Predicted trends for 2023 include content visualisation, customer experience and employee engagement. What we define as “marketing” is becoming broader and ever-changing.
Focus on compatible customer experiences
Personalised and bespoke experiences are what customers seek, in order to have their requirements met. Something which is aimed uniquely at them and their needs. Marketers must remain open to all methods and platforms of interaction between their brand and their customers, or potential customers. Don’t just focus on one campaign type.
User generated content (UGC)
This is the new form of “word-of-mouth”, which is brand specific and original, created directly by consumers and not brands. It is other people creating content regarding your brand, product or service on Instagram, Facebook, etc. Usually it is a customer, or a potential customer, of your product.
User generated content can be created by simply anybody, so including this platform in your marketing toolbox could be extremely useful in improving brand awareness. It has been proven that consumers are more likely to trust user generated content, above brand created content.
Influencer-brand relationships
Generally, people are likely to try products if they have been recommended by someone they know and trust. Influencer marketing, a form of collaboration between brand and a specific individual, who has a very large online following, modernises that trend to suit the current digital era.
Adapting new targeting resolutions
Because of increased privacy concerns, Google is preparing to gradually eliminate third-party cookies by the end of 2023. But because they are useful in targeting and tracking user behaviour, new targeting solutions are being tested to maintain and develop content that still delivers a personalised experience, whilst continuing to remain distinctly individualised.
User experience
User experience or “UX” indicates a user’s experience and feelings when interacting with a particular system, product or service. Their perception of design, simplicity, efficiency, ease of navigation, etc. could make all the difference in their choices. A successful “UX” design will keep a customer loyal to the brand. Therefore your website should be effective, but simple to navigate. Mobile devices must also be aimed at, as they are quickly becoming hugely popular for web browsing.
Conversational marketing
This method is used on websites in order to engage with customers, using targetted messaging and AI automation. It is a digital marketing trend which enables customers to communicate with a brand, in a two-way conversation. This trend of using intelligent chatbots with machine learning, combined with natural language processing (NLP) will be on the increase in 2023.
Social responsibility
Consumers are becoming increasingly more socially responsible and these values are carried over into their purchase choices. Large percentages are prepared to pay more for brands that highlight their involvement in social responsibility practices and commitments. This has the benefit of attracting customers who are trying to make a positive impact on the environment, through their choice of purchases. These responsibilities may include:
- Company sponsored community ventures.
- Promotion of recyclable shopping bags and packaging.
- Supporting a charity.
- Promotions and campaigns for fair trade (eg: ethically produced products) and societal issues (eg: collecting groceries, blankets, pet food, etc).
The future continues to deliver an array of new technologies, brimming with potential. Rather than experiencing the digital future as too challenging or too frightening, let’s embrace that uncertainty and unwillingness. Bear in mind that progress in innovative, new technologies and artificial intelligence, presents an opportunity for us all to rethink how we live, what we do, and how we do it!