The 12+1 communication trends for 2023

War, rising prices, inflation, climate change, ended a year marked by a cataclysm to come. So, between landing, or not, the end of the world, let’s put optimism to work. Let’s fix our gaze on the trends that will mark communication in 2023, those that are already here, and even those that have arrived and have become strong.

1. Artificial intelligence (AI). The word of 2022 for the Fundeu will materialize this year especially in the press and digital platforms. AI can automate certain tasks that were previously done manually. It is already possible and common practice to generate content in various formats (text, image and even video) in just a fraction of what it would take a human to do it.

In addition, AI is currently contributing to the generation of higher quality content through duplication detection and translation review. Digital media also use it to attract subscribers. They identify patterns in their user acquisition campaigns and thus it is easier for them to recognize the content that performs better and generates more subscriptions. It can also serve to verify information. Thanks to AI, the media can verify information in record time, using automatic learning tools, they can compare large batches of information to verify its veracity.

2. Metaverse. Even in takeoff, its landing can already be glimpsed with the avatars that we can create in some social networks Companies begin to build their presence in it, either by developing their own platforms or occupying existing ones such as Meta Horizons, Fortnite, VR Chat or Decetraland. In addition to being a marketing tool, the metaverse promises to provide virtual worlds in which to conduct business remotely, it can also be used to create physical objects, from cars to wind farms, into virtual worlds to test their efficiency. Metaverse technology is already used to conduct courses or in collaborative work environments. Many more things will arrive in 2023, although we are still in that trial and error phase.

3. Corporate activism. It will be necessary to take a position on issues of social interest. It is no longer worth talking about social responsibility and change, companies must work on concrete actions that support causes related to mental health, LGBTIQ+ rights or gender equality. This year will serve as a litmus test for the ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) & DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) strategy of companies, to see how convinced and committed they are to sustainability, corporate responsibility, equality and the rest of ESG and DEI strategies. The different interest groups will demand not only commitments and words, but real action because there has already been time to act.

4. Increase the influence of the CEO through new communication skills. Society demands a greater positioning of business leaders in the face of major social, political and cultural issues. A challenge loaded with opportunities for the company’s reputation. The CEO’s publications on Linkedin can be a fundamental tool to enhance his image and that of the company by showing his work in it and his most personal side. Managers, the company’s relevant figures, must also be part of the communication strategy, and they must be trained to make them good spokespersons.

5. Goodbye mass speech, here’s the personalized approach. Massive press releases have ceased to have force for some time. It is necessary to avoid using a massive speech to the media to propose a topic, press release or interview because although it used to work to gain coverage, today the trend is towards a personalized argument based on social listening, and the content interests of the medium and journalist. This requires having a greater knowledge of the media and journalists, to understand their needs and make a pitch offering stories of true value.

6. Quality versus quantity. Massive content delivery will coexist with higher quality coverage. Not only in view of the content preferences of the media, but also in the search for better coverage that has a greater impact on reputation. Press releases will continue to be an effective tool, but they will tend to be more concise, personalized and exclusive. We will see more appropriate content for each medium, with journalistic genres and formats little used for massive coverage, but of high quality, such as opinion articles, special collaborations and guest blogging. Relations with the media and journalists are also more necessary than ever to obtain quality coverage. Getting to know them and following up on their work will be essential to generate this relationship and make them more open to working with us.

7. SEO will be necessary to generate any type of content. SEO criteria and strategies will be incorporated into all content generated within the company beyond the web, press room or corporate blog. In addition, we must bear in mind the growth of voice searches, new linguistic trends, the increased use of mobile devices and the correct labeling of videos and images. Social SEO must also be taken into account. Using the SEO strategy in the RRSS will replace the use of hashtags. Using keyword-optimized descriptions instead of hashtags increases reach by 30% and doubles engagement, according to Hootsuite. When publishing any type of content, keyword research must be included in the social strategy.

8. Native advertising. A form of advertising in paid media that adapts in form and functionality to the environment in which it appears, allowing the user to be impacted in a less intrusive way than with traditional advertising. To be successful, this type of advertising depends on the quality of the content. In addition, committed advertising, committed to a cause, will continue to rise as a way of showing how we can move from words in our social commitment to action. The actions of this type of advertising must be accompanied by concrete facts with a long-term vision and sustainable over time.

9. Podcasts. According to an IAB report, six out of 10 users over the age of 16 listen to podcasts. Likewise, companies are using this type of platform either to sponsor these digital audio spaces or to get another channel to deal with issues related to the company’s activity, with people specialized in it.

10. Social networks. The networks will become the new Google. On the other hand, users look for authenticity and closeness on the networks, real images and without filters, so for companies the challenge will be to dare to create more natural corporate content that shows their reality, that is transparent. We have also begun to reconsider our relationship with the big RRSS, so it is expected that a growing part of the users will turn to smaller platforms.

TikTok will increase your reach. The new functionalities that it could incorporate will make it a ‘super application’, an all-in-one app that includes social networks, messaging, services, payments and anything that is normally done on the Internet. There are even rumors that it might be building warehouses to compete with Amazon.

BeReal. In the world of apps there is still a long way to go. One of the latest features of Tik Tok was to copy BeReal, which demonstrates the upward trend of bringing more reality to applications. BeReal is a photo sharing app that invites users to post one photo a day without filters or edits to a select group of friends.

Linkedin. It will be much more than a social platform, the saturation of the rest of the RRSS may have made it a good place to attract attention. Now more personal content is created. Without going overboard, you have to share and publish human stories.

11. User Generated Content. Content created by people in RRSS and not by brands will gain value. Instead of posting a product photo taken by a professional photographer, a business might choose to post a photo of a user happy with their purchase.

12. Videos, especially short ones. The video will continue to be the star format and the short videos will be the ones that take the cake; So goodbye to gifs and long live reels. Even YouTube has created Shorts following a trend that will become stronger this year: vertical videos. In 2023 we will see how content is planned to be consumed ‘vertically – first’. We must also keep in mind the need to incorporate subtitles to these videos.

13. Goodbye to segmentation by generations, you have to create content-communicate adapting to the motivations and situation of the audience at all times. It is the segmentation by attitudes, one experiential and one of a social type: buying a house, your first child, your political opinions and the world around us. Two people from different generations can share experiences. Identify the insight of a brand by analyzing the important milestones in a person’s life.

Sure they are all that are, but they are not all that they are. This is a compilation resulting from the readings of the analyzes of Hootsuite, Best, Esencial Comunicación, Kreab and Puro Marketing among many others. We even hope to read yours in the comments to the post. ?