State of Social: Insight and inspiration for your 2023 social media campaigns

Take Elon Musk doing the most on Twitter to Zuckerberg’s record losses across Meta and top it with users’ demands to “BeReal”, it’s no wonder many of us are often unsure where to start in driving brand success in our social media campaigns in 2023.

It’s right that the social landscape is constantly evolving and so too are the challenges brands face. Yet on the flip side, opportunities for brands to stand out and engage truthfully with audiences within this space has never been more within reach.

So how can a brand carve out its own space amongst the competition? Harness trends authentically? Make social work better for them and their audiences?

On Wednesday 1 March 2023, our resident Social Expert, Shaneen Olmos, gave a quick-fire session breaking down the key trends you needed to know about – to give you that boost in confidence for your next campaign.

In the 45-minute Zoom session, we covered:

– Thinking social-first across brand activations
– Engaging users in cause-based partnerships across the social space
– How to craft campaigns for the Gaming/Streaming audience
– A look through the crystal ball at upcoming social trends

And what a turnout we had, with over 170 registrations for this topic – thank you so much for attending!!

We were inundated with lots of brilliant questions for Shaneen, and although we could have sat there all day to answer these, we can imagine you have busy days ahead. So fear not, you can scroll down to our “Dear Shaneen” piece to find her take on all of your questions below.

Having slight FOMO or want to share the session with a colleague? Don’t worry, you can catch-up on the State of Social for Good event in-full.

Watch the session below

Dear Shaneen…

Q: For a newbie, what is the best way to promote our brand in the gaming space, is it via a partnership? If so are there any recommendations?

Shaneen: This is such a great question, the start is always the trickiest!

Audience insight will be key for you here. If you can I’d start by finding out whether your existing audience are gamers and streamers. Tap into this fountain of knowledge to better understand how you could fit into that experience so it feels natural, and almost obvious, to the audience you are trying to reach.

Also figure out the why for your brand. Why is entering the gaming space important to you? Is it to fundraise? Or entertain?

With these two bits of knowledge you will start to figure out what type of direction to go: immersive experience, in-game product, or streaming campaign!

Q: What sources do you use to stay up to date with the latest social trends and more on social media campaigns in 2023?

Shaneen: I love Social Media Today, Later and Hootsuite to stay up to date with what is happening across social media.
They have some great articles, and you can get the updates straight to your inbox!

I’d also say to you and to other article readers, if you found the session helpful, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (scroll right down to the bottom of the page). We share the latest social media trends and strategic insights, so it’s a great way to stay in the loop. Keep an eye out for it!

Q: How would you recommend asking for more budget for social media paid ad spend? Hitting a bit of a wall right now internally!

Shaneen: This is one of the biggest challenges for marketers!

From experience, building a business case that demonstrates the value that social brings is key. If you don’t have a lot of existing data and insight into your own campaigns, start looking at direct and in-direct competitors and what they are doing on social – for brands to thrive they can’t be left behind!!

Q: Do you recommend using your socials as a space to talk about sustainability? We tend to use our organic channels to sell our product but I feel like we could be doing so much more!

Shaneen: Yes, absolutely. Social is the tool for you to create conversations with your ideal customer.

If your content is more focused on selling than building connection and sparking conversations, you will soon find that your audience switches off and there will be a drop in engagement and conversions. If this kind of content is very new and different to your audience, the start might be a little rocky but keep checking in with them (stories and polls are great for this!) until you find the balance that is just right.

Q: If you are new to social as a charity brand and want to build a community with little budget, where should we start?

Shaneen: Start at your social media strategy, map out the customer journey and the key messaging you need to deliver throughout that journey. With this, you can build a content strategy that effectively reaches out to your audience and nurtures their engagement.

Whilst you tweak your strategy to take community building into consideration, don’t be afraid to slide into the DM’s to thank new followers for their support or respond to comments and ask your audience questions.

Q: How can a company maximise their social media content when the majority of their work is confidential? For example, what type of content that shows off their work/employees but still being confidential?

Shaneen: If you can’t share the work you and your team are doing, perhaps you can share common trends you are seeing across the work. For example, any common challenges your clients face that your team can share tips and insight on without revealing anything confidential. Alternatively, leverage your employees and what they love about the work they do.

Q: How do you choose which platforms to focus on when you have limited time and resources?

Shaneen: This is a very good question!

If you can, set a little time to dive into your audience insight and understand where they are, and where they are most receptive to your messaging. Social media analytics are a great place to start!

This allows you to streamline your current process, and move back from any platforms and content that doesn’t align with your audience and strategic goals.

What to expect from our State of Social for Good series

If you feel like you’re in need of an SOS, then our SoS – ‘State of Social’ series has you covered. Led by our Social Media Manager, Shaneen Olmos, and Account Manager, Tarun Shah, we’ll bring you the latest trends and campaign examples to inspire your future campaigns.

This will be a quick-fire, 45-minute webinar presentation, taking you on a whistle-stop tour of recent campaign examples from charities, brands and B Corp friends. So sit back, grab a morning coffee, and start your day with a burst of inspiration.

After the sessions, Shaneen will be on-hand to answer your burning questions. So, be sure to send them in during the webinar, or email shaneen@raw.london.

About Shaneen

As Social Media Manager at Raw London, Shaneen is a digital obsessive who makes it her goal to keep on top of the ever-changing state of social, and to coach brands on how to leverage the power for their presence and growth. Her particular passion is making social a more ethical, accessible and kinder space for all.

Some of Shaneen’s projects include smashing training application targets for Health Education England, earning 1.8 million social impressions for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation and most recently leading our team at The Creative Shootout, with a social-first campaign for FoodCycle.

Want to say hi? Email shaneen@raw.london

Have something to say? What are you waiting for? Get involved!

Brilliant input make these knowledge-share events possible! So, if you have your own case study to share and you’re up for the challenge, email Laura at laura.toy@raw.london.