Marketing Trends for 2023

Marketing trends and tactics change frequently in line with customers, as time progresses their values, priorities and expectations change and it is our job to make sure we are tapping into the most recent trends to make sure you get the very best returns from your marketing investments.

The digital world is ever evolving and now people spend more time online than ever before. The average human is awake 15 hours of the day and approximately 6 hours and 43 minutes of that is spent online. Information is readily available, if you can think it there is probably an answer to it. However, while this is amazing the abundance of information has caused a serious saturation and people are bombarded with messages constantly. The question is how can your company stand out in a sea voices?

Google vs Social

For the past few years, Google has been the go-to, to search for something and finding information is the reason that most people reason for going online. Back in 2014, Susan Philips was one of the first to put forward a revolutionary new idea: soon, we won’t search for products; companies will find us through social media. Fast forward 9 years and intelligent algorithms have made this a reality. Instead of relying on keywords or search terms, businesses are getting their products and services in front of customers before they even know they needed them. This presents an opportunity for businesses to adapt and focus on showcasing their business via the powerful medium of social media. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your audience isn’t on social media, 72% of companies use social media to inform business decisions.

Cohesive Customer Experience

As marketing becomes more intelligent it is an expectation from consumers to receive a personalised experience. Customers no longer interact with a brand on a singular channel, for example, if a customer sees something on social media, they will likely research on a search engine and via the website, find reviews and potentially revisit it later to understand the buyer behaviour of your target audience, FMCG have a shorter decision-making process than an investment in software.  Build a customer map to visualise the buyer process and focus on the complete experience as opposed to driving everything into one channel. 

Voice search tactics for SEO

Marketers are beginning to leverage voice search as an SEO tool. These digital assistants are designed to answer short, informational queries such as “What’s the weather like today?”, “How do you cook a casserole?”, “Where can I order takeout?”.

In response to this growing trend, businesses are responding by changing how they frame information. To answer questions based on intent, businesses are opting for more conversational question-and-answer formats. This way, when consumers use voice search, they’ll get high-quality, accurate responses more quickly.

The rise of VR

In 2021, Meta (formerly Facebook) unveiled their up-and-coming metaverse as they approach 20 years since conception. This hybrid and mixed-reality experience is predicted to have a real impact on the marketing landscape in 2023. In short virtual reality allows brands to promote their products and services using VR technology to create a realistic and stimulating experiences to their customers.

Many brands are already adopting AR and VR in their marketing strategies from car dealerships to McDonalds. In Sweden they increased in-store engagement with VR headsets, known as “Happy Goggles” for children to enjoy various interactive games. Like video marketing, it presents a whole new opotunity to engage and educate customers on your products and services and we expect to see many more innovative VR trends coming in 2023.

Marketing in a downturn

It isn’t a secret that the UK economy is suffering as we head into austerity, everyone is feeling a pinch on the purse strings. From soaring gas and electric, to doubling food prices the average disposable income is due to drop to the lowest level in recent years. However, from previous downturns consumer behaviour can be surprising. Where you would expect people to reduce buying luxuries in the 2008 recession, luxury lingerie sales soared. During the Great Depression and the 2001 recession, people were buying lipsticks in droves. While there are no concrete predictions for the next downturn, we can learn from previous mistakes.

While marketing can be the first cost to be slashed during budget cuts, this can seriously impact your bottom line. Companies that put customer needs under the microscope, take a scalpel rather than a cleaver to the marketing budget, and nimbly adjust strategies, tactics, and product offerings in response to shifting demand are more likely than others to flourish both during and after a recession.