7 Marketing Trends in 2023

Influencers gonna influence

It’s not all selfies on the superyacht - influencer marketing is now a genuine PR angle and a valuable advertising stream for your business. But you don’t need to spend thousands working with celebrity Instagrammers – in fact “micro-influencers” with a small but relevant following can help keep things local, trustworthy and specific to your brand. If you don’t find the perfect match for your product, you can become the influencer yourself by sharing experiences in your field while actively promoting your business.

Keep it local

It doesn’t take anyone long to notice they have competition in the marketplace and that will only intensify in 2023. So how to stand out from the crowd? Keep your business hyper-local. Turning your neighbours into customers and making your business the go-to option in your town, village or even street gives you a unique edge on the global players who might be too big to notice a customer’s home-grown needs. With loyal locals in your corner you’ll have a brand likely to grow and grow.

SEO is back

It’s always been with us – writing that’s full of key words and phrases matched to your customers’ searches – but with more businesses than ever building websites and sales content, and search engines getting smarter about how they rank online content, you need to make sure yours is functioning as it should. That’s means more than key search terms, it means well-written, engaging content that’s up-to-the-minute and full of relevance to the customer. And if your pictures, videos and links are titled in the same way, tagged with the right geographic info, dates and bullet points, search engines will reward you.

?

So is “experiential” marketing

Maybe it’s the keep-it-local vibe that’s got everyone heading outdoors to get personally acquainted with companies and brands. Essentially, that means showcasing your business in a way that demands interaction. Find a way for your clients to walk around, try on for size, get a feel, and get in the mood to lay down cash for a business they can trust. Whether it’s VR goggles, a high street pop-up shop or a try-before-you-buy sample – your customers are looking for immersive fun.

Video is staying trim

If a picture says a thousand words then a 20-second clip says 10,000. Between TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, the short form video is everywhere you look and brands are cashing in, especially in the mobile-friendly “portrait” style. Once you have their attention, follow-up with long-form video to really show the spirit of your company, covering the tough buy-in decisions that take weeks, months and sometimes years to consider. Tell the real, transparent story of your business’s life in 2023 – and let video help.

Social media is customer service

You posted some helpful tweets in 2022 and some stunning IG updates – a great next step is to look after the followers you’ve gained and by offering “social customer care.” Your clients might go to Twitter and Facebook first when they want the latest updates and offers, and they want to be seen interacting with their favourite brands while finding answers to their questions. If you’re online when they need you, you’ll soon turn your social media platforms into great conversations and handy tools for making more customers.

Keep it real

Whether it’s giving the customer back control of their data, staying local and sustainable, or having open conversations about the ethics of your brand, one thing’s for sure: the modern customer demands and deserves authenticity. This year, they’re less keen on sleepy corporate videos and hunting instead for homemade, vertical clips to share with friends. Scrolling through pages of T&Cs is so last year, now it’s about a helpful chat on the phone. Build your brand voice slowly, thoughtfully and with love and customers will notice. Relationships are everything. Conversations matter. Authenticity is very 2023.?