What Are the Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2023?

In the year 2023, businesses will need to make preparations for a global crisis related to the rising cost of living because customers are becoming more selective about the goods and services they purchase.

This indicates that it will be even more vital for businesses to be open and honest in the future year, as well as consider their messaging and research, or make adjustments to their strategy. It also means that marketeers need to be aware of the trends that are on the horizon so that they can prepare accordingly and make the most of any new opportunities that arise.

We have discussed on our podcast with leaders in the business the most essential trends for 2023 in order to assist you get off to a strong start in the new year. You might also be interested in watching our Trends webinar, which will cover additional significant themes to keep an eye on in 2023.

Continue reading to learn about the trends that will dominate in 2023.

• Within the realm of social media and influencer marketing, we take a look at SuperApps, the emergence of creators, and TikTok’s impact on the corporate world.

• When it comes to B2B marketing, topics such as the value of video content, how to dominate social selling, and curated content are frequently discussed.

• It appears that content marketing will witness an increase in the number of links, partnerships between creators and brands, and an ongoing requirement to produce excellent material.

• In the year 2023, marketing automation will be a hot topic, both in terms of the tools that are currently accessible and the highly anticipated GPT-4.

• Additionally, Martech is anticipated to continue expanding, while CRO is anticipated to take a larger lead. And the metaverse is not going anywhere anytime soon.

1. Trends in Social Media Marketing and Influencer Marketing

In the field of social media, there are some truly intriguing developments that are on the horizon for the year 2023. In point of fact, it is a sector of marketing that will undergo major transformation, and companies need to stay current in order to maintain a presence and make efficient use of the platforms.

TikTok is constantly improving while maintaining its market dominance.

TikTok has emerged as a formidable competitor in the space of social media marketing. This is not going to alter in the year 2023 at all. According to The Business of Apps, TikTok produced $4.6 billion in 2021, which is a 142 percent increase year-on-year. Additionally, 1.8 billion monthly active users are anticipated to utilize the app by the end of 2022.

TikTok is gaining headway in a variety of markets, not limited to users or content makers. As a result of the platform’s efforts to make its services more accessible to companies and to enhance the targeting possibilities available for advertising, it will be an expanded and improved resource for brands in 2023.

The simplicity of TikTok’s business tools is one of the things that we can look forward to seeing from the company in the coming year. They have already made a name for themselves by significantly enhancing the usability of their advertising dashboard for companies. Alison Battisby, a social media strategist with Avocado Social, says, “I’ve been looking at some of the new targeting tools they’ve announced for their advertisements, and they are excellent.”

Decentralizing social media to create a ‘super app’

The vulnerabilities of social media platforms have been brought into sharper focus as a result of the recent developments at Twitter. Customers are increasingly less interested in interacting with platforms that are managed by billionaires and more interested in maintaining control over their own content and data.

According to Battisby, “we are headed towards a necessity for the decentralization of social networks.” [Citation needed] Mastodon is one of the new and amazing platforms that we’re seeing, and it’s been getting a lot of downloads in the last few weeks. It’s one of the new and exciting platforms that we’re seeing. And the fact that it is constructed by a large number of people makes it an intriguing instrument.

Other applications are also being designed, such as Jack Dorsey’s BlueSky, which was once the chief executive officer of Twitter. The startup touts it as “a new basis for social networking which allows creators independence from platforms, developers the flexibility to build, and consumers a choice in how they want to experience things.” In other words, it’s more of an infrastructure than a platform.

The so-called “creative economy” will continue to develop and adapt.

Marketers need to uncover creators who have a voice and a fan base as brand recognition becomes more of a priority on social media (as opposed to pure lead generation) (small or otherwise).

In today’s fast-paced world, it can be difficult for companies to provide content that can hold the interest of their target audiences. That’s where content makers come in, and by “high-level influencers” I don’t mean celebrities or politicians. It may refer to staff members, clients, or even people who are considered to be subject matter experts in a specific field. Since COVID, we have witnessed a new culture in social media that places less importance on the number of followers and more emphasis on the material itself. This is occurring in an era that is being referred to as “recommended media.” Neal Schaffer, a leader in social media and an author, believes that this makes it even more imperative for brands to collaborate with content creators and influencers.

The introduction of content creator funds on TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch has resulted in the creation of an incentive for content creators to invest their time in the production of material that may be utilized by a business.

2. B2B MARKETING TRENDS

It is possible to view marketing directed at businesses as dull or, at the very least, less engaging than marketing directed toward consumers. But there is no reason for that to be the case. When marketing your business to other businesses, it is essential to demonstrate originality and make effective use of the various channels and instruments at your disposal.

Video, video, and more video

As marketers, we are all aware of the power that a fantastic video campaign possesses as a medium to both inform and engage with consumers. After all, 86 percent of companies employ some form of video marketing, and 92 percent consider it an essential element of their overall approach (according to Wyzowl research).

According to the same report, there are many different reasons why organizations choose to employ video, with explainer videos coming in first, followed by social media videos and presentations. YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram are the three most popular channels that businesses utilize.

When it comes to the sales and marketing cycle, video has the potential to be an essential player for B2B organizations. This is especially true on LinkedIn, as the network has recently seen an increase in the popularity of video content, which provides a means of connecting with and influencing clients.

“LinkedIn has evolved into a platform where users can easily build their own content in a short amount of time. It’s done by different people with differing degrees of smoothness. Your mileage may vary greatly based on the way you live and the money you have available. However, I believe that it has given that platform a great deal more personality, and it has made the information more shareable. According to Stephen Walsh, co-founder of Kineo along with Anders Pink, “(Video) is an excellent method for you to act like a maven or like a connection.”

Give your teams the authority to conduct social selling.

Brands and the sales teams who represent them can communicate with customers in an efficient manner thanks to social media. This is especially true for business-to-business (B2B) organizations, which typically have longer sales cycles and rely heavily on digital platforms as their primary source of providing information that is both helpful and relevant.

There is a distinction to be made, however, between publishing material that promotes a sales message and using content to engage readers and build relationships. Julie Atherton, an expert and author on social transformation, believes that this would be the primary factor driving the success of enterprises in 2023.

According to Atherton, “I think there will be a clear demarcation between businesses that empower and support their teams to use social media effectively in relationship-building and those who see social as another channel to push sales messaging through.” “I think there will be a clear demarcation between businesses that empower and support their teams to use social media effectively in relationship-building.” “Some businesses are afraid of letting go of control, and others are reluctant to give individuals the opportunity to express their unique personalities.”

An appetite for content that has been curated.

Although businesses place a significant emphasis on the creation of original content, sharing curated material can also be an effective marketing strategy.

If the content is pertinent, it has the potential to stimulate dialogues and demonstrate that your firm is engaged in finding a solution to a problem or sharing information rather than simply selling products or services.

“It doesn’t matter too much whether you developed that content or not if you’re reaching out to them with something helpful and interesting,” she said. I believe that providing some learning and insight through curated information can be an effective method to demonstrate that you are a reliable person who can bring value to the conversation. According to Walsh, it has the potential to be a very effective business-to-business strategy.

You can contribute several types of relevant content, such as: industry news; research conducted by third parties; press releases or announcements; interviews (video and blogging); in-depth features; podcasts; and podcasts of interviews.

3. CONTENT MARKETING TRENDS

According to research conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, even while 78% of marketers have a strategic approach to managing content, only 51% of them have a documented content plan in place that they can refer to. In today’s information-driven culture, that is a grave error to make.

Use content to drive connections

As marketers, we are aware that content can be utilized to give information and answers at any level of the marketing and sales funnel. However, content is capable of more than just that.

In the year 2023, you should utilize content in order to develop communities and make connections. Companies that cultivate and seek out connections with customers will be the most successful in the future, as customers are becoming increasingly interested in the value and ethos of brands.

Even if social media and email marketing certainly have their uses, the majority of my business is coming from the groups I’m a part of. People are looking for places to belong. According to Kate Toon, who is also the founder of Stay Tooned, “They want to reach out and gain assistance from other people.”

Partnerships between creators and brands need to be refined and defined.

The internet is filled with a great deal of chatter, which translates to an abundance of content. Some of the content that is already available is excellent; but, the majority of it is associated with the incorrect influencer or is not directed toward the appropriate audience. Here is when a strong collaboration between a content producer and a company could come in handy.

In the year 2023, many creators have goals related to growth and expansion. This indicates that rather than merely seeking sponsorships, they are looking for brand partnerships (instead of just sponsorships) that are congruent with their content. They want their posts to appear natural, and they want companies to offer guidance and support rather than simply leaving them to their own devices.

Maintain a healthy balance in your material so that it not only sells but also offers value.

According to marq’s ‘Content Effectiveness’ survey, more than half of marketers believe there has been a significant growth in the need for content over the past few years. But having more material isn’t the only thing that matters; the content you have should also be valuable to your potential consumers and existing ones.

“In my opinion, you should generate your own content and speak in a manner that is unique to you. However, according to Stephen Walsh, you are able to balance your content marketing budget with a greater amount of tailored material than most people believe.

4. MARKETING AUTOMATION TRENDS

Automation technologies provide a mechanism to automate routine and repetitive processes at scale, which is becoming increasingly important as businesses collect more data and are required to carry out a greater number of tasks in order to launch efficient marketing campaigns.

A move toward marketing that is based on signals

In the year 2023, there will be a transition away from marketing that is focused on technology and toward marketing that is based on anticipation. Because of this, marketers will be able to anticipate what customers want and then feed that information into processes that are automated.

This new way of thinking will not only make things more efficient, but it will also make it possible to personalize things. This is something that applies to platforms such as Google Ads, and it also appears to be the direction that Facebook and other social channels are moving.

“In digital marketing, we have been gathering data and analyzing behaviour, and what we are looking for are signals at this point. There is a distinction between the two, despite the fact that they may sound identical. According to Cathal Melinn, an expert in PPC and eCommerce, behaviors are a good indicator of interests, whereas signals are the audience “sort of telling you what they want.”

The significance of tools for automating processes

Gartner forecasts that by the year 2024, businesses who have IT teams that understand the requirements of customers will have a 20 percent competitive advantage over other businesses in terms of customer experience metrics.

This comprehension will depend on the use of automation solutions for both internal procedures and to improve the experience provided to customers. Tools for customer relationship management (CRM), social networking, advertising, lead management, and email marketing are included here.

“(One trend that will continue through 2023) is the increased usage of tools that allow for automation and personalisation at scale. It is difficult to accomplish this goal until you first comprehend the data at your disposal, then compile that data into a tool, and finally put the tool to use in order to automate your conversations with customers. According to Ken Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Digital Marketing Institute, this could involve automating processes such as determining “the next best action” based on what customers have done in the past and what they might do in the future.

The introduction of AI with the fourth generation of the Global Positioning System

It’s possible that you haven’t heard of GPT-4 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4), but it’s an innovative solution that may assist marketers in automating many different jobs.

It is a text-generation deep learning model that was developed by OpenAI. The model is trained using information that is available online. Its applications include AI for question and answer sessions, text summarization, machine translation, classification, and code creation; conversational AI; and code generation.

Clark Boyd, a consultant specializing in digital strategy, believes that this could present new chances for marketers. “We’re going to start seeing particular applications for various corporate use cases” (with GPT-4). At the moment, a significant amount of investment is being invested in firms that are attempting to construct, for instance, systems for the development of content for social media. Therefore, all you need to do is input some information about your company, and these tools will generate fifty suggestions for things you may include in your content. Then, you can just drag and drop the ones that pique your interest the most.

You can find out more about the influence that AI is having on content marketing by listening to our podcast titled “The Art of Copywriting.”

5. MARTECH TRENDS 2023

Technology for use in marketing – The performance of content (both online and offline), campaigns, and experiences can be created, executed, managed, and measured with the assistance of software known as martech. It is an efficient method for streamlining the customer journey and putting omnichannel marketing initiatives into action.

Martech spending will keep expanding

According to eMarketer, spending on martech in the United States will reach $20 billion for the first time in 2022, representing an increase of 15 percent year on year. This investment is the result of businesses investing in technology that will allow them to collect and retain data, analyze this data to make decisions, and then put those decisions into action.

It’s interesting to note that B2B enterprises are responsible for more than 30 percent of that spend, and it’s anticipated that their part will increase just little over the next couple of years, reaching $8.5 billion in 2024.

Experimentation won’t play a role in CRO work anymore.

Every business strives to increase the number of customers who buy from them online. This should translate to an increase in foot traffic, sales, and overall revenue, right?

Up until this point, a great number of marketers have tried out various types of testing and dabbled with conversion rate optimization (CRO). Chris Coomer, on the other hand, is of the opinion that the time of waiting around to see what occurs is coming to an end because it is no longer simply a matter of chasing the result.

“I believe that CRO has been viewed in a vacuum up until this point. It is the means by which we travel from point A to point B. He says, “I think everyone is starting to look more holistically, and clients are getting more savvy with what they want to see.” “I think everybody is starting to look more holistically”

“(As an agency), we will do something, and we will achieve a greater conversion rate; however, how will this influence the client’s bottom line? What kind of effects does this have on the user experience? Because of the questions that are being addressed, we are being driven to adopt that more holistic perspective.

Although growth in the metaverse is slow, brands will nonetheless participate.

The metaverse created a commotion in 2022 and will continue to do so in the years to come; yet, growth has been slower than anticipated due to a decline in earnings and an increase in expenditures.

Despite this, Alison Battisby is of the opinion that brands will start to consider what their strategy would be for the forthcoming era of immersive virtual communication world in the year 2023.

“One of the most significant telltale signals (of a new chapter in social technology) is Meta’s devotion to the metaverse, as well as the manner in which they are going all out to construct these virtual domains and existences. It’s going to take a few years for people’s behaviors to shift and for them to become accustomed to this new offering, but that doesn’t imply there won’t be any exciting innovation in this field over the next few years.

“Nike made an announcement not too long ago that they are going to start letting people design their own sneakers, which they can then sell or wear in the Nike virtual world. Battisby draws the following conclusion: “I predict that next year we’ll see a number of big businesses making a commitment towards the metaverse.”

2023 Marketing Trends Wrap-up

The year 2023 is likely to be a year filled with both excitement and difficulty for marketers. Because of external factors, companies need to give careful consideration to the messaging they use in order to engage their target audiences and link themselves with creators and influencers that share the same core beliefs.

The ongoing progress of marketing as a discipline, both in terms of technology and techniques, may be seen in these recent advances. Read the blog post titled “The Next Big Digital Marketing Trends in 2022″ to find out what we projected will happen in this year.

You have some time to consider what kinds of trends are important to you and the kinds of trends in which you can find opportunities in 2023. Happy planning!