With technologies, algorithms, platforms, and tools evolving daily, keeping up with the latest digital trends can be overwhelming. Here are digital trends in marketing you need to follow in 2023.
Digital Trends for Small Businesses in 2023
The Death of Organic Posts
Recent algorithm updates have shifted the focus from organic posts to paid advertising as the main factor in getting seen in social feeds.
A quick check of your Facebook feed will reveal the 2nd or 3rd post is always an ad. You will see individual posts on your feed but rarely a business post.
While we encourage you to create organic content to maintain a presence, your social media marketing strategy needs to centre on paid ads if you want to succeed online.
Do your research and get expert help on optimising your marketing strategy.
SEO is Still Crucial to Success, BUT!
Recent SERP trends show Google is giving prominence to paid ads over organic search listings. Search for any keyword and the first 4-5 rankings consist of predominantly paid ads and Google business profiles on Maps.
But, if you’re not keen on advertising, getting your organic SEO is essential now that ads are taking the top results.
Google’s search algorithm goes through several updates but typically rewards high-quality content relevant to the primary keyword phrase. However, it also evaluates many variables – including page authority, content quality, quality of backlinks, site speed, etc. We must create high-quality content and get the SEO fundamentals right.
Optimising Voice Search
The use of voice search will continue next year, and every business should optimise for it.
When we type a search into Google, we phrase it differently than when we use Siri or Alexa for information.
For example, a person looking for a good pub might type “good pub in Sydney” into Google but might ask Alexa, “where is a good pub near me”.
So when writing content, choosing your keywords is necessary based on the questions people may ask when using Siri or Alexa.
Video Marketing
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So, one can only imagine the value a good video can deliver.
Think about all the benefits of video marketing:
- 72% of consumers prefer watching videos over reading text
- Videos can increase brand awareness.
- It can help with the overall SEO strategy.
However, like any trend, video is getting updated. Here are some useful statistics to note:
- Live streaming on Facebook and Instagram keeps viewers hooked 3x longer than a standard video.
- You only have 8 seconds to capture attention on TikTok. Make the most of viral sounds, memes, challenges, and trending hashtags to increase video visibility.
- Videos are being integrated into emails to create personalised messages, share information, and create a more visually appealing layout.
- Product videos can provide customers with a better sense of scale and specifications than text and pictures.
Personalised Marketing
Move away from generic messaging in your communications, as most people can see right through those. Personalisation brings a variety of benefits, including:
- improved customer satisfaction
- increased digital conversion
- improved advertising
A personalised experience makes a customer feel appreciated and understood. For example: When a streaming service, like Amazon or Netflix, offers recommendations based on previous viewing activity and sends reminders that the viewer left in the middle of a movie.
Emphasis on CyberSecurity
The Optus breach brought it home for most Aussies, and within days, Telstra also reported a breach. We have become more reliant on technology, so safety and privacy concerns will be at the forefront of everything we do online.
Banking, entertainment, work – any site that requires personal details must incorporate network security. Businesses must invest in cyber security support for their websites and implement best practices such as keeping software updated, taking regular backups and training staff to create a secure working environment.
Increase in User-Generated Content (UGC)
Authenticity is a trait that consumers search for in a brand. That explains why user-generated content is becoming more popular.
Moreover, UGC is a much cheaper digital marketing strategy for small businesses when compared with traditional forms of marketing.
Examples of UGC that are commonly used:
- Customer reviews
- Case studies
- Testimonials
Not only does it help build brand authenticity and drive awareness, but it also promotes user engagement.
Growing Social Platforms for Business
As of 2022, there are 4.59 billion social media users around the globe, and that number is expected to increase even further. And with that increase comes more social platforms to market.
Here are two platforms that could be useful to your business.
- TikTok
With over 1 billion monthly users worldwide and its popularity with a wide audience range, content often goes viral. As a result, more brands are capitalising on TikTok videos to showcase their personality and market products.
- Discord
With over 150 million active users, communication is via voice chat or message and screen share. Some say it offers better chat functionality than Skype or Slack.
One important thing to note is that Discord allows first-party data tracking. It also offers better control alert functions for people in your group and assigns roles, so no one is overwhelmed by notifications.
There are also numerous features for collaboration and the potential to tag customers for events and during chats.
Online Privacy Concerns
Businesses are expected to be more proactive in gathering customer data in 2023.
For example, form building can help collect information from customers that could influence your next product launch or service. Even the most basic forms gather valuable information that can help turn window shoppers into buyers.
Alternatives include social media competitions, newsletter sign-ups, and lead generation forms. It’s essential to set time aside to evaluate your data collection efforts and the data itself.
Updates to Google Services
Google is famous for its algorithm changes and feature updates, but two big announcements significantly impacted businesses.
Goodbye Universal Analytics
In July 2023, Google will officially discontinue the Universal Analytics (UA) platform, and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will be the go-to solution for monitoring website activity.
GA4 is designed to cater to key business objectives, such as driving sales or app installs, generating leads, and providing critical insights on customer engagement.
We recommend setting up your GA4 account as soon as possible. This gives you extra time to prepare and get used to the new features and settings.
Google Surveys shut down
Google shut down its popular Survey service on November 1st 2022.
However, they hint on their Help Page at plans to repackage the service and offer it through Google Ads. “The Surveys team will be working to find new ways to bring the scale and insights of our research network to customers via Google Ads products for advertiser, customer, and market research.”.
We advise looking for an alternative, such as SurveyMonkey, as Google doesn’t look like they have any replacement services ready.
In conclusion, the digital world is ever-changing, and we must always be ready for new opportunities in digital technology.
The best thing for you to do now is to incorporate some of these digital trends into an actionable plan so your business can stand out as an innovative leader in your industry.
Shared from the National Retail Association
