The ever-changing and technologically advancing society we live in requires prioritizing customer satisfaction and retention. This necessitates taking into account the preferences and requirements of the consumers and enhancing user experience while using state-of-the-art technology. Let’s explore the future prospects for marketing in 2023.
1. Data privacy and customer-centricity
Focusing on the needs of customers is not a novel approach and, in fact, it is such a fundamental element that it can hardly be considered a tactic. Nonetheless, what is becoming increasingly crucial is safeguarding the privacy and data security of customers.
It is important for customers to be confident that their data is being treated with care. Although cookies have played a crucial role in shaping targeted advertisements and marketing campaigns, companies must ensure that they adhere to data regulations and effectively communicate this to their customers. Prioritizing data protection will establish trust with customers.
It is possible to collect data securely by using feedback or survey software that has compliance with GDPR.
2. Influencer marketing will evolve into a common marketing tactic
In 2022, influencer marketing gained significant momentum, and we anticipate that this trend will continue in 2023. This is because 89% of marketers who are presently involved in influencer marketing plan to either sustain or increase their investment in it next year.
Furthermore, a total of 17% of marketers intend to make their first-ever investment in it next year.
Collaborating with influencers and industry experts within one’s field can help marketers increase brand recognition and acquire followers from the influencers’ audience. If the budget does not allow for hiring a celebrity influencer with a large following, approximately 56% of marketers who engage in influencer marketing opt for micro-influencers.
Social media endorsers referred to as micro-influencers usually possess a smaller group of followers, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands. Nonetheless, despite their relatively lean following, their content usually exhibits a stronger impact because of their heightened rate of engagement.
These influencers have also identified a specific area of expertise within their industry, allowing them to actively participate in lead conversion, audience engagement, and brand visibility. As micro-influencers are perceived as regular individuals rather than inaccessible celebrities, their followers are more inclined to place faith in their viewpoints and advice.
The Londoner, also known as Rosie, is a travel and lifestyle influencer who has gained popularity with her audience of over 330k devoted followers who actively participate and interact with her content. The post on her profile with an image below demonstrates that Rosie has almost 11% engagement, evidenced by the impressive number of likes at nearly 36,000.
While it may be alluring to solely consider the number of followers an influencer has to determine their suitability for your brand, it’s crucial to bear in mind that genuine influence hinges on engagement metrics such as clicks, subscriptions, and purchases.
3. Video marketers will keep content short
The marketing industry has been revolutionized by short-form video and we anticipate its continuation until 2023. An astonishing 90% of marketers who use short-form video intend to either increase or maintain their investment in this regard next year. Additionally, one out of every five marketers aims to utilize short-form video for the first time in 2023.
Although long-form videos have the ability to provide substantial details and information about a product, service, or brand to viewers, B2C and B2B marketers have realized that being concise with short-form videos can actually yield better results.
Short-form videos not only require less bandwidth but also cater effectively to the quick attention spans of online audiences from diverse demographics. This is perhaps the reason why TikTok, Reels, and Snapchat, in the past, have gained rapid growth and marketing attention.
4. Social media will become a customer service tool
Using social media for customer service is a recent development, but its popularity is growing rapidly. In fact, over 25% of marketers utilize direct messages (DMs) to provide customer support, and 15% of marketers intend to utilize this approach for the first time in 2023.
The emergence of this trend is not a coincidence as social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are increasing their e-commerce functionalities, hence rendering customer service provision on these platforms even more essential.
It should be noted that brands should be accessible to consumers through direct messages, particularly the Millennial and Gen Z age groups. According to HubSpot’s 2022 Consumer Trends Survey, 20% of Gen Z individuals and almost 25% of Millennials have sought out customer service assistance from a brand through social media within the last three months.
5. More businesses will leverage SEO to conquer search traffic
It is important for marketers to ensure maximum visibility of their websites and content, particularly on Google, in order to obtain quick and sustained traffic results. Although SEO is not novel, its methodologies are increasingly being incorporated into contemporary marketing approaches.
Short-form video and influencer marketing are the top two trends that marketers will allocate their funds towards in 2023, with SEO following in third. Additionally, 88% of marketers who have implemented an SEO strategy intend to maintain or increase their investment in 2023, with a small increase from the previous year’s 84%.
The surge in demand for SEO tactics has led to an increase in various opportunities for optimizing search results. With the development of Google algorithms, SEO has progressed beyond producing basic content that addresses straightforward search inquiries. Presently, corporations are dedicating resources towards engaging SEO specialists who can provide assistance with a range of tasks, including generating search analytics studies and optimizing multimedia content.
6. Mobile optimization will be even more important
Mobile devices are increasingly capturing consumers’ attention as they spend a significant amount of time on them. As a matter of fact, over 50% of the total website traffic throughout the year is generated by mobile devices, encompassing tablets.
It is becoming increasingly important for business owners targeting the fast-paced and highly connected generations of millennials and Gen Z to prioritize mobile-optimized digital experiences due to their growing buying power.
Enumerated below are only a few of the reasons:
- 33% of global marketers invest in mobile web design,
- 64% of SEO marketers call mobile optimization an effective investment
Mobile experiences carry significance beyond brand websites and are crucial in several key marketing strategies. One such example is that 56% of email marketers concentrate on providing mobile-friendly email experiences to their recipients.
7. More companies will prioritize social responsibility
The percentage of marketers creating content for social responsibility who intend to either maintain or increase their investment in 2023 has almost doubled compared to the previous year and now stands at 89%.
The modern consumer values social responsibility, ethics, and transparency as evidenced by a consistent trend.
50% of Gen Z-ers and 40% of Millennials desire companies to express their position on social matters such as racial justice, gender inequality, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate change. Such advocacies influence their decisions when making purchases.
Comedian Bo Burnham’s insightful comedy special ‘Inside’ highlights a prevailing marketing trend where brands align themselves either for or against a cause. With a humorous spin, he parodies a brand consultant, asserting that asking people if they would buy a product is no longer relevant. Instead, the new question is whether they would support a brand in its fight against a disease like lyme.
This has both positive and negative consequences.
Advocating for the values they hold is certainly a requirement for brands. It would be unlikely for one to purchase children’s toys from a business with a troubling past involving child labor. Nevertheless, this should not even be a trend to begin with. The focus should solely be on avoiding the use of child labor, rather than using it to improve brand image.
The term ‘purpose-driven marketing’ has emerged to describe the emphasis placed on brand values. However, it’s important to realize that the path to reaching a society that is demanding social justice is not through a marketing trend or strategy, but rather through a sincere and comprehensive evaluation of whether your company truly embodies the values your brand professes to uphold.
Thus, the focus should be on executing measures within your organization that will have a positive impact on your brand’s reputation, rather than creating a brand identity that aligns with popular causes but lacks genuine commitment.
Given these factors, businesses have started to shift their social media strategies towards promoting inclusive initiatives, deals, and products, while also showcasing their support for various causes and missions. While this may not yield immediate sales, exhibiting a commitment to social responsibility remains both considerate and impactful.
8. Aligned marketing and sales teams will win
It’s becoming more and more imperative that sales and marketing teams collaborate. By working in concert, marketers can gain a fuller understanding of their customers, encompassing details like their preferences, activities, and characteristics.
However, if this fails to occur, it leads to a multitude of issues for all parties concerned. The most prominent of these is the difficulty in exchanging and obtaining information among teams, which is currently a challenge for one out of every five marketers.
It is a cause for concern that just 31% of marketers feel that their sales and marketing teams are well-coordinated. Thus, it is unsurprising that almost 50% of marketers plan to prioritize sales and marketing alignment in 2023.
9. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
The digital realm remains dominant in the field of marketing, as reiterated throughout this article. Although we have attained considerable proficiency in content-marketing on social media, the emergence of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) presents new opportunities.
The metaverse being a popular term is expected. You need to prepare for brainstorming innovative techniques to adjust marketing strategies for the emerging virtual and augmented reality universe. Forbes foresees the mainstream adoption of metaverse, hence, keeping up with its trends can unlock fresh potential markets.
Close connections are anticipated between the meta-world and the gaming sector, opening up promising new prospects. Those who generate content and wield influence can explore game streaming platforms such as Twitch in addition to Instagram and TikTok.
10. Adapting SEO to voice search
The introduction of voice search has spawned a marketing trend that should not be underestimated, and is more specifically targeted.
Effective copy and SEO-oriented content have served as crucial instruments for attracting audiences and generating interest for many years. However, with the emergence of voice search on major search engines like Google, we must modify our SEO-focused writing to cater to spoken search queries rather than just text-based keywords.
11. Omnichannel marketing
Omnichannel strategies utilize all available channels for marketing, as indicated by the prefix ‘omni’ which means ‘of all things’ or ‘in all ways or places’.
For instance, consider a retail enterprise with a physical shop that customers can visit. Omnichannel refers to broadening the scope of the business to include an online store that can be accessed digitally, maximizing all conceivable outlets for sales.
According to a study conducted by Harvard Business Review in 2017, customers who utilized multiple channels demonstrated higher value as customers.
It should be noted that effective marketing strategies engage with various digital channels, not just limited to retail services. By doing so, they can optimize customer engagement at all touchpoints of their journey. When combined with the other marketing strategies discussed in this article, customer feedback data can be utilized effectively.
12. Artificial intelligence
The implementation of AI in marketing has provided various forms of assistance and is anticipated to persist as a growing trend. Such assistance includes the utilization of chat bots for addressing customer support inquiries, as well as utilizing AI as a tool to predict growth in specific market sectors.
Using text analysis software to analyze customer feedback is an alternative method to incorporate AI into your marketing tactics. By performing sentiment analysis and extracting keywords, text analysis enables marketers to enhance brand perception by comprehending and enhancing customer attitudes.
