Major developments in marketing to watch in 2023

2023's top marketing themes to watch:

• SEO will gain more momentum

SEO will continue to be an essential tool in the hands of marketers in the digital world of brands and businesses in the upcoming year without a shadow of a question. Brands would therefore continue to use a suitable keyword-based content strategy based on widely used and accepted terms. In reality, SEO for brands would no longer be limited to text but would also become important for multimedia, including videos and image optimization for brands as Google algorithms evolved and became more complex and sophisticated.

• The business use of social media will become more serious.

Despite the fact that the majority of social media platforms have already turned commercial and are now offering more and more features that help companies, the industry is expected to become more consolidated in the upcoming year. Brands would seek to directly interact with customers through live streaming events, quizzes, and competitions in an effort to increase their mindshare rather than just sharing content and following discussions about their goods and services. In fact, businesses will use social media more and more in the upcoming year as a customer interface or touchpoint where they can directly respond to customers' needs, questions, and other issues.

• OTT platforms' marketing would take conventional television into consideration.

Brands would not hesitate to target traditional television while obviously keeping track of new-age OTT platforms in order to capitalise on the popularity of sports and entertainment events and fixtures that frequently occur simultaneously on traditional broadcast TV and OTT and video-streaming platforms. As a consequence, in the upcoming year, promotional content would be prepared with consideration for both platforms more frequently.

• A combination of ATL and BTL tactics would win.

Even though the distinction between ATL and BTL is now fuzzier due to impending digital disruptions, FMCG businesses would still use BTL strategies and tactics with more specialised messaging for a highly targeted clientele. Direct selling, telemarketing, in-store promotions, trade shows, road shows, postal marketing, and social media marketing are a few examples of these. Apart from factors like target audience, stage of customer acquisition, overall and ultimate objective—whether awareness or conversion—and funding, the nature of the campaign, whether ATL or BTL, would rely on the particular product being promoted. In all probability, a BTL and ATL strategy combination known as "Through the Line" would be undertaken.

• A bigger presence for digital marketing

There are strong signs that businesses will use digital marketing tools and their variations more extensively than ever in the upcoming year when compared to traditional marketing tools. Brands would take full advantage of this chance given that users spend about seven hours per day using their smartphones and the high engagement rate that results from this. As digital advertising expands to more recent social media platforms like Twitter, Linkedin, WhatsApp Business, and snap, among others, brands will be able to capitalise on the interests and preferences of numerous prospective and current young customers who are likely to be constantly interacting with these platforms.

• Video marketing will continue to dominate content types.

Videos will continue to be a popular and effective digital marketing tool in the upcoming year due to continually declining costs and entry barriers as well as the sheer efficacy of being a medium of direct conversation with customers. Videos would continue to be a potent tool in the hands of marketers in 2023, used for everything from creating and disseminating product and quality information to creating and disseminating how-to instructional videos in clear, simple language to disseminating customer testimonials. Particularly for brands, short video material would be the best option.