SVP Marketing of CUJO AI, 15 years experience marketing for tech companies, Ph.D. of Economics, more than 60 articles in business magazines.
getty
Successful digital marketing adapts to evolving customer tastes and changing market conditions. As a marketer, this isn’t always easy, let alone with the steady stream of brand-new marketing fads to make your job even more difficult. To top it off, Facebook and Google algorithms change several times a year, which can render your SEO tactics obsolete if you don’t keep up.
To retain your customers, scale your business and stay ahead of the competition, make sure you’re in lockstep with the latest developments in digital marketing. Let’s explore six of our most confident forecasts for digital marketing in the next five years and beyond.
Six Digital Marketing Trends To Practice In 2023
1. Livestream Content And Short-Form Video
Video boasts some of the best lead generation and conversion rates of any advertising medium. However, even perennial trends in digital marketing are subject to evolution and revision. The same holds with video.
According to the Conviva State of Streaming report, 23% of global viewing time is spent watching live content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, while the other 77% goes to on-demand content. I find that this is a result of people being anxious to miss out. This type of content draws them in, so they can be the first to learn about breaking events.
Shorter video lengths have necessitated more marketing efforts to hold the viewer’s interest in the advertised goods or services. Keep in mind, though, people are more likely to click away from professionally produced and edited videos because they find them unrelatable.
2. Greater Focus On Customer Experience
Consumers in the year 2023 will care most about having a memorable experience. However, this doesn’t imply that affordability and quality should be ignored. Both impact our satisfaction in selecting, buying and using the things we pay good money for.
Technology’s traditional function in this area has been to facilitate simplification and alleviation of user frustration. Think of online customer-care portals that handle issues and after-sale support or recommendation algorithms that help us decide what to buy. Although these will still be crucial in 2023, the game has changed, and the buzzwords of the year will be engagement and interactivity.
This will be especially true in the metaverse, a catch-all word often used by futurists to characterize the “next level” of the online platform, where we engage with companies and other consumers in fully immersive, 3D, virtual settings.
3. Brands Will Need To Show Accountability
It’s becoming evident that modern consumers place a premium on social responsibility, integrity and transparency.
One in 2 Gen Zers and 41% of millennials are more likely to support brands that advocate for social causes. Customers’ spending habits are profoundly affected by the advocacy efforts of businesses.
In light of this, businesses are shifting their social media tactics to emphasize inclusive activities, promotions, products, and the issues or objectives they are committed to. While this may not increase product sales immediately, it is a considerate and productive way to demonstrate social responsibility.
4. In-Person Events Are Back
Looking back on the journey thus far, we can see that it has been anything but smooth, as live events have had to contend with unforeseen dips and increases in Covid-19 infections.
The outlook for next year is more optimistic, though. In a survey by MarTech of 200 respondents: “About twice as many respondents were ‘extremely likely’ rather than ‘extremely unlikely’ to attend in-person events in the first-half of 2023. For the second half of next year, optimism reigns, with 80 ‘extremely likely’ to go to live events, and 40 more checking in as likely or highly likely. Only 19 were still ‘extremely unlikely’ to jump aboard.”
5. Gamification
Adding interactive features to a website is a fantastic way to give visitors more of what they want, encourage them to explore the site, and gain insight into your audience.
The use of game elements on websites is known as gamification, representing a new direction in digital marketing. Although it’s an oversimplification, many companies are increasingly employing game design elements to boost client retention, word-of-mouth advertising and revenue.
Considering that 80% of smartphone owners play mobile games on their devices, it’s simple to see how gaming might be a pull in e-commerce as well. For example, consider the McDonald’s Monopoly game from the pre-digital era. Players needed to purchase specific items from the menu to advance in the game. Easy to implement, yet highly efficient.
To increase your brand’s visibility, incorporate games into your advertising strategy. Here are a few examples of how you can use gamification in digital marketing:
- Have consumers spin a wheel for a discount (the reduction might be anywhere from 10% to 50%) on their purchase.
- Look for a particular avatar in the photo for a chance to win the contest.
- Find the treasure chest at the end of the maze and get your reward.
6. Podcasting
Today’s always-on consumer base can benefit significantly from a company’s ability to share its story via podcast, accessed from any internet-connected device.
As with any content-creation site, it’s up to you to figure out who, exactly, you want tuning in. The podcast’s length will depend on the discussion and the audience’s participation. As a result, you should expect to lead with the subjects that pique their attention.
Where To Go From Here
There you have it: A list of some of the more critical digital marketing abilities you should have under your belt in 2023. The only way to ensure your company’s continued viability in the new year is to be aware of and actively participate in these cutting-edge practices. More significantly, know how to use these developments in digital marketing to expand your company’s customer base.
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
