The next big digital trends for 2023
We don’t need to tell you how fast the digital world moves – but 2023 looks set to be at turbo speed.
With predictions for record inflation, growing customer expectations, legislative changes, and big tech advancements, it’s time to buckle in and get ready for the ride.
Let’s take a look at the big digital marketing trends to keep your eye on in the coming year…
Third-party data is (almost) dead, long live zero-party data
With Google phasing out cookies by the end of 2024, and Apple’s 14.5 and 15 iOS updates, the writing is on the wall: 2023 is going to be the year zero-party data gathers serious traction – and this is great news for marketers.
Zero-party data is more accurate, compliant, allows for optimal segmentation and personalisation – and to top it all off – it's more cost-effective than other types of data collection.
Whether you use pop-ups, surveys, competitions or landing page forms to gather zero-party data, the most important thing is to be as targeted as possible – both in terms of what you ask and who you’re asking. Asking customers about purchase intentions, habits and preferences will give you valuable information – as long as you’re targeting people that are likely to be interested in your products or services.
The rise of real-time messaging
It’s no surprise that chatbots are currently the fastest growing brand communication channel – or that the market is expected to grow 25% by 2024. If your customer has a query or a problem, waiting 24 hours is unthinkable – they want an immediate response.
This ‘always-on’ culture makes chatbots the perfect solution for serving customers 24/7. And with marketing budgets being squeezed in 2023, more companies will be taking a hybrid approach – integrating chatbots with human customer service staff.
As the digital space grows ever more customer-centric, you can expect an increase in the use of voice-enabled chatbots, AI chatbots being used to gather zero-party data, and more chatbots facilitating automated payments.
Visual search
As humans, we’re better at processing images than words. In fact, 90% of the information transmitted to our brains is visual. That’s why we’re certain that more brands will be leveraging visual search in 2023.
Imagine you want to identify a specific plant or buy a pair of shoes you’ve seen on someone else; with visual search all you have to do is take a pic and you can use your camera as a search tool. Customers can find what they need – even if they don’t know the name or brand – and businesses get more traffic and sales.
However, in order to capture this traffic, it’s crucial that you have high-quality images on your website and social media. Optimise your visual search credentials by including descriptive names and alt tags for all of your images, as well as an image sitemap.
Better analytics
Analytics is always an evolving trend, but in 2023, it’s taking a giant leap for mankind.
With Google rolling out Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you'll have a whole new array of tools at your disposal. GA4 will track ‘events’ rather than sessions or page views, allowing you to define which events (metrics) are most important to your business. You’ll also be able to access anomaly detection, attribution models, and add custom reports (to name just a few of the features).
On top of this, GA4 lets you export data to Big Query, and link to Google Optimise and Google Merchant Centre – all for free.
Creator and micro-influencer marketing
We know this is already huge, but in 2023, brands are going to spend even more in this space. Why?
Well, for one thing, the ROI is excellent: around $5.20 for every $1 spent. And secondly, word-of-mouth will always be the most powerful marketing tool there is; according to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust word of mouth above all other types of advertising.
The key to influencer success in 2023 will be a more targeted approach. More brands will recognise that they don’t necessarily need to work with mega celebrities or influencers with one million plus followers, and instead seek out micro-influencers with smaller, more relevant, audiences.
Do you want to get ahead of the curve in 2023? Led by industry experts, our in-person and virtual Digital Marketing Masterclasses will help you find the strategies and solutions you need to thrive in 2023. Drop us a line or click here to find out more.
