In the third segment of her six-part series on The 5 Social Media Trends That Will Shape the Industry in 2023, Zoetica Media founder Kami Huyse shares her thoughts on which social media platforms are best for you and your clients.
In Trend #2: Niche Social Media Platforms Multiply, she explains why being selective is better than trying to be active on all platforms and risk spreading yourself too thin. She also reviews some of the new platforms out there, offering suggestions for which are worth exploring.
Social Media Platforms as News Sources
While 31% of surveyed Americans still get their news from television, social media is an important source that shouldn’t be ignored. A full 31% of U.S. adults say they regularly get news from Facebook, 22% from YouTube, 13% from Twitter, and 11% from Instagram.
For communicators and consultants trying to keep their finger on the pulse of what their audiences are being exposed to and with what frequency, tracking what’s happening on social media is therefore vital.
Social Media Fragmentation
There’s no question that social media is here to stay. Facebook is still the top social network, although it skews older than the also popular Instagram, both which are owned by parent company Meta.
LinkedIn, originally a resume-posting site, introduced exciting social media features over the past few years that have helped it become a Wall Street Journal favorite.
TikTok’s meteoric growth doesn’t show signs of slowing down. Though the US Government has banned it on devices it owns.
And even SnapChat is on a resurgence, reaching over 750 million users per month.
But the seeming monopoly status of big players may be changing due to the influx of new platforms and the associated user dispersal. “The average number of social media accounts held by millennial or Gen Z users around the world is 8.5,” Kami shared. “It’s been growing over time the number of accounts that people hold and post to on a daily basis or interact with on a daily basis.”
The stability of platforms is another consideration. The future of Twitter, for example, is still unclear, which is why Kami suggests taking a look at possible alternatives, specifically:
1. Mastedon
2. Post
3. Discord
4. Tumblr
5. Bluesky
“The bottom line is that social media platforms are growing exponentially,” says Kami. “I really do believe that social media platforms are going to be proliferating for a while because there’s a lot of angst around the current ones. And when that happens, other entrepreneurs stand up and create new social media networks for specific uses.”
Focus on Where Your Audience Is
She cautions people not to feel overwhelmed.
“You can drive yourself crazy joining all these networks. [Instead, focus on] where is your audience, where are your customers, where are the people that you care about influencing, where are they hanging out? That is where you need to focus.”
She recommends focusing on one primary and one secondary network, doing deep to build community and connections there. For big companies with bigger budgets and more staff to be active and responsive on social media, the best options are LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and maybe Twitter and TikTok.
Hear more of Kami’s insights in her livestream which you can watch here.
Six-part Series on The 5 Social Media Trends That Will Shape the Industry in 2023
• Overview: The 5 Social Media Trends
• Trend 1: Creative Professionals, Get Ready For the Artificial Intelligence Takeover
• Trend 2: Niche Social Media Platforms Multiply
• Trend 3: The Rise of Short-form Video – Coming next