Digital marketing is an ever changing landscape that is constantly evolving, it can be overwhelming and for businesses it is tricky to know where to invest your time and money. That is why our marketing team at SPF keep a close eye on emerging trends so that when we work with you we know exactly what will work and what won't saving you time and money.
So what are marketing trends and why are they so important?
Marketing trends are strategies brands apply in order to stay relevant in their industries and gain the upperhand over the competitors. Trends are often inspired by new technologies or changes in the consumer market. So why is it so vital to keep on top of trends? Marketing trends tend to align closely with consumer wants and needs. Companies that are paying attention to digital marketing trends can more readily meet the needs of their customers by building credibility with their target audience, reaching them on their favourite platforms at peak times during the day. Those companies taking the initiative will appear as forward thinkers and market leaders. When it comes to marketing trends it pays to be ahead of the game.
So with 2023 well under way what trends can we look forward to this year?
From the rise of short video content and micro-influencer marketing, to push notifications and social commerce, these trends will help you build modern and relevant marketing strategies.
1.Short Videos
Short, snappy content will win in 2023. The prevalence of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts shows consumers want fast-paced, easy-to-digest content from their favorite brands.
Micro-stories will give brands the chance to connect with their customers where they’re already spending time and increase reach through punchy content. To reap the biggest rewards (and tap into increasingly shorter consumer attention spans), brands will need to hook viewers inside the first three seconds of the video.
2. Tap into Micro Influencers
Influencer marketing has been the talk of the town for years. With the tools to build an owned audience, creators—YouTubers, bloggers, Instagrammers—have amassed large followings and attained a status equal to celebrities from more traditional mediums like television and film.
Micro-influencers (with around 100,000 followers or less) are now being taken seriously by brands. Where big-name influencers charge upward of $10,000 per post, micro-influencers generally cost much less: a few hundred dollars to nothing more than a freebie of your product. Micro-influencers also tend to have more engaged audiences than bigger influencers relative to their total following—sometimes doubling the average engagement rate of 5% for mega-influencers.
In 2023, brands will be forging long-term connections with relevant micro-influencers as part of their influencer marketing to build bigger communities and increase customer trust and loyalty.
3. Mobile Optimisation is Vital
Consumers are glued to their phones more than ever—and an increasing number are not just spending more time on their devices, they’re spending more money via them too. Research shows that more than half of annual online website traffic comes from mobile devices. Brands that invest energy into optimizing their mobile sites will win out in 2023. This is also a huge must-do for brands that want to target millennial and Gen Z audiences. As their buying power grows, these audiences will demand slick mobile experiences that allow them to make quick purchases on the go.
4. Blogging is here to stay
Blogging isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Not only does content marketing help increase brand credibility and drive conversions, but it’s one of the most common ways for consumers to discover new brands. Seventy-seven percent of people read blogs on a regular basis and 56% have purchased something from a brand after reading one or more blog posts. On top of this, brands own their blogs, so they aren’t at the mercy of changing algorithms or social media trends. They provide a consistent hub of educational, entertaining, and engaging content that keeps consumers on-site and loyal.
5. The Growth of Direct Messaging
Consumers are spending an increasing amount of time on messaging apps. As a result, these apps have evolved to allow more than just an ongoing back-and-forth between friends or a way to make impromptu dinner plans. Facebook Messenger, in particular, is now a viable customer service channel at the forefront of conversational marketing. It offers a more authentic line of communication than email and is often faster than picking up the phone.
While chatbots enable automation and the ability to create tools and games within the context of a conversation, it’s the one-to-one human interactions where conversational commerce shines. If you enable the Messenger Channel in your Shopify store, you can automatically notify customers who opt in about the status of their order and field any questions they may have. Direct messaging on Instagram also lets you send links, which means sales and customer service on Instagram just got a whole lot easier.
6. Visual Storytelling
Consumers prefer visual content to plain text, plus it is more memorable. The success of visual platforms like Instagram and TikTok proves this, with 62% of millennials saying they are more interested in visual search than any other type of new technology. This trend is being reflected on search engines, with Google serving more and more images and videos in its results.
In 2023, brands will create rich visual experiences on their sites by adding product videos, infographics, user-generated content, and interactive images.
7. The Rise of Push Notifications
If a customer can’t get the information they want, when they want it, there’s a good chance they’ll go elsewhere. Automation has made it possible for brands to answer customer questions in real time, whether it’s a query about an existing order or a request for additional product information.
Giving customers instant answers to their purchasing questions removes any friction from the buying journey and provides them with personal touchpoints that gently push them through the sales cycle. In 2023, on-demand conversations will become even more proactive, with brands using push notifications to connect with shoppers. Distracted shoppers will be reengaged with a push notification that directs them to relevant content, serves personalized product suggestions, or offers an incentive to return to the app or store.
8. Featured Snippets
The recent announcement of Google’s continuous scrolling on desktop means there’s no first page, second page, or 10th page anymore. As a result, everyone is clamoring to be positioned as high as possible in search results.
Traditional search results, however, are no longer shown above the fold. Instead, they’re tucked away beneath the featured snippet and the People Also Asked section. This will force brands to ensure their content ranks in these highly visible sections so they can stand out and capture the attention of consumers.
9. Social Commerce Will Be A Game-changer
Social commerce isn’t a new concept, but it’s becoming a mainstream way for consumers to shop. Features like Instagram Checkout and Tik Tok Shopping allow shoppers to buy directly through their favorite social media platforms while also allowing brands to create a consistent and cohesive shopping experience.
In 2023, more brands will connect their social media channels with their ecommerce sites and sell their products directly through these platforms. Shopify has a host of social integrations you can tap into to connect your store with your favorite social channels.
10. Email Marketing Is Sticking Around
Contrary to popular belief, email marketing isn’t on the decline. It’s one of the only digital marketing strategies brands are totally in control of—unlike social media channels that can change on the whims of the platform providers, brands have complete ownership over their subscriber lists. The growing need for personalization, however, means brands will have to enhance their email marketing strategy to create powerfully unique experiences. This will be done through automated and triggered sequences, like abandoned cart emails and personalized product recommendation emails.
SPF Can Help You Stay on Top
If you are worried about keeping on top of the demands of business marketing then SPF can help with that burden. Our expert marketing our well versed in all the emerging trends and can provide invaluable advice and help whatever your industry. Get ahead of the game today.