8 Marketing Trends for 2023

It’s 2023… and this is what marketers everywhere are doing right now. 

We know because we’ve looked into our crystal ball, and this is what it’s telling us. Also, we’ve done a heap of research and called in some marketing experts to spill the tea – but we never let the truth get in the way of a good story. 

From what we’re hearing, the marketing trends we’re expecting to see are a mix of “yeah, saw that one coming” and “well, that’s interesting” and the general themes we’re seeing… Customer Experience, Creativity and Visual Content. 

So grab a cuppa, a tasty jam scone and find out where you should be focusing your marketing efforts in the new year. 

1. Increase in Customer Loyalty

Brand loyalty is everything to any business of any size, and this is something I think we’ll see more businesses taking note of and using to their advantage through the use of both loyalty/rewards and referral programs. The most important marketing strategy you can have is “care” and “kindness”, and there is no better way of showing your customers that you care about them and their commitment to your brand, then by making them feel like they are appreciated, included and an extension of your brand.

With a “pending market crash” also on everyone’s minds right now, it’s more important that ever to have a retention strategy – and this comes hand in hand with customer loyalty. So stop and think, what are you doing to retain your clients? Do they feel that their loyalty is appreciated? Are you rewarding them for staying loyal to your brand? 

2. Creative “out-of-the-box” marketing

With social media become more and more fragile and fickle (and frustrating the heckers out of people), and there being next to no original organic content circulating – businesses will start getting more creative and start thinking beyond the norm when it comes to getting their business seen. This is not to say that social media isn’t going to reign supreme in the marketing realm – because it will for a lot of businesses. But businesses and marketers are going to be looking and thinking out-of-the-box for more ways to compliment this space, or to slowly exit stage left from some of these platforms so they start to gain more control of their marketing efforts.

When it comes to social media marketing, content will still remain king – so it’s about thinking out-of-the-box so that it’s not the same run-of-the-mill content that we’re seeing over and over again. We’re also likely to start seeing a decrease in ad spend over the next few years, which means our organic content is going to need to be stepped up. Think compelling content that tells stories, creates excitement and positions you as thought leaders.

3. Traditional marketing is making a come back

After years of lock downs and people stuck in their houses and glued to screens, people are craving face-to-face interaction more than ever. Business owners and marketers are also getting increasingly frustrated with the likes of social media and how difficult it is to gain traction with organic content so the likes of networking events are ramping up, in-person collaborations are becoming more predominant and the likes of PR and offline marketing are making their way back into the arena.

So, if you’re in business that spends ALOT of your marketing efforts on social media, look into how you can bring traditional and modern marketing methods together to make marketing magic happen. Leads can pop up in the most random of places, so never rule anything out – no matter how crazy it might seem.

4. Influencer marketing will continue to boom

For some time, influencers have given themselves a bad name for one reason of another and as such we’re seeing a shift into them now calling themselves ‘Content Creators’ – which let’s be honest, is exactly what they are. Content creators are going to continue to be a valuable resources for businesses, especially those who are considered “mirco”. This is because they are generally more affordable, trustworthy, relatable and tend to be more authentic in the brands that they are choosing to “influence”. They also tend to have a much more engaged following; or rather a community of followers who generally just love them because of what they do and who they are, and they trust them because they actually nurture their audience, rather than treat them as followers. Because of this, brands will pay big bucks to tap in to get a share of this trust and value.

If you are deciding to invest in content creators, just be sure to always do your due diligence before agreeing to anything, to ensure you get max ROI. 

5. World class customers experience

We are an impatient group of people these days, so it doesn’t take much for customers / clients to jump ship and find what they are looking for somewhere else. It’s no longer about just having the lowest price that will win someone over. It’s about having a seamless, enjoyable transition from first touch point through to sale and beyond, that will ensure your customers keep coming back for more AND tell all their friends about you. Think back to your last exceptional experience as a customer… chances are you’ve told someone about it and/or posted a story about how great that business is. 

6. The rise of Pinterest

More and more businesses are starting to see the benefits of Pinterest, as they realise that it’s not another social media platform – but in fact a search engine, much like Google. It’s no secret that visual content is more appealing and increases visibility, which is why the likes of Pinterest is starting to peak the interest of more business owners, and rightly so. 

If you’re offering an online service or digital product, this is a platform that cannot be ignored. Even if you don’t have a physical product, you could look at including content that piques interest and drives to your website. 

80% of weekly pinners discover a new brand or a product on Pinterest, and users are 55% more likely to purchase a brand or product after seeing a video on Pinterest compared to other platforms. 

7. Conversation Marketing

Marketing is no longer a formal one-way conversation where we are trying to convince people to buy what we’re selling. It’s now about having more casual, engaging conversations like we would with friends – and having them in real time, with the likes of chat bots, instant messaging, commenting etc. It’s about human-centric interactions that is specific to them and their needs.

So stop talking AT your audience, and start involving them in the conversations your having. 

8. Voice search tactics for SEO

Marketers are beginning to leverage voice search as a SEO tool. Digital assistants like Alexa, Google Home, Siri etc are designed to answer short, informational queries such as “How long does it take me to get to…” and “What’s the weather forecast in Brisbane tomorrow?” but they’ve started seeing an increase in customised searches, like “What coffee shops are open near me?” and “Do they serve chai lattes?”

Businesses are responding by changing how they frame information – keeping it more conversational and short and sweet so it’s easily, and quickly, relayed.

So, there you have it. A quick glance into the future of marketing and all the beauty it has to offer. Implement some, or all, of the above into your 2023 marketing strategy and we’re sure you’ll see some marketing magic take place.