Sometimes, it can feel difficult to keep up with the digital marketing world. With changes in Google’s algorithm and instagram engagement fluctuating all the time, it can be easy to get disheartened.
We’ve been looking into what’s to come for marketers in 2023 so we can prepare our content strategy and embrace the changes and evolution of the marketing world.
From understanding influencer marketing, to building a presence on LinkedIn, there’s something out there that you can change and adapt in your 2023 marketing strategy. Let’s take a look at 5 marketing trends you should consider in 2023.
1. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is not a new concept, in fact the concept of being influenced by a popular figure has been around for decades with many people claiming Santa Claus for Coca-Cola was one of the first examples of influencer marketing. The use of this ‘grandfather’ figure shaped what we picture santa Claus as today and how he is depicted in story-books, movies and ads all over the world.
The impact of influencer marketing
Today, 92% of consumers trust people on social media who promote a product more than they do brands who advertise directly. And now almost every brand that has a social media presence utilises influencers to promote their products or services.
The influencer marketing industry is only going to continue growing in 2023 so it’s essential that your brand has a strategy in place that involves influencers. However, contrary to popular belief, influencer marketing is not all about gaining access to the influencers with the largest following or biggest community online, it’s also about picking out the influencers that have a smaller following but stronger connections with their audience…
The power of micro and macro influencers
Micro and macro influencers have been used by a lot of brands in recent years. Micro influencers (with 1,000 - 100,000 followers) and macro influencers (with 100,000 to [a still impressive] 1 million followers) tend to have more of a connection with their followers.
They’re seen to have built a ‘small’ community with a common interest, as opposed to a global celebrity who may have a more varied fanbase. There is often a more organic feel to this type of content and consumers are more likely to buy into a product if they feel like it’s promoted authentically to them.
Micro and macro influencers can also be a good way to market whilst staying within the realm or a limited marketing budget aiding by your budget since these types of influencers tend to come with smaller price tags than your Ronaldos or Kardashians, for example!
It is predicted that the global influencer marketing platform market size will reach $84.89 billion by 2028. So, in 2023, you will definitely benefit from jumping on the influencer marketing bandwagon.
2. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intellignce is everywhere right now. And by everywhere, we mean everywhere!
People are talking about it on social media and sharing their avatars that an ai-powered application generated, in the creative industry it’s a hot topic and we’ve just seen the booming interest in ChatGTP - a chatbot developed by OpenAI. So, it goes without saying that the interest in AI is here to stay, and as marketers we should be learning about it and how we can incorporate it into our marketing strategy.
AI as we know it
We already rely on AI to help us accomplish many daily tasks, for example collating data on Google analytics, providing insights on social media platforms and using chatbots to provide customer service. In fact, it is predicted that AI will be responsible for creating $3.9 trillion in business value this year.
The future of AI in marketing
For now, we are using AI to better understand customer behaviour, gain useful insights into our data and make changes where we can to our approach. But we are seeing a shift in the role of AI and it is gaining a stronger presence in advertising; it is seen to have a massive understanding of the consumer market and the people they want to target.
In 2023, we can expect that our reliance on AI will continue to increase as AI takes on other tasks in the marketing world.
For example, AI can create and upload social media content and run campaigns using the data that they have collated. This data can help the machines learn what is the most effective way to place advertisements and how to reach the target audience more accurately too.
AI can be used to create content, writing long form or short form pieces and generating email and website copy. This is an area which will grow and improve as AI becomes even more intelligent.
Nike, for example, used AI to generate entire ideas for campaigns and then they executed the idea. So, in 2023 marketers should embrace the presence of AI and learn how they can use it to make their marketing more efficient.
3. Short-form video content
Video content has been around for decades and many brands use it in different ways; to present their services on their website, to showcase their products and how they are used or to provide entertainment to their customers. Yet, in recent years we have seen a shift in the way we use video content in the marketing world.
The evolution of video content
For a while, we loved long-form content in the form of YouTube videos. But now, with the launch of TikTok, the addictive social media video platform which allows you to post between 15 second and 10 minute long videos, we have evolved towards short video content consumers.
TikTok has been downloaded over 3 billion times (wow!), so if you’re not on board with it, it’s something you should consider as part of your marketing strategy in 2023. In fact, TikTok has had such an impact that Instagram had to shift their strategy and introduce reels, a form of short video content. And Youtube now has ‘Youtube Shorts’.
Video content and target audiences
In addition, understanding the reason why consumers enjoy short video content is important.
Younger generations, having only known a life monolpolised by digital technologies and social media platforms, have much shorter attention spans. What’s more, if they’re not hooked in the first 5 seconds, they’ll swipe on by - just like a Tindr profile!
This means video content beads to be engaging and communicate a short, simple message in a clear manner. The shortening of consumers’ attention spans means that social media platforms have had to adjust their style of marketing to try and capture people’s attention successfully.
Creating video content
Video content is easier to make today than it has ever been. Most people can access a smartphone with a video camera and create and upload video content directly from that device.
And with platforms like Canva and iMovie it’s never been easier for ‘amateurs’ to stitch together powerful video content!
It cannot be denied that short video content is taking over in the marketing sphere and it’s another trend that we predict to continue into 2023. Investing in your marketing team’s video equipment and software, as well as making sure you have members of the team that really understand the young generation and their tendencies online, will work in your favour.
4. SEO
Search Engine Optimisation will continue to be an impactful marketing trend in 2023 and companies should be investing time into understanding SEO and how it can benefit them. With the volatility of social media platforms and the risk that they may not all be there forever, it is not recommended that you have all of your customers on one sole platform.
This is where SEO comes into play.
The power of SEO
If you build up an audience via a blog on your website and then build up an emailing list, you have an audience that are there to stay and can’t be taken away from you.
With the recent news stories surrounding the threats of TikTok not being allowed on certain devices in America and the controversy surrounding twitter, it is vital that companies build a following outside of social media platforms.
One of the best ways you can do this is to start writing articles which target keywords and topics in your niche. Learning how to write an article that is optimised for Google and which will help you appear higher in the search results will really benefit your business in the long run. If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to writing an article that will rank high in Google, be sure to steal all of our top tips!
The popularity of blogs and articles is something which should not be underestimated and although other types of content marketing are popular such as video, blogs still remain a valuable marketing strategy for many businesses.
It’s been shown that when asked if they bought a product after reading a blog post about it, 56% of consumers said yes. Articles and blogs work similarly to influencer marketing in that customers trust other people’s perceptions of a product over that of the brand itself and are more likely to purchase something that’s been recommended to them.
You certainly won’t go wrong investing in the SEO side of your business in 2023.
5. Social media
Social media is growing and growing and we see more and more of a transition towards using social media as a tool rather than for entertainment.
Evolution of social media channels
In 2023 we predict that this will continue to evolve and these platforms will shift to providing customer service alongside entertainment.
Many accounts now use direct messages to respond to customer queries or to send them essential information about products. Or many businesses operate through Whatsapp to communicate with customers. You can now make table reservations and hair appointments all booked through Whatsapp.
It makes communication clear and straightforward and is a lot quicker than email.
Instagram DMs
Ask any Gen-Z person where they go to search for restaurants and I bet they won’t say Google, they’ll say Instagram. There is a definite shift towards Instagram being a place where customers go to find out information about a restaurant, their opening times, their menu, customer reviews and of course to see how 'instagrammable' their food is (do it for the gram!). It has been found that 20% of Gen-Z-ers have contacted a brand via social media in the last three months.
TikTok
TikTok is another platform that has been said to be providing some competition with Google for search results. More and more people are using TikTok to search for local recommendations or travel tips and pointers. Brands should cash in on this and get their presence on TikTok polished up and make sure they are providing useful content to users.
Another social media platform which has seen significant growth recently is LinkedIn. Building a presence on LinkedIn is important and there are a lot of opportunities for growth on LinkedIn.
It has been found that marketers see up to 2x higher conversion rates on LinkedIn and the power of linkedIn in targeting specific audiences is something which all brands should be getting on board with. LinkedIn ads are regarded highly by marketers and they are said to produce good results across the board.
Businesses need to be aware of this shift in consumer behaviour and make sure their social media pages are informative and helpful for anyone looking for products or services in the local area. The same goes for your Google profile, make sure it has been updated regularly and all essential information is there, that way people will be more likely to visit your shop or restaurant.
If you’re not investing in some form of social media as part of your marketing strategy then make 2023 be the year that you get on top of that!
So, what to look out for in 2023…
There are many marketing tactics that you may use already, but there are always opportunities to adopt, build upon and invest in to ensure your marketing strategy is up to scratch in 2023.
- Consider influencer marketing
- Keep an eye on AI and its evolution
- Keep up with shifts in video content
- Polish up your social media presence
- Invest in solid SEO practices
Focusing on these will allow you to continue to grow and succeed in the marketing industry in 2023.
Happy marketing!
Just a heads up, some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, meaning we may make a small commission on any sign-ups or purchases for the tools we recommend.
