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2023 Social Media Predictions

Spin
Spin
Jacob Cardwell
Jacob Cardwell

And take a deep breath. You have made it through 2022 (nearly, at least). After a turbulent year of war, questionable Twitter buyouts and one of the best Eurovision in recent memory, we now have our eyes (and ears) set on the future.

Whilst we aren’t mystic meg, here to tell you your particular future (although we do host an in-house astrology expert ♈️), we can put our social-first brains together to compile a list of the must-know upcoming social trends. So, put your labcoats on and hop in the time machine because we are taking a brief trip to 2023.

Insider Tea ☕️:

A well-written blog post always has some great sources. So here are some of the Spin teams’ predictions around social in 2023 (trust us, we are experts 😉):

Max (Co-founder and CBO 🕶):
“We’ll no doubt find more brands exploring the halfway-house to the Metaverse by bringing sensory elements and further gamification to social.

With the increased demand for integrity and authenticity on social content, I can’t help but think there will be a moment of reflection on the vehicle itself that’s driving this.”

Sophie (Senior Content Creator 📸):
“Live shopping is going to take over! Think QVC for TikTok. Interactive, live content with influencers giving live, unfiltered, unedited product commentary. Honest, risky, but very effective.”

Emily (Senior Account Manager 🧠):
“With brands like McCain inserting themselves into the Metaverse through their latest campaign collaboration with Roblox, it’s only a matter of time before even more follow suit. Finding an original link to these exciting innovations within social will be a game changer for brands. Clearly, a standalone campaign doesn’t work, and those most native to the Metaverse aren’t impressed. This forward-thinking approach needs to be explored with a long-term strategy rather than a flash-in-the-pan campaign to win over the gaming community.”

Courtney (Account Manager 🪄):

“I can see parodies of social apps being created, my faves being Delayagram, Toebook, and BeFake being introduced into the mix. It’ll allow users to do the exact opposite of what you can do on the real version of the apps.”

(New Spin packages coming soon?)

Cherie (Mid-weight Creative Designer 🎨):

“The rising ‘curated chaos’ design style (@bigsexypizza, @sourpatchkids) of 2022 will continue into next year, with even less focus on clean aesthetics.

With Gen Z’s love for Y2K still prominent, there may be a rise in the older, nostalgic design trends of the early 2000s. Think magazine collages, WordArt ( :/ ) and 90’s digital computer graphics!”

Julian (Account Manager and Horoscope Expert ♎️):

“AR filters will be used for shopping. In fact, Snapchat has already started to experiment with this.

Shopping on social media will become a lot more common across more platforms. Twitter shop, maybe?

The short-form vs long-form content debate will die out. With TikTok allowing longer videos and YouTube introducing shorts, people will avoid prioritising a certain video length.”

Grace (Senior Paid Account Manager 💰):

“Audio and sounds will only become more prevalent for advertisers on social media in 2023. We’ve seen how TikTok transformed the music industry by turning old songs or unknown musicians into total chart-toppers. I think this will be even more important in the coming year.  With social advertising platforms such as Meta bringing out new ad enhancements, such as automatically adding music to your video ads, this can only signify how important audio will be for brands on social in 2023.”

Jacob (Copywriter✍️):

“In line with TikTok and BeReal, the push for honesty and authenticity will finally reach copy next year. After quite a brash and ballsy scene for copy in 2022, next year could be all about relatability throughout the copy. Imperfections, colloquialisms and honesty will become central.”

Now, onto the blog…

Personas are DEAD 🪦

We’ve all seen them. Time and time again, our brand decks have been filled to the brim with made-up individual personas. What do they like for breakfast, what do they watch on Netflix, and how do they spend their evening? Except, there’s a bit of a problem. In 2023, social brands will move further away from personas and target their broader brand communities.

Various social sites echo these through their developments, where Twitter Communities and Facebook groups have been the spaces where consumers treat product recommendations with the utmost sincerity and respect. Navigating these social communities will be critical in 2023. It will soon become less about individual influencers streaming content and more about the dialogue between all community members in these spaces (groups, comment sections, twitter threads etc.).

Here, we must focus on developing connections with communities by truly understanding online interactions – and acting quickly to join them. Good community management will be essential. These micro-communities may have smaller audiences, but they’re worth their weight in gold with high engagement rates.

Over here at Spin, we embed ‘community’ across every brand pillar and every post type to reach and cultivate loyal brand fans.

Listen VERY Carefully 👂

Can you hear that? That’s the sound of sonic marketing. But, no, we aren’t talking about the blue super-fast hedgehog; we are talking about the world of sounds and audio. From a focus on words (Twitter and Facebook) to images (Instagram and Snapchat) to the new epoch of sounds (Enter: TikTok), Social media sites have always played with the senses to keep the user glued to their timeline and engaged with the content produced.

So, how can brands utilise this? The sound stops the scroll in this world where content streams are omnipresent and infinite. Photos, stories, tweets, and videos are now a given, and producing content that activates multiple senses is essential. 88% of TikTok users said sound is crucial to the app’s experience.

From claiming a specific sound to creating your own (Users have used this TikTok sound across 10,400+ TikToks), sonic branding will surely pop off in 2023. So keep an ear out for it.

Live and Let Die 🎥:

With various platforms’ constant push for live affordances, such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, TikTok Live, and Instagram Live, live video became more widely used throughout the year.

Not too dissimilar to the ancient practice of telemarketing, now anybody with a phone in their pocket can begin to record unprocessed, unedited and unfiltered live videos. Anybody can now start to communicate exciting developments to their audience, capture the excitement of a brand event and even begin to sell some of their products natively on Livestream.

By enabling online buyers to view their products in real time, this trend allows marketers to forge better bonds with their clients. Lives will be critical in 2023 for brands pushing for authenticity and relatability – as the risks of lives often outweigh the positives. And it’s precisely those unmediated risks that bring in waves of dedicated viewers.

(Here at Spin, we expect a more prominent announcement on Instagram live shopping sometime early in 2023.)

AR / VR has arrived (again?) 👾:

Every year AR makes its way onto the trends list. But this year is the time to start capitalising on this trend. With a big expected push from Facebook, who are making the ‘meta-verse’ their thing, we expect to see great metrics across the board on all things Augmented and Virtual Reality.

Potentially a scary space, this will all be about utilising filters, gaming, audio and virtual influencer marketing to push online spaces forward. So, with a potential market of $800bn, get ready to enter the 3D world with your followers.

Tip: 💡 Creating virtual representations of products is a great way to begin to prepare for this coming shift.

Sooooo… Twitter 🐦:

Yeah, so a lot has been going on at Twitter, even in the last few days. The manic and volatile social media has become even more unpredictable thanks to Elon Musk’s acquisition. After dissolving Twitter’s board of directors, the site is clearly heading in a new direction.

One thing we can begin to plan for is the introduction of subscriptions, which Musk has spoken about many times during the buying process. For example, Twitter could start to charge brands a monthly fee to access analytics and a blue tick.

This, combined with celebrities beginning to leave the platform, could signal an end to Twitter. Or, at least, Twitter as we know it. We’ll keep our eyes peeled on this one!

More Fragmentation? 🤔:

Admit it, we all love an underdog. And, after Bereal’s overnight success (and to some extent TikTok’s), who knows what the future holds regarding new platforms? New social media sites like BeReal are projected to appear in 2023 to break into a VERY crowded industry.

However, while new platforms arise yearly with lofty claims of ‘revolutionising social media as we know it’, they mostly remain niche sites. Nonetheless, keeping an eye on any recent advancements in the sector is critical! That’s what our blog is for, though, right?

Are you feeling a little bit lost? We don’t blame you, and we are here to help. Spin is an award-winning pure-play social media agency that combines the sharpest creative minds with the most innovative performance specialists.

If you'd like to know how Spin can help you, hit the button below to arrange a chat or set us a brief.
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The Relevance Stack

Social relevance isn't about posting more. (Though everyone seems to think it is.)

It's about building real bonds with your audience. The kind of connections that earn attention, drive brand love, and get people to engage and act.

The Relevance Stack is how we measure and build that relevance. It's three parts that work together to give you a clear picture of where you stand, what's working, and how to create content that truly makes an impact for your brand.

Let's break it down.

The R-Score

Think of this as your social report card. One number that shows exactly where your brand stands and where it needs to go next.

This isn't some vanity metric. It's a proper measurement that combines the stuff that actually matters:

  • Social channel data: Your follower growth, engagement rates, all the performance basics 
  • AI content scoring: How good your content really is (and whether your audience cares) 
  • Audience relevance surveys: The real test - what your ideal customers think

It's like a fitness tracker for your brand. Shows you your current health, tracks progress over time, and tells you exactly where to push harder. Think a WHOOP but for brands. 

Relevance Hub

Let's be honest: no one wants to engage with brands that just don't get it or feel tone-deaf.

Understanding your audience properly is everything. The Relevance Hub is your weekly brief on what actually matters right now:

  • The trends that count (not just the ones everyone's talking about)
  • Global culture tracking
  • Cross-sector industry moves
  • Social listening analysis that goes deeper than keyword mentions
  • Platform updates that will actually affect your strategy

If the R-Score is your fitness tracker, the Relevance Hub is your personal trainer: keeping you sharp on the latest moves each week.

Creative Relevance Framework

Shouting into the void with content nobody cares about? Definitely not a strategy.

The Creative Relevance Framework organizes your content into three pillars, combining their efforts into real results:

1. Showcasing the brand: Brand-led messaging, but made for social (not adapted for it)

2. Joining existing conversations: Meeting your audience where they already are, through trends, moments, and cultural references that make sense specifically to them

3. Making new moments: Creating original content that sparks fresh conversations and gets people talking

These three pillars help brands deliver content that feels authentic, timely, and impactful. To finish the fitness analogy: this is your workout plan, making sure every rep you do really counts for the broader goal.

Why The Relevance Stack Matters

Here's the truth: Relevance drives attention. Attention builds trust. Trust fuels growth.

The Relevance Stack is your three-part plan to nail all of that:

  1. A clear benchmark of where you stand right now
  2. Real-time insights into what your audience genuinely cares about
  3. A strategic framework for content that resonates instead of just existing

What this will give you is a social presence that stops people from scrolling, building genuine attachment to the brand, and delivering business results you can point to directly. 

Ready to Get Relevant?

We've built the tools. We'd love to help your brand build something that matters to your audience and to you.

Want to see how relevant your brand really is? Let's talk.

social posting frequency
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Social Media Posting Frequency: A Guide

If your brand’s not showing up on social, someone else is stealing your screen time. And by now we should all know that attention is everything.

With 32% of consumers now spending over three hours on social media per day, showing up is now a non-negotiable. But there’s a big difference between creating content and posting it at the right time.

When talking about planned content, the magic happens when the two work together: bulk-create, schedule strategically, and keep your feed flowing without the daily scramble.

Here's how to nail the what, when, and how often.

Why Social Media Posting Frequency Matters

Social media posting frequency doesn’t guarantee you’ll go viral. It means you’ll stay relevant. And in our book, that’s actually more important.

Posting consistently gets you 5x more engagement. It’s all about visibility. And visibility drives conversions.

All your favourite social platforms want a consistent stream of creative content. Don’t keep up, and you’ll soon be forgotten by the algorithm. Even worse, your audience will forget you exist.

Here’s what the algorithm loves to see:

·         Recency: Fresh, relevant posts tend to rank higher.

·         Engagement Velocity: How quickly people engage. A fast reaction rate equals more feed visibility. 

·         Content Variety: Mix it up. It shows you’re active and agile, not a one-trick pony. Think carousels, stories, reels, and lives.

But we’re not just trying to please the machine. You’ve got to train your audience. Let them know when you’re going to show up. This way they’re more likely to tune in and come back for more.

What to Post and When

On Instagram reels generate 1.36x more reach than carousels. On TikTok, 60% say they want funny content. Why does this matter? Understand the platform’s needs and you’ll soon see those engagement stats start to shoot up.

Take TikTok and LinkedIn. As audiences go, they’re pretty much on different ends of the scale.

TikTok thrives on raw, spontaneous, fast-paced video content. Trending sounds, viral challenges, quick edits are what users crave. Less planning, more reaction.

On LinkedIn, we’re talking thoughtful, well-crafted expert insights. Content that builds trust, educates, and drives conversation. More planning, more insights.

Usually, repurposing reactive TikTok videos on LinkedIn will fall flat. Likewise, that insightful post you’ve been planning for weeks on LinkedIn won’t gain TikTok traction.

Social Posting Frequency by Platform

Here’s your no-fluff breakdown. What to post. Where to post. And how often to do it without losing your mind.

  • Instagram: 3 to 4 mixed media posts a week and 2 stories per day. Think a heady mix of carousels, reels, and static posts.
  • TikTok: 3 to 5 times per week… or more if you have capacity. Monitor trends, be reactive, stay current. The more you post, the more likely you engage.
  • Facebook: Once per day. Stay relevant but don’t overwhelm. 
  • LinkedIn: 2 to 3 times a week. Weekly posting gets you 2x more engagement, so what are you waiting for?
  • Twitter/X: 2 to 3 times per day. Twitter moves quickly and so should you.

Why One Size Doesn’t Fit All

We’ve got the “how often” part down, now let’s dig into the why. Why do different posting frequencies work for different platforms - or even sectors - and how can we stay on top of it?

You and your audience

If you’re fashion-focused and trend aware you probably want to be all over socials with daily content across channels. But targeting niche audiences in B2B markets? Pick a channel and work it well.

Got a bigger audience already? Keep the beast fed with regular posts. Your followers small but perfectly formed? Less and more focussed works for them.

Differences in Content Lifespan

What disappears in 24 hours on one platform can live (and drive traffic) for months on another. Instagram Stories vanish after a day. Pinterest Pins can surface in search results for months.

Pinterest and YouTube reward evergreen content. Instagram Stories and TikTok demand a more regular drumbeat to stay visible.

Quality vs Quantity

TikTok embraces volume. Want to post 3-4 times a day? That’s no problem. It’s actually encouraged, especially when using trending sounds and formats.

Over at LinkedIn and Instagram, quality always trumps quantity. Audiences want purposeful posting, not repetition.

Content That Lasts vs. Content That Moves

Not all content serves the same purpose. Campaign launches, seasonal trends and reactive posts need a short, fast push to stay relevant. Evergreen content (your tutorials, FAQs, or educational posts) have long-term value. Share these at a slower pace and repurposed over time.

Have a mix of content to stay exciting in the eyes of your audience. 

Reuse, Recycle, Remix

Content creation requires a lot of input. Smart brands make posting frequency consistent by repurposing content.

TikTok        Instagram Reel

Blog Post          LinkedIn Carousel

Instagram Stories         Refreshed with new covers and captions

Remixing across platforms and formats ensures consistency without burnout; for you and your audience.

How Often Should Your Brand Post?

We’d love to give you a magic number. One that fits every brand. Unfortunately though, the truth is social posting frequency depends on you, your unique mix of resources, your KPIs and even your audience.

Have a think about these:

·         What can you actually manage? Can you consistently roll out high-quality, relevant socials without burning out? Or is it better to post less and post well?

·         Dig into the data: Are your posts engaging? Are you gaining followers? Keep an eye on the metrics. Find when it’s time to scale up or down.

·         Posting frequency that feeds into goals: Looking to build brand visibility? Post daily. Want meaningful relationships, post less often but with content that sparks conversation. Each social schedule should be unique to your brand.

Signs of TMI

Before you hit “post”, consider this: when brands moved from 0.5 to 1.5 posts per day, they suffered a 19% reduction in engagement per post.

More is not always better. And it might be turning your audience off. Push too hard and your audience tunes out. Too little, and they forget you exist. It’s about striking the sweet spot.

Posting Too Much Looks Like:

·         Engagement Fatigue: Likes and comments dip even though you’re posting daily. Audience is likely overwhelmed or bored by repetition.

·         Follower Churn: A steady stream of unfollows means you’re becoming noise, not value.

Posting Too Little Looks Like:

·         Stagnant Growth: Stuck with the same followers for months, inconsistent posting could be to blame.

·         Low Impressions: Algorithms favour fresh content. You don’t post, you aren’t surfaced.

The Spin Angle

Frequency is a powerful lever, but it’s not a social strategy. More only works when there’s a reason. Every post should offer something to your audience. Insight or entertainment, it should strike a chord and leave them coming back for more.

That’s where Spin comes in: we build tailored, culture-first strategies that balance consistency with creativity, making sure every post has a purpose and every brand moment lands.

Need a posting plan that actually performs? Let’s build one together.

balancing trends with brand consistency
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Balancing Trends With Brand Consistency

Brand consistency is your social superpower. It’s how people recognise you, trust you, and come back for more.

But we’re also in the age of speed. Blink and there’s a new meme, sound, or format dominating the feed.

React too slowly and you miss your moment. React too fast and risk sounding like a try-hard.

How do brands stay consistent and culturally relevant? We break it down for you.

Consistency vs responsiveness: the best of both

In the world of memes and viral trends where algorithms rule all, staying consistent can feel like a losing battle, chasing a rainbow, running in circles… You get it.

Your grid’s looking clean, your tone is on point, then boom, a competitor drops a viral trend-jack and runs off with your engagement.

Responsiveness is within reach. We can show you how to flex when it matters, hold the line when it doesn’t.

Why brand consistency still rules

Before we reveal our hard-won consistency insights, you need to know why it's so important.

Being consistent isn’t about being boring, but about being memorable, trustworthy, and instantly recognisable in a busy feed.

Brand consistency on socials means…

  • Recognition: Easier for people to know it’s you
  • Trust: Consistency equals credibility
  • Better ROI: The stats back it up 
  • Time Saved: Guesswork is gone, approvals flow fast
  • Creativity clarity: Fewer boundaries to better ideas

How to do build your brand

As social media strategy experts we're familiar with how the brand sausage is made. These top tips will lay the solid groundwork for consistency:

  • Use your tone of voice: Too many companies have beautiful (and expensive) TOV docs languishing in some long-forgotten folder. Use them!
  • Embrace a visual identity: Colours, fonts, layouts and overall style. Be consistent
  • Build repeatable themes: Recurring content types lay the groundwork for spontaneous variety.
  • Be predictable (but not boring): Don't post at the same time every day; don't ghost your audience for months at a time.
  • Platform-specific, on-brand behaviour: Stay true to your brand’s through-line.

Flex the Brand When it Matters

Consistency isn’t rigidity. It’s control. It’s knowing the guardrails so you can intentionally break them.

Responding to trends is about acting spontaneously within strategic parameters.

Understand the trends, how you’ll respond, and what the process for responding is.

The first step: looking for trends that matter.

Which Trends Matter?

The best brands don’t jump on every trend. Just the right ones.

Here’s how to tell if a trend is worth your time or whether to just keep on scrolling:

  • It aligns with your tone of voice and values: much easier if they're clearly defined!
  • It fits the platform where you’re active: a TikTok trend won’t be a good fit if you’re only active on LinkedIn - don’t shoehorn trends onto bad-fit platforms
  • It speaks to your audience’s interests: make sure you know what they are in advance so you can effectively gauge this
  • You can add something meaningful to the conversation: responding to trends is a way to showcase your brand voice and ethos in a new, interesting way
  • You can react fast enough to still be relevant

This last point taps into a real common pain point: sign-off. If it takes 5 layers of approval to post a trending meme... you’re already too late.

That said, there are legit reasons to pass trends by…

When to sit this one out

Some trends are more trouble than they’re worth, regardless of the audience size. 

Watch out for:

  • Outrage bait: if it’s built on controversy, skip it. 
  • Hijacked moments: if it’s been co-opted by extreme or fringe groups, skip it.
  • Off-brand energy: if you need to explain the connection, skip it. This is the online version of having to explain a joke because no one laughed.
  • Overexposure: if a million brands are on it already, it’s just noise. 
  • The wrong format: if your product doesn’t fit the trend’s format, trying to shoehorn it in will look clumsy and awkward.
  • You weren’t fast enough: we’re going to say this again: if your sign-off process moves too slowly, you’re better off sitting it out than being late to the party.

Brands that nail social know when to lean in. They move fast, but stay true to their core values. It takes skill, cultural awareness, a feel for timing, and - you know it already - strategy.

All the things that Spin has in spades, incidentally.

Spot your bandwagon and jump on it gracefully

Speed. Timing. Cultural fluency. That’s the real game. And even with luck, without strategy it just won’t land.

And to do that you need:

  • Clear parameters: what’s on-brand, what’s borderline, what’s off-limits
  • Pre-approved guidance: the formats, tone, and visuals that can be adapted fast
  • A trusted team:–whether in-house or agency-side, you need a core of social natives who know your brand inside out that you trust to post when they think the time is right

Enter: Spin. Trend fluency is at the heart of what we do. We’ve helped tons of brands to tune in to the right trends, filter out the noise, and move fast without going off-brand.

The result is a perfect balance of consistency and trend-awareness. 

Need help with the balancing act?

Nailing the sweet spot between brand consistency and cultural relevance is easier when you know how. 

With a team of social-natives with fingers ever on the pulse, and a proven track record of delivering social success for global brands, we can help you stay solid and spontaneous.

Want to flex your brand without losing your edge? Let’s talk

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