2023 is poised to be a year of digital marketing revolution as businesses continue to traverse a post-pandemic digital landscape. Numerous macro-economic changes and significant digital tracking changes, including the Third-Party Cookie phaseout in July 2023 and roll-out of Google Analytics 4, have made digital marketers worldwide reconsider their budgets, strategies, and plans.
As digital marketing shifts emerge and evolve, it is important for businesses to stay up to date with digital trends and understand the impact each trend could have on their own digital marketing strategies.
In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at what we believe will be the top 5 most significant digital marketing trends in 2023 and offer some suggestions on how we will be looking to leverage them to deliver the best possible advantage for our clients this year.
Changes In 2022 That Foretell What to Expect In 2023
The digital marketing landscape of 2023 is sure to look dramatically different than it did in years past. In 2022, Google updated the criteria for content quality, GA4 was introduced, and universal analytics phased out; and third-party cookies were removed from use in digital tracking. Although digital marketers will now have alternative methods of remarketing and achieving successful targeted advertising, implementing these new tactics may require some readjustment.
Additionally, paid search advertising methods will likely be greatly impacted due to the aforementioned alterations, not to mention costs creeping up, meaning digital marketers must become better versed with the new technologies available to them if they want to stay ahead of their competitors and maximise their budget.
As digital tracking becomes ever more locked down, digital marketers will have to rethink their traditional tactics; and work on relying more heavily on digital experiences that provide users with value instead of intrusive ads. Paid search and remarketing campaigns will also likely become personalised more often as digital marketers seek ways to incorporate big data into their strategies without infringing on users' personal information.
5 Trends We Predict Will Be Most Impactful In 2023
1. AI tools
AI tools are quickly becoming the go-to choice for digital marketing agencies all over the world. Although still in their infancy, AI-powered marketing solutions not only make professionals' jobs easier, they also provide customers with a more personalised experience, helping businesses better understand their target audiences and their needs.
AI tools allow marketers to quickly identify trends, anticipate changes in customer behaviour and respond accordingly. By leveraging AI tools for marketing activities such as optimisation of targeted ads and campaigns, AI will help digital agencies deliver high-performing results with greater efficiency, allowing them to spend time on more creative, value-added tasks, such as strategising and identifying new ways to reach their target audiences.
As AI technology becomes more advanced through 2023, the trend towards implementing AI tools in digital marketing is only going to grow, as AI tools become more user friendly than ever before. Digital marketing teams can capitalise upon this trend by using those tools, that include predictive analytics, natural language processing, and automated customer service inquiries, to improve their understanding of consumer behaviour, as well as build more powerful relationships with their customers.
AI software in content, video, and imaging offers immense potential for increased efficiency across many aspects of digital marketing, while helping provide even better results, and we fully expect to see them evolve into the cornerstones of effective digital marketing strategies in the future. Don’t be fooled though, these tools will still require human-powered brains to strategise, plan, adjust and review to make sure they are delivering the results you need!
2. Dynamic Searches Using Optimised Images
One trend that is becoming increasingly important is the use of optimised images.
As searches move more and more towards mobile devices, it's crucial that images are optimised for these smaller screens. This means using the right file format, ensuring images are the correct size and making sure they are compressed so that they load quickly on mobile devices.
Google Lens is also an important tool for optimising images. This artificial intelligence tool can be used to identify objects in images and provide relevant information about them. This is especially useful for product images, as it can provide users with information about pricing, availability and reviews. It has also democratised the use of Augmented Reality, providing brands with new ways to interact and engage with consumers. It is revolutionising the way people search so images should definitely not be ignored!
Overall, optimised images are an important trend for 2023 as we move towards a more mobile-centric world. Google Lens is a powerful tool that can help make sure your images are seen and understood by your audience and ensures that the images you use are as valuable and useful as your content in delivering on your goals.
3. High Quality Content
While not new, high quality content is more important than ever in the world of digital marketing, and this is only set to continue in 2023. Google's latest 'helpful content' update is designed to reward websites that produce quality, informative content that is useful to users. This means that marketers need to focus on creating high-quality content if they want to stay ahead of the game in 2023.
But what exactly is high-quality content, and why is it so important?
High-quality content is well-written, useful, informative, and relevant to your target audience. It should be free from errors and easy to read. Most importantly, it should offer value to the reader – whether that’s through providing helpful information, solving a problem or entertaining them.
There are several reasons why high-quality content is so important for digital marketers. Firstly, it helps you to rank higher in search engines. Google’s algorithm favours websites that produce quality content, meaning you’re more likely to appear at the top of the search results if your content is up to scratch. This can lead to increased traffic and more conversions.
Secondly, high-quality content builds trust with your audience. If your readers see that you’re consistently producing helpful, accurate and informative articles, they’re much more likely to trust your brand and become loyal customers.
And finally, good quality content helps you to stand out from your competitors. With so much noise online, it can be difficult to cut through the clutter and get noticed by your target audience. But if you produce standout content that offers value and resonates with your audience, you’ll be much more likely to grab their attention – and keep it.
4. Video
Video is one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s arsenal. It’s highly engaging, visually appealing and can be used to promote just about anything.
But why is video so important in 2023? And how can marketers make sure they’re making the most of this powerful tool?
There are two key reasons why video is set to be even more important in 2023. Firstly, Google has announced that it will be giving preference in search results to websites that use video. This means that if you want your website to rank highly on Google, you need to start using video to meet that requirement.
Secondly, short form videos are on the rise thanks to platforms like TikTok and Reels. These videos are easy to consume and highly shareable, making them perfect for promoting your brand or product. If you want to reach a wider audience in 2023, you need to start creating short-form videos alongside an effective strategy for sharing them.
So how can marketers make sure they’re prepared for the rise of video? Firstly, they need to start creating quality video content. This content should be informative, entertaining and relevant to your target audience. Secondly, they need to ensure their website is optimised for video by adding captions and transcripts. And finally, they need to promote their videos across social media and other channels.
By following these tips, marketers can make sure they’re prepared for the rise of video in 2023 and beyond. If all this sounds a little daunting, our in-house videography team can help. They work closely with our clients to evolve the right video strategy for each business as well as planning, shooting, and delivering high-quality effective video content, cost-effectively, at the right cadence for a range of purposes.
5. The importance of 1st Party Data and the Demise of 3rd Party Cookies
The data landscape is set to change dramatically in 2023, with the eradication of third-party data and the rise of first-party data. This shift will have a big impact on marketing campaigns, and marketers will need to adjust their strategies accordingly.
So, what exactly is first-party data? First-party data is data that is collected directly from your customers, through methods such as surveys, form sign-ups and website activity. This type of data is incredibly valuable as it gives you a direct insight into your customers’ wants and needs.
Third-party data, on the other hand, is data that is collected from sources outside of your direct control. This could include data from social media platforms, cookies and other tracking technologies. While this type of data can be useful, it’s often less accurate and reliable than first-party data.
With the eradication of third-party data, marketers will need to focus on collecting first-party data if they want to run successful campaigns in 2023. There are several ways to do this, including surveys, website forms and customer loyalty programmes.
It’s also important to note that first-party data isn’t just limited to customer information – it can also include data about your product or service itself. This could include things like website analytics, purchase history and customer service interactions. By leveraging this type of data, you can get a better understanding of how your products or services are being used and what areas need improvement.
Other Changes in the Digital Marketing Landscape in 2023
Although there are many other trends we could talk about, we think these will have the biggest impact on your digital marketing strategy. If you’re hungry for more, get familiar with the concept of and look out for micro influencers in your industry to create meaningful partnerships that will help you engage with the right audience. These two trends have been growing in 2022 and will likely be even bigger for 2023.
Keeping Your Digital Marketing Strategy Effective in 2023
Now more than ever in an unpredictable economic landscape, digital marketing is a powerful tool that businesses of all sizes can use to gain an advantage. Knowing which digital marketing trends to leverage and how to deploy them effectively can help businesses reach their digital marketing objectives.
Incorporating digital marketing trends such as AI tools, optimised images, high quality content and video into a business' digital strategy can have tremendous benefits. AI tools help by leveraging personalised digital experiences for customers based on current customer data. With optimised images, businesses can grab the attention of website visitors quickly with stunning visuals. Utilising high quality content and video also extends reach significantly and allows for an increase in engagement due to an improved user experience. Finally, third-party cookie eradication helps businesses to protect customer privacy, improving trust which is more important than ever today when it comes to digital marketing.
By understanding the nuances of each digital marketing trend, businesses can create targeted campaigns that drive results. Additionally, using digital technology wisely helps brands build trust with customers, leading to greater engagement and increased sales revenue. With digital marketing in full swing, it's time for businesses to make use of these digital trends and join the digital revolution.
As you can see, there are many digital marketing trends that hold a lot of potential for businesses. By capitalising on even just a few of them, your business can enjoy increased brand awareness, engagement and ultimately, conversions.
At Innovation Visual, we’ve always focused on producing quality content over quantity and have been incorporating video at the heart of our clients’ digital strategies. Image optimisation for search engines is an integral part of our toolkit and we’ve been embracing first-party data through the use of HubSpot to help our clients be ready for the disappearance of third-party cookies. We’ve also been using Google’s and other social media platforms’ AI powered tools to maximise paid advertising performance and are actively testing new generative AI tools to ensure our clients get a competitive edge.
If you need help incorporating any of these digital marketing trends into your strategy in 2023, get in touch with us today. Our team of digital marketing experts are up to date on all the latest trends and tools in the industry. We can help you incorporate AI, optimised images, high quality content and video into your business' digital strategy quickly and effectively.
Let us take the hassle out of keeping up with the latest trends and deploy them in a way that will benefit your business the most – contact us now to learn more about how we can help you take your digital marketing strategy to the next level.
