Digital marketing is constantly evolving. For your business to thrive in this fast-paced world, it’s vital to stay on top of new technologies and innovations. In this post, we break down the top digital marketing trends of 2023 and how you can adopt them to stay ahead of the competition and maximise your brand’s success.
1. Artificial Intelligence Marketing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) may feel like an abstract, sci-fi, buzzword concept, but AI Marketing is set to become the most transformational digital marketing technology of 2023 and beyond. Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder & CEO of Google Deep Mind, defines AI as “the science of making machines smart”.
AI is different from traditional computer science as AI machines are continually evolving and learning based on data. They get smarter on their own and become more human-like. AI already features in many aspects you enjoy daily: Gmail finishes your sentences, Google serves the best results for your search intent, Facebook targets you with ads, Spotify learns the music you love, Netflix recommends TV shows and many more.
In marketing, AI is widely predicted to drive enormous change. AI opportunities exist everywhere data lives, including analytics, automation, advertising, content, emails, sales, search, social and websites. It offers valuable time-saving assistance to marketers by creating content like social media posts, ad copy, blog posts and even images based on text descriptions. Tools such as Jasper, ChatGPT and DALL-E can accelerate content creation, allowing marketers to focus on other important tasks.
With personalised content capabilities, automated keyword tracking, consumer behaviour analysis and insight, chatbots and more, the adoption of AI Marketing can lead to higher campaign success rates and improved digital return on investment.
2. AI Chatbots & Conversational Marketing
In 2023, when a customer has a product or service enquiry, they want an immediate response. With AI chatbots, this is now possible. By leveraging machine learning, natural language processing (NLP) and natural language generation (NLG), chatbots can understand customer requests and converse with them in a human-like way – all independently of a human operator. Other great benefits of chatbots are that they provide 24-hour service, they respond instantly, and they accurately recall customers’ entire conversations and buying histories.
Chatbots facilitate the modern marketing trend: conversational marketing. Conversational marketing aims to build meaningful relationships and high levels of engagement through one-on-one interactive chats. Customers can get instant responses to their enquiries, at a time that suits them, on their preferred platform and device. By implementing conversational marketing through AI chatbots, you can foster higher customer engagement, greater loyalty, and more sales.
3. Customer Experience & Personalisation
Customers in 2023 expect a seamless customer experience (CX). Personalisation is vital to creating a memorable customer experience that can differentiate you in a crowded marketplace.
According to the Smarter HQ report, 72% of consumers only act on marketing messages when they are customised to their interests. While personalised content was once a “nice to have”, it’s now expected. And it’s not just inserting their name or sending a date-triggered birthday email, customers want more. They want brands to anticipate their needs and provide prompts and product recommendations to make their lives easier.
In addition to personalisation, some ways to give your customers a better CX are simplified navigation on your website, easy processes (make a purchase, chat to customer service, cancel a service, leave a review), customer loyalty rewards and total transparency (e.g., no hidden fees). Great CX can be as impactful and memorable as the product or service you offer.
4. Short-Form Videos
TikToks and Reels have taken over social media feeds, and there’s no question they will continue to dominate in 2023. After the viral success of TikTok in recent years, we’ve seen the rise of Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts and the vertical video format implemented on Pinterest.
A 2015 study by Microsoft found that the average human attention span is just 8 seconds. With this knowledge, it’s crucial to use the first few seconds of a short-form video to grab a user’s attention before they move on. Making your point quickly with short-form videos is more effective and easier to create than traditional long-form videos. Short-form videos are also becoming available formats in social media scheduling tools in 2023.
According to HubSpot, 90% of marketers using short-form videos will increase or maintain their investment in 2023. Short-Form video is here to stay! Learn more on our TikTok Marketing 101 blog and Short Form Video Trends blog.
5. Marketing to Gen Z
Gen Z isn’t just the ‘next generation’ of consumers, they’re here now and their spending power is rapidly growing. Born between 1997 and 2012 (ages 11-26 in 2023), Gen Z is changing how we interact with brands. They’ve grown up with smartphones, social media, and constant connectivity, and are the creators of many expressive TikToks.
Gen Z doesn’t respond to traditional marketing or being ‘sold’ to. Instead, they choose to connect with brands that are transparent, down-to-earth, and authentic. In 2023, brands need to create humanized content with honesty and vulnerability. Ultimately, you need to move away from the millennial-focused, perfectly curated aesthetic, and towards un-airbrushed and real. Gen Z wants to get to know your brand persona on a meaningful level before buying from you – through your honest social media content. 2023 is the time to start connecting with this younger generation.
6. Social Responsibility
In 2023, conscious choices are trending. Social responsibility, integrity, ethics and inclusivity matter to the modern consumer. Gen Z and millennials are more likely to support brands that take a stance on racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality and climate change.
When brands put their values at the forefront of their digital marketing strategies, consumers form deep connections with brands and see their values as a reflection of their own. It’s this connection that affects their purchase decisions and creates loyal customers who become brand advocates.
Creating a social responsibility content plan is a good starting point. Focus on inclusive initiatives, promotions, and the issues or causes your brand is committed to supporting.
Get Started With These Digital Marketing Trends
You’re now up to speed! With these six trends, you can move forward and refresh your digital marketing strategy for 2023. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or not sure where to start, don’t worry. Contact NOUS to learn more about these topics and how to make them work for your brand.
