The Evolution of “Marketing”

The definition of what we consider “marketing” seems to be constantly evolving. In today’s terms, marketing has moved beyond just branding and advertising to encompass nearly everything a business does in the public eye, the most important of which takes place throughout the customer’s journey, or “the customer experience”.

Creating an online presence that covers the entire customer journey helps businesses not only generate a positive brand perception and increase awareness but is also the best strategy to reach target audiences, generating meaningful relationships and creating robust data for businesses and marketing professionals.

Top Marketing Trends for 2023

Content marketing is still one of the best ways to engage with customers and build relationships with them. By creating content that is relevant and useful to customers, businesses can increase visibility and boost conversions. These content pieces should be formatted to meet the needs of the customers and guide them through the type of action the business aims to achieve.

Video is the most popular content format for the third year in a row, and has reached almost 93% of internet users worldwide. Short-form video, such as TikToks and Instagram Reels, has become one of the most popular online formats, spanning from educational content to product reviews. Businesses can take advantage of this trend to create more engaging experiences for their customers.

Social Media usage and engagement trends are going nowhere but up. As the top marketing channel in 2021, holding strong through 2022, we anticipate this trend continuing to rise due to its ability to effectively reach target audiences at scale. Emarketer reporting ad spending on social platforms to close out the year at $65.31 billion in 2022. The beauty of the social ad space is the continual adaptations and changes made by platforms to meet the desires and demands of users, which continues to provide businesses with unique ways to interact with and influence their audiences. Whichever social platform you utilize, keep in mind that the more innovative and creative the content is, the more effective the outcome will be.

Influencer-brand marketing was one of the top trends businesses and brands leveraged in 2022. The global influencer industry is expected to surpass $16B in 2022 and is beginning to be seen as one of the most powerful digital marketing strategies available. By leveraging the audience and impact of creators and influencers, businesses can reach a wider audience to boost their visibility, gain credibility and entice audiences to take action.

Online chat tools, or chatbots, are becoming increasingly popular in the digital marketing space with the rise of customer communication. AI-powered conversational marketing and automation tools can provide personalized customer service and increase customer engagement, resulting in higher conversions and sales. Check out our recent article on Boosting Customer Engagement with Conversation Automation for more information.

Personalization is a key trend in digital marketing, which aims to help businesses provide relevant and timely information to their customers by meeting them in the moments that matter most and helping guide them to make informed decisions. With up to 66% of customers expecting companies to understand their needs, now is the time to put a personalized marketing strategy in place if you have not already done so. By utilizing first-party customer data, businesses can create personalized experiences that are tailored to each customer’s needs, which can help increase engagement and boost conversions.

Location-based marketing has become increasingly popular in recent years and continues to rise in popularity as businesses find new ways to reach niche audiences based on the places they live, work, shop, and visit frequently.

User-generated content, also called word-of-mouth advertising, encompasses everything from TikTok trends to #LOOD, unboxing product usage examples, and video reviews. This type of content is incredibly authentic, as it is not provided by the business or brand, but is created by users about that brand or business. Because this content can be created by anyone, adding this strategy to your marketing mix can be a bit challenging. Having a great strategy can take your business far in terms of audience reach and engagement, helping gain valuable insights into their preferences and interests. Plus, consumers are up to 2.4 times more likely to trust user-generated content over information published by the brand or business, so it is a win-win approach to building an online presence that spans the entire customer journey.

A streamlined UX experience is both easy and enjoyable to use. A business’s website or mobile app is likely the most valuable marketing asset available and should go to work 24/7 for the business, aiding the customer through their buying journey with useful information and communication. Having an improved user experience across all device types helps ensure customers can find what they are looking for quickly and effectively, on the device they choose to use. With more than half of internet users worldwide using their mobile devices to browse the internet, businesses need to ensure their websites are optimized for mobile devices and that the content is easy to read and navigate on a small screen.

As voice-enabled technology becomes more commonplace, businesses will need to optimize online content for voice search. This means creating content that is designed to answer questions and provide useful information that can be easily found via voice search, such as “What restaurants serve brunch near me?” and ”Do they serve eggs benedict?”. The best way businesses can take advantage of voice search trends is to change the way information is framed on their website, using content that aims to answer questions that consumers may ask which are relevant to their business.

Digital experiences and interactive content pieces are becoming increasingly important for businesses looking to engage with their customers. By creating engaging digital experiences, businesses can increase customer engagement and boost their conversions. You’ve probably come across content like this without even realizing it. From contests to interactive videos, quizzes, engaging infographics, and games, these experiences are rich with branded content and can build a lasting relationship with your customers.

Uncommon recruiting strategies can go a long way in helping attract talented candidates to fill your open positions. Businesses and brands can take advantage of this model of promotion by getting their employees to talk about the brand online. Start by evaluating opportunities to include and incorporate employees in your business’s marketing strategy, and encourage them to participate and strategize ways they can contribute, which will help ensure the strategy isn’t a “forced” approach.

LinkedIn is the top social channel for professionals and is expected to account for up to 25% of B2B advertising revenue in the next two years. Refine your business’s B2B approach by leveraging LinkedIn’s record trends in user growth and engagement, making it a key strategy for businesses that aim to reach and work with other businesses, professionals, and affluent consumers.

Programmatic native advertising is a great way for businesses to reach their target audiences in a non-intrusive way. This type of advertising offers an ad placement that takes on the look and feel of the publisher site on which the ad appears. It can be used to promote content on the business website, branded content across other sites, or unique branded experiences. Native ads are a cost-effective advertising means and can be tailored to match the preferences of a business’s target audience.

Analytics and reporting are essential for a successful digital marketing presence and advertising campaigns. By leveraging analytics and reporting tools, businesses can track both their website user experience and marketing efforts to determine what strategies are working and which ones need to be improved or modified. As privacy becomes a key focus, and attribution and tracking technologies evolve, having a robust measurement strategy in place is crucial to making data-driven decisions that align with the desires of customers while also meeting the guidelines for handling personal information.

In 2023, we will also see the sunsetting of Google’s Universal Analytics, which will be replaced by GA4, offering enhanced features and functionality. Businesses should work in advance of the July 1st, 2023 sunset date to ensure they have a GA4 account setup to capture useful usage data and events, avoiding manual comparison of the data between the old UA and GA4 post-sunset.

Stay Ahead of the Top Marketing Trends in 2023 with WB360

As you can see, there are many exciting digital marketing trends to look forward to in 2023. By staying up-to-date on these trends, businesses can stay ahead of the competition and maximize their digital marketing efforts. At WB360, we’re committed to helping our clients stay ahead of the curve and succeed in the digital world. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you stay ahead of the competition.