If you’re like us, your LinkedIn feed and inbox are cluttered with listicles purporting to have the best and hottest marketing trends for 2023—but they don’t tell you what you need to know.
This list is not like the others.
The following are our *hot takes* on digital, social, and traditional marketing trends you can leverage this year. We curated the best actionable ideas to help build your brand and boost your bottom line in 2023 and beyond.
1. Short-format video is engaging and informative
Marketers have measured social content, and short-format videos are on top. When we say, “short format,” we mean videos shot vertically for Instagram Reels or TikTok that clock in under 60 seconds. Here’s some hard data for the “numbers people”:
“73% of consumers prefer to watch short-form video to learn about a product or service.”
“Nearly a third (30%) of all short-form videos are watched 81% of the way through.”
Actionable advice: Use short-form video to tell customers about your product or service and how you solve a problem they face. In other words, why do they need you? Give them the “elevator pitch” in the form of a 30-second TikTok and watch your brand awareness skyrocket.
2. AI (artificial intelligence) is getting even smarter
According to Forbes, marketing is the business function (along with sales) where AI will have the most financial impact. So, where will AI be used most in your 2023 marketing efforts?
- Digital ads: Facebook and Google use audience segmentation and predictive analytics to customize each consumer’s ad experience based on what will most likely get them to act.
- Email marketing: Professional email marketers know there are many variables that impact performance, from subject line emojis and send time to body copy and graphics. AI-powered tools have recently been added to the email guru’s toolbox to make emails more engaging than ever.
- Social media: My “For You” page (the main feed on TikTok) was plastered with videos using the AI manga filter in December 2022, one memorable example of the convergence of artificial intelligence and social media.
Actionable advice: Look at all your marketing efforts and determine which would benefit from AI technology. Is A/B testing your email marketing a pain point? Investigate tools like SendGrid. Are your digital advertising resources exhausted? Work with an agency that combines killer creative work with proven paid media-based knowledge of Facebook and Google’s AI.
3. Multi-search is expanding what users find online
With consumers spending more than 82% of their time on discovery, search engines like Google continuously work to provide the most relevant results across diverse sources.
Actionable advice: Give searchers what they want! Agile, smart marketers and business owners need to futureproof their online presence by using all types of assets (videos, images, PDFs, text, etc.) and providing high-quality, user-centric information in every format. By futureproofing, we mean that providing user-centric information in every format imaginable will protect your company from obsolescence when user preferences, search habits, and technology change.
4. Diversity is a must, not a maybe
DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is not only something Element views as being morally responsible—it’s also something consumers expect from the brands they trust.
“71% of consumers expect brands to promote DEI.”
Actionable advice: Has your brand dipped a toe in the DEI pool? Great. Now, push it further. Use same-sex couples and gender-fluid talent in your ads. Contract plus-size models with all types of skin tones and textures. Make creative choices that help disability be visible. Consumers want to see themselves in your ads, and 2023 is the time to make everyone feel included and special.
5. Users equate privacy with trust
Privacy experts say that 74% of people now rank data privacy as one of their top values. Data privacy and trustworthiness go hand in hand, and there are several methods of blending privacy and trust as you plan your marketing efforts.
Actionable advice: Make sure your website is secured with an SSL certificate. When running social media campaigns with prizes, you need to include language that explains the who, what, when, and where of winning (terms and conditions). You’ll also want to be transparent with users about how and when their data will be used after visiting your website. Ensure you adhere to GDPR and CCPA—we can help with that!
Make Marketing Trends Work for Your Business
Trends are great, but without the right partner to customize them to your business, what’s popular often falls flat because it’s not tailored to your target audience. You need a strategic ally that can sift through what’s hot, apply steadfast strategy to what’s trending, execute ideas flawlessly, and measure results in real time to ensure you reach your goals.
The ally we’re talking about? That’s us! Get in touch with Element today to boost your bottom line.
