Where to Direct Your Marketing Efforts in 2023
Marketing moves fast. Digital marketing even more so. So if you’re currently sketching out your next poster for the shop window, it might be worth pressing pause, reading this and re-directing your promotional efforts. It’s 2023 people!
Email marketing is where it’s at
With hacking on the rise, there’s been a big mental shift in 2022 and a move away from a complete reliance on social media and it’s non-ownable following, towards email marketing and it’s ‘100% yours’ database.
The ability to segment and personalise email is set to see it continue its meteoric rise in 2023 as customers crave a more tailored sales experience.
Video, video, video
It was last year’s predicted trend, and the year before that, and the year before that. And guess what, it’s here again in 2023. But this year it’s all about the short-form video, spurred by our limited attention spans as consumers. Whether TikTok or Instagram Reels are your thing, evolving functionality will continue to make it creative and popular. With Instagram converting all video into reels automatically and TikTok continuing to advance its livestreaming features, its clear video is here to stay.
Fun fact: 85% more likely to buy your product after watching a video on it!
Social commerce will grow
Buying through social will become the norm in 2023, though it’s uncertain which platform will come out top in the race to own it. Instagram has Instagram Shopping, Facebook has Facebook Shops and TikTok is testing new e-commerce features.
As consumers start to embrace this way of shopping, so too do brands and small businesses. Again, it’s that desire to see-click-checkout impulsively. Businesses that facilitate this need-want-must have mentality will thrive.
Collaboration remains key
Influencer marketing is set to be less of a trend and more of an essential in 2023 marketing strategies. Which is all well and good if you have celebrity budgets. But us little guys can still tap into this lucrative trend.
Get to know your local micro-influencers. They may be fashion or foodie bloggers, styling accounts, community champions or business gurus but will have a reasonable following between the 3k – 100k bracket and crucially, high levels of engagement. Follow them, interact with them and, if they align perfectly with your brand or service, flippin’ well woo them!
You could ask them to review your product, invite them to one of your workshops/events for free or suggest working together on a giveaway. Fundamentally, you’re looking for ways to get your product or brand in front of their following and the best kind of collab means they also want to get in front of yours.
Own your values
Social responsibility, ethics, and transparency matter more than ever. Consumers want brands to take a stance on social issues, specifically racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, and climate change. If any of these (or others!) strongly align with your values as a brand or business owner, it’s time to find your voice.
Social as a customer service tool
Utilising social media as a customer service tool is quickly gathering momentum. This will mean a consumer expectation that queries, feedback and complaints can be dealt with through comments and DM’s. Not music to most small business owners’ ears, as we’re already balancing so many communication methods already, but we live in a ‘need it now’ world and unless you’re prepared to forgo the sale because you weren’t responsive enough, you need to get on board. But it doesn’t have to be painful. Our advice is to get organised. Here’s our top 4 recommendations.
1. Review and update your FAQs
2. Prepare and use the Saved Replies functionality on Instagram
3. Be clear in your bio or automated replies where they will get the quickest response
4. Check your notifications are switched on
SEO isn’t going anywhere
While SEO is not new, it’s becoming more and more important in 2023 as big companies continue to invest more in their SEO strategies. This is not to scare you, there’s plenty of stuff we can be doing in the background to ensure our website and content are discoverable without needing to invest in ad campaigns and expertise.
1. Write blogs for your website, rich in your keywords
2. Review your meta descriptions to ensure it’s saying exactly what you need it to and contains keywords
3. Label your images intelligently and include alt descriptions
4. Work on link building with other sites – guest blog anyone?
5. Get yourself set up with a Google Business Profile
6. Include internal links to other areas of your website
(And with that in mind, check out this blog and that blog 😉)
So there you have it, time to think about how this impacts your marketing priorities this year…well the next 6 months anyway! And remember, our blogs and enews will attempt to hand hold, update and inspire throughout the year!
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