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5 Digital Marketing Trends To Look Out For In 2023

business digital marketing entrepreneur social media marketing Jan 09, 2023
a business owner working on their social media and marketing

Digital marketing is always changing, just like technology, but in my opinion, I think 2023 is going to be the year that drastically changes how we as businesses market our products and services.

If you’ve been following the news, then you know that a bunch of changes has already started happening, but as we head into the new year, they are going to become more important for you to know and understand, so you can use them to your advantage in your business.

Today, let’s talk about the five digital marketing trends that you need to pay attention to this upcoming year.

The Rise Of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you didn’t know, this past November saw the launch of ChatGPT, which will officially change the way that we do things on the internet.  But instead of me telling you about ChatGPT, I’ll just let it tell you what it does itself:

“As an AI language model, my primary function is to process and generate human-like text.  I can understand and respond to written or spoken prompts, and I am able to generate responses based on the information I have been trained on.  This allows me to assist users by answering questions, providing information, and engaging in conversations on a wide range of topics.

I do not have the ability to browse the internet or access new information, so I am limited to the knowledge and information I was trained on.  However, I can use my understanding of language and context to provide helpful and relevant responses to user questions and prompts to the best of my ability.”

Isn’t that crazy!?  It can do a number of different things and I truly believe it will create lasting changes like how search for information and the way we automate things . . .

When it comes to writing, however, I still believe it has a long way to go before it will replace people like copywriters or writing in general.

The reason I believe this is that while AI makes things easier, people have also said that they want more authenticity and personality from brands and businesses in 2023.  As you can see from the response above, while it is informative, you can tell that it is lacking in emotion and personality.  I do believe with future models this will change, but for now, I believe it will simply be used as a resource and tool for search and automation.

That being said, I am always a proponent of making sure you as a business owner stay up to date on things like this and learn how to use them because whether you’re a fan of AI or not, it’s not going to go away and your ability to learn how to use it will either help or hinder your business in the future.

The Continued Surge Of Video Marketing

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 5 years, then you know just how important video content has become, specifically short-form video.  Even though it started before TikTok, I believe that it had the biggest impact on shifting social media and marketing content as we know it.

A few years ago, most ads you’d see on social media were graphic posts . . . now, 90% of them are videos.  Social media content used to consist of photography and graphics, now those have been replaced by things like Instagram Reels and Pinterest Idea Pins.

So why has video marketing gained such popularity and why is it here to stay?

I believe it’s because it engages the audience more and in ways that still-form content doesn’t.  When you see a graphic piece of content, you’re looking with your eyes.  However, when you watch a short-form video, you’re listening, reading, and even sometimes, interacting.  

This creates way more engagement with an audience member, which is the goal of social media and marketing.  If you’ve already jumped on the video marketing train, then great, keep doing what you’re doing!

If you haven’t, then I’d highly suggest you start, because I can promise you this: video marketing isn’t going anywhere, and with other social media platforms shifting their focus to more video, it’s only going to gain in popularity.

The Important Of User-Generated Content

A recent study by Online Library found that 44% of Gen-Z will make their purchasing decisions based on an influencer’s recommendation.  That just shows you the power that influencer marketing can have for your business.

Influencer marketing has been gaining in popularity over the past few years, and it shows no signs of slowing down.  There are three main reasons why influencer marketing works so well:

  • First, it allows you to tap into someone else’s audience (your target market) without having to spend money on things like ads.
  • Second, it builds immediate trust with that audience because the influencer is vouching for you as a brand.
  • Third, it creates a partnership that can continually run and benefit both you and the influencer.

The beautiful thing about collaborating with influencers is that it saves you valuable time building a network of your own, allowing you to instantaneously introduce your brand to thousands (maybe even millions) of people, most of whom are your target audience.

User-generated content isn’t just about influencer marketing though . . . it also has to do with the reviews and ratings that your business gets.  With people doing research about the companies they do business with now more than ever, having a positive image can mean the difference between gaining a customer or having them choose your competition.

Think about it this way: how often do you look at the reviews on Amazon before you purchase a product?  How often do you look at movie reviews before you rent/buy a movie?  Chances are 9/10 you look at the reviews, and guess what: so do your potential clients when it comes to your business.

So make sure that you have positive reviews on your website, you have testimonials that people can access, and if applicable, make sure you have a Google Business Profile with plenty of positive reviews from past customers and clients.

If you need help getting reviews, a good strategy is to email/call all of your past clients and customers, let them know you’d appreciate a review, and give them some sort of incentive to do so.  This can be in the form of a free product or a coupon, but however you do it, getting these reviews are vital to building a positive brand image.

Voice Search Continues To Trend

As technology continues to advance and evolve, things like voice search are becoming more widely used by people everywhere.  Now with everyone having access to things like Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon’s Alexa, voice search has become an everyday part of people’s lives.

So how does this affect you as a business owner?

It means that when you’re creating content, you need to be aware of how people search for things when they speak as opposed to how they search for things when they type . . . and yes, there is a difference.

This means that your copy, especially when it comes to your website, needs to reflect the way people use their voice to search, that you give yourself the best possible chance at continuing to gain organic reach.

As voice search continues to gain in popularity and become more and more refined, you need to make sure that your marketing reflects the way people continue to search for products and services.  This way, you give yourself and your business the best possible chance at continuing to show up in organic search, thereby establishing the authority of your company and gaining more brand awareness.

The Rapid Growth Of Social Media

Here are some statistics that should help drive home the point of how important social media is to you and your business:

  • The average user spends 2-3 hours on social media a day
  • Users follow at least 2 business accounts on social media
  • 56% of users will check out a brand’s social media before purchasing
  • 91% of executives increased their social media budgets over the last 3 years

And the list goes on and on.  Social media is a completely free (unless you use ads) way for you to create content and connect with your audience online.  And with the number of daily users on these social media platforms, it offers you an endless amount of people to market your products to.

I doubt I need to convince you about the power social media can have for your business.  What I specifically want to talk to you about is the diversification of your social media as well as creating a plan for converting your social media traffic into leads and sales for your business.

You’ve probably heard some social media experts say that you should focus on one social media platform for your business.  While that might have been good advice 3-5 years ago, I truly believe that this advice is now outdated.

With social media platforms changing and different audiences on each platform, you greatly limit your business by only being on one platform.  Say, for example, 70% of your audience is on Instagram, so that is the sole platform you focus on.  While it’s great you’re capturing 70% of your audience, you’re missing out on the other 30% of your audience by not having a presence on these other platforms.

Don’t think it’s a big deal?  What if I told you that your competition IS on these other platforms and they’re the ones getting that business?  Does this change your perspective?  This is why a rule of thumb is to invest 10-15% of your annual revenue back into your social media and marketing.  This way, you’re able to diversify your platforms and gain more attention for your brand.

The more platforms you’re on, the more attention your brand gets.  The more attention your brand gets, the more followers, leads, and sales you get.  Make 2023 the year you expand your social media marketing plan and increase the number of platforms that your business is on.

Conclusion

By paying attention to the latest digital marketing trends and implementing them in your business, you stay ahead of the curve and allow your business the best chance at capturing the market share of new technologies and ideas.

If this is something that you struggle with and would like help with when it comes to your digital marketing, click HERE and schedule a free call with us.  We’d be happy to learn more about your business and see what ways we can help implement these strategies in 2023 to help your business gain a valuable edge!