If you’re reading this, you made it to the final weeks of 2022! Let’s take a minute and pat ourselves on the back for getting ourselves (and our businesses) through another unpredictable, chaotic year.

Through groundbreaking news stories and an unexpected shakeup to the social media landscape, 2022 brought some new challenges that marketers had to address on the fly. As we look back on the year, we’ll discuss the lessons we learned and how we expect brands to apply them in 2023 and beyond.

Lesson #1: Diversify on social (and watch the news about each platform closely).

In many ways, 2022 was a catastrophic year for social platforms. Facebook has seen slowing user growth in the midst of new lawsuits and restrictive privacy policies from Apple. Twitter’s well-documented chaos has resulted in most advertisers viewing the platform as toxic and unreliable. According to NPR, Twitter has lost at least half of their top 100 advertisers since Elon Musk took ownership. Additionally, Twitter has lost nearly 70 percent of its staff, and Meta has laid off more than 11,000 of its employees. On the other end of the spectrum, TikTok continues to post record growth numbers. The platform’s popular features have upended the digital landscape and left the other social giants scrambling to keep up.

The social media turmoil should teach us that in the years ahead, marketers should avoid becoming too reliant on any one site. Putting all of your eggs in one social basket can put your brand at risk when circumstances change and your preferred platform becomes inhospitable. In 2023, we plan to keep a close eye on social news and trends and will be prepared to adapt quickly. Expect to see the traditional social sites either adjust or fade into the background, while up-and-coming platforms cement their place in social media strategies.

As more new sites hit the playing field, don’t be afraid to watch them develop before you jump in. It can be advantageous to be ahead of the trends, but you also don’t want to join a platform that quickly crashes and burns or becomes a laughingstock.

Lesson #2: You can reach more consumers with short form video content.

Given the popularity of TikTok, Instagram Reels and other similar offerings, short form video’s high engagement numbers should come as no surprise. According to Hubspot, shorter videos receive the post engagement of any social media content and also boasts the highest ROI. Short form videos are easy for viewers to consume, and they’re often more humorous or trend-based, which can be appealing for people. Users are also more likely to send these videos to friends due to the low time investment they require. Brands have taken notice of these factors, and 30% of marketers plan to invest more in short form video than any other social media content (Hubspot).

If your business hasn’t started prioritizing shorter videos on social, 2023 is the time. To brainstorm ideas, pay attention to trending sounds or popular video formats. Many users search for new content to watch based on their favorite sounds or video challenges, so taking part in those trends can help put your company in front of a new, larger audience that may be interested in your products (or at the very least, learning more about your interesting brand).

Lesson #3: You can’t put a price tag on quality crisis communication.

In the closing months of 2022, several brands were involved in particularly damaging controversies. When Kanye West began making antisemitic statements, it took two weeks for Adidas, his longtime collaborator, to announce that they were terminating the relationship. Despite their ultimate decision to drop Ye, many criticized Adidas for taking weeks to make their decision, especially given the rapper’s history of controversy.

In another instance, Balenciaga faced accusations of sexualizing children in the wake of a recent campaign. The brand issued several apologies, but also tried to deflect blame on the campaign’s photographer and prop houses. Their response was lacking for many consumers, who took to social media to condemn the brand and post pictures of Balenciaga products in the trash. These companies’ poor responses to their crises cost them their reputation in the eyes of many customers.

Next year, we expect more brands to work internally to prepare crisis communication plans in advance of potential controversies. If Adidas or Balenciaga had a response plan already in place, they may have been able to make a better, more timely statement that appeased consumers. For advice on crisis communication best practices for your small business, check out this helpful article.

Lesson #4: It’s more advantageous to play the long game with influencers.

In the early days of influencer marketing, many brands assumed the best way to get the most engagement was to partner with the biggest name with the most followers – even if it meant paying an astronomical amount for one promotion. After years of experience, we’ve now learned that maintaining long-term relationships with smaller influencers can generate far more success than a standalone ad from a bigger account.

Although they may have thousands of followers instead of millions, those followers tend to be extremely loyal. These days, users see micro-influencers almost like trusted friends or advisors, and frequently make purchases every time they share an update or discount code. Partnering with multiple smaller influencers also lets brands reach many different audiences and lower the risk of each investment.

In 2023, we not only expect more brands to work with micro-influencers, but we also see those brands making bigger commitments with their longtime partners. We’ve already started to see businesses create exclusive collections or co-host interactive events with their frequent collaborators. In the future, watch for more brands to engage in those kinds of campaigns to build increased loyalty with influencers’ followers.