Forthcoming Digital Marketing Trends to Plan & Budget for in 2023

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln.

Your business has faced several challenges over the past year. You won some, you lost some; it’s all part of the game, as long as you don’t give up playing. Everyone wants to be a soothsayer and ‘predict’ the future. While it’s good to know what experts see as the turn of the tide, it’s even more important to plan the charter for your business, your goals, and your mission to live up to expectations (for your employees, your suppliers, associates, and of course, your customers). Industry trends and expert insights can be your lighthouse guiding the way, but you’re at the helm, steering your ship into the New Year.

Essential to steering in the right direction is an understanding of the currents and waves. Here’s a bird’s eye view of the digital marketing trajectory to help you create your path towards a successful 2023.

As per Consumer Gravity, 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying a product. In a recent Oberlo study, the year 2022 has seen 214.7 million online US shoppers. It is projected that in 2023, this number will grow to 218.8 million. Another study predicts that eCommerce sales will reach 6.619 trillion in 2023 making a 22.3% of total retail sales, up from 13.8 % in 2019. So, when it comes to planning the marketing strategy for your products or services, digital marketing steals the show – front and center!

What does this mean for your business? To thrive in this digital age, you need to stay tuned to the latest algorithms working their magic at search engines like Google and Bing. You require to stay in step with current trends influencing social platforms like TikTok and Instagram and other digital platforms. You also need to understand the role Artificial Intelligence and bots play when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) and how to use them to enhance your marketing efforts.

Based on the current marketing environment, let’s try to predict the digital marketing trends for 2023.

Customer Centric Approach and Personalized Marketing

The world’s population is getting more internet dependent for fulfilling most of their needs. Conversely, digital marketing is becoming increasingly focused on how the customer feels. Today there is a big shift from the sales-driven approach to an approach that focuses on what’s best for your customer.  Google algorithms have started prioritizing online page positioning based on user experience (UX) rather than where the keywords are located on the page. They are looking at factors like:

• Is the website user-friendly and easy to navigate?
• How much time does the website take to load?
• Does the content read well on various devices, including mobile phones and tablets?
• How helpful and relevant is the text to the ultimate user?

2023 projection – A customer-centric approach will continue influencing customer buying patterns and give them a feel-good experience. It will be a huge part of marketing strategy in the years ahead.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence or AI is a digital marketing tool that continuously analyzes customers’ interests and collects this data to help make important marketing decisions that can influence their buying behavior.

How AI aids in marketing:

• Chatbots answer customer queries in real-time to deliver a good customer service experience while gathering and storing customer-related data to help understand and influence their future buying behavior.
• Targeted content to different individuals based on the information collected helps influence their buying decisions.
• Content creation with the help of AI tools helps businesses generate content to drive more sales quickly and efficiently.

2023 projection – With AI getting more sophisticated, gathering customer data to give customers a more personal and customized experience will not just be an objective but an expectation for every business in the near future.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a form of direct marketing used by businesses to promote their products and services. It’s a powerful tool as the message goes directly into the user’s inbox, guaranteeing a Call to Action by the user. Carefully created email campaigns that provide value to the user can help promote sales. Emails also help deliver important information and can be used to drive the user to the company’s blogs or newsletter.

2023 projection – This is a convenient and reliable form of eMarketing and will be used for a long time ahead.

Short Form Videos

Log into any social media platform like TikTok or Instagram and you are sure to come across short-form video clips within the first few seconds. These video feeds are ideal for people on the run having very little time at hand. Apart from being short, they get more attention because of the visual aspect, and perform well with most algorithms.

2023 projection – With the increase in the demand and success of short-form video content, businesses will continue to invest in better quality high-end short-form content marketing videos in the future.

Influencer Marketing

Today, businesses don’t rely only on high-profile celebrities to advertise their products. Ordinary people who have a medium-to large-scale presence on social media are increasingly being seen endorsing products for various brands. Micro and nano influencers have also joined the group, making advertising more affordable.

2023 Projection – Social media influencers are a big success amongst the younger generation and will continue to be used as influencers for many years ahead.  As per Insider Intelligence, influencer marketing spending will grow 23.4 % in 2023 and 15.9%  in 2024.

Business 2 Business (B2B) Platforms – LinkedIn

LinkedIn has seen a recent surge in B2B sales and is expected to account for 25% of B2B digital advertising in the next two years.

2023 projection – This is one platform that hasn’t been explored much yet. However, it has huge potential to grow in the years to come.

Zero-Party Platforms for Customer Data Collection

As we navigate through the changes in privacy policy being followed across the globe, businesses are increasingly using solutions like form building and Survey Monkey to collect intel and feedback from customers.

2023 projection – Businesses will be more proactive in collecting customer intel through various solutions like form building.

Plan the Right Marketing Strategy for 2023, Now!

As is evident from the current marketing trends, 2023 is set to be all about understanding your customers and connecting with them via different digital marketing channels like email marketing and social media, as well as through external sources like influencer marketers. Whatever digital platform you use, the importance of a customer-centric approach cannot be ignored.

The Expert WSI eMarketing team can help you connect with your customers and drive sales by choosing the most effective digital marketing strategies. We help your business build a strong online presence and long-lasting relationships with your customers, two facets that help drive marketing and sales for many years ahead.

Our team looks forward to helping you plan the best digital marketing course for the New Year. Here’s wishing you a very happy and safe holiday season. See you again in 2023!

Call us at 713-338-3488 to learn more about forthcoming digital marketing trends and how to strategize and budget for them. You can also contact us online to book an expert digital marketing consultation.

About the Author

James R Alexander, Digital Marketing Strategist, OMCP, PE, MBA at Expert WSI eMarketing, General Manager for Expert WSI eMarketing’. He and this office are an integral part of WSI’s global team.