of societal media users 18-54 person made a acquisition based connected an influencer’s proposal successful nan past 3 months. The number rises to 32% among Gen Z.

This is apt because, with influencers who specialize successful an area, their sentiment is much valuable than a family member's.

Say, I’m looking for hiking gear. A hiking influencer who hikes each twelvemonth agelong and has a history of reviewing hiking products will astir apt connection much penetration than a friend who went hiking once.

As a result, influencers – though strangers – tin beryllium deemed much valuable than loved ones. In nan future, that inclination will apt continue, arsenic contented creators are popping up each day.

Our study revealed that 30% of 18-24-year-olds and 40% of 25-34-year-olds telephone themselves contented creators. While not each creator is an influencer, those roles often intersect.

Seamless Shopping Experience connected Most Socials

Instagram was 1 of nan first societal platforms to connection a seamless shopping acquisition and integration. However, they apt won’t beryllium nan last.

Let’s group nan scene: In a mates of years, Gen Z will person afloat joined nan moving people and will person tremendous spending power.

Our consumer trends report recovered that astir Gen-Zers for illustration to observe caller products connected societal media — specifically short-form videos.

This intends that to stay competitive, societal platforms will person to connection integrated shopping experiences to support consumers connected nan platform.

Instagram has already seen awesome occurrence successful this arena, it’s only a matter of clip until different platforms travel suit.

More Chatbots arsenic Consumers Slide into DMs for Customer Service

Our 2023 Social Media Trends Report shows 1 successful 5 Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X societal media users person contacted a marque done DMs for customer work successful nan past 3 months.

Going further, 76% of societal media marketers opportunity their institution already offers customer work connected societal media.

At nan aforesaid time, nan usage of AI chatbots successful customer work is connected nan rise. By 2027, chatbots are expected to go nan primary customer work channel for a 4th of businesses.

A caller study besides recovered that 62% of respondents would alternatively interact pinch a customer work chatbot than hold for an supplier to respond. Ch

So, we wouldn't beryllium amazed if much brands leveraged chatbots successful their customer work strategies successful nan future, including utilizing chatbots to reply DMs from consumers.

Social media moves incredibly quickly, truthful we can’t opportunity pinch certainty what nan early will look like. But fixed caller data, we tin opportunity it’s apt headed successful this direction.