Digital Marketing Trends in 2023

Did you hear about the #Breaking2 campaign by Nike back in 2017?

Here’s how the story goes…

The company came up with this brilliant marketing campaign that would go down in history and marketing books. 

Nike brought together athletes Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese in Monza, Italy.

They were challenged to achieve an “impossible” feat: finish a marathon in less than two hours.

And while the final result may have come up 26 seconds short, with Kipchoge clocking in a time of 2 hours and 25 seconds, Nike still won.

How? They kept people glued to their screens for 2 hours. They used powerful advertising across all online platforms. And at the end of the day, their marketing team won.

As a result of the event, #Breaking2 accumulated 2 trillion impressions and was used over 407,000 times within that time. Nike was mentioned more than 584,000 times on social media. And the sentiment was over 87% positive.

Then, in 2019, INEOS company sponsored Eliud Kipchoge to beat the record once again: Run a marathon in less than 2 hours. And, against all odds, he did it!

The campaign was titled “INEOS 1:59”

49 networks broadcast the race across more than 200 territories. It had an estimated 500 million+ TV viewers, 1.5 million engagements, and 12 billion impressions at the time.

On Twitter, it represented five of the top seven trending topics on Twitter worldwide, including the #INEOS159 and #NoHumanIsLimited hashtags (Another breaking record).

Eliud Kipchoge INEOS 159 marketing
image from https://www.ineos159challenge.com/news/history-is-made-as-eliud-kipchoge-becomes-first-human-to-break-the-two-hour-marathon-barrier/

Digital marketing in 2023

These two strategies were genius! They took advantage of the exponential rise of online users to achieve their marketing goals!

What remains clear to me is this…

In an era where the answer to every question is one click away, you can’t afford to ignore digital marketing.

And to do so, you have to not only be innovative, but also keep up with the trends. You have to know what’s going on out there. And as a small business owner, you just have to stay on top of things.

6 Digital Trends That Every Small Business Owner Should Apply

1. Artificial Intelligence

Around November last year, Chat GPT was launched. And around the same time, AI was gaining some real recognition and popularity among marketers.

Chat GPT has been credited for its ability to create detailed, natural-sounding content in seconds based on a simple prompt.

In fact, there has since been speculation and debates about whether AI will replace marketers.

A.I tools should not entirely replace your marketing strategy. They can’t create quality content.

Yet, Google values this most when determining what should rank first in its search results. 

In fact, Google explicitly said that they penalise any AI-generated content they find on websites. This is because AI content is often spammy and not the most accurate.

Still, AI can be used for idea generation, researching, and brainstorming. It can speed up your content creation process. Obviously, this gives you time to work on more things.

So if anything, A.I will make marketers better at their job. 

2. Short videos

The average human attention span is shorter than that of a goldfish.

I’m not joking…

It currently stands at 8.25 seconds. And the internet isn’t making it any better.

You may have noticed that many online platforms are now promoting short form video content. 

It all started with TikTok. And now, on Instagram, they call them reels. On YouTube, they call them shorts. On Snapchat, they call them spotlights. 

Long story short (pun intended), every business owner needs to hop on this wave. 

Use this short time to show people you know what you’re talking about. Videos showing someone how to use a product are especially beneficial.

3. Chatbots and real time messaging platforms

Consumers in 2023 are different.

They want information, and they want it fast. And if you take too long, your competitors will replace you.

This can only mean one thing: chatbots and real time messaging platforms.

With many marketing teams, real-time messaging platforms have become an excellent opportunity to reach customers quickly, directly, and for data collection.

Chatbots automate customer communication and engagement in an accessible, simpler, and faster process.

If used together with AI, chatbots will be a game changer for the industry in 2023.

4. Conversational marketing

Marketing is special in this way…

No matter how formal or ‘serious’ the company is, you have to speak to the consumer in an enticing way.

Big words just don’t cut it when it comes to marketing. People are more likely to respond to a tone that they can relate to.

In 2023, we value a close connection to the company.

People don’t want to fill out a lead form and wait for a day or two to hear back from your business.

Instead, they want to start a conversation now. Therefore, conversational marketing will be crucial in 2023.

This will popularise phone call marketing, sms marketing, and email marketing if done correctly.

5. Social responsibility and inclusivity

In the last few years, consumers have been asking one really important question.

“What does this company stand for?”

Now more than ever, it’s more than just the product or service that you’re selling.

What are your values? And what is your contribution to society?

Displaying this information is likely to attract more visitors to you.

Inclusivity will be on the rise as well. Does your brand accommodate all users? And does it have features that help all users to navigate it?

The more you show people what you stand for, the more likely trust will be developed.

6. Stylish website design

Competition is continuously getting stiff.

And if you want any website conversions, you have to stand out among the crowd.

A basic website just won’t cut it.

Your website should not be over-crowded on any page. If this means leaving out a ton of dead space, then let it be so.

Consider mixing different forms of content – unique custom graphics, well-produced videos, pictures that tell a story, written-form content, animated cursors, magazine-style pages etc…

So if your site has not seen changes in a few years, it might just be time to give it a facelift.

Conclusion

2023 presents exciting new trends to hop on.

Now, more than ever, digital marketing has proven itself to be among the most important forms of marketing.

As small business owners, this can only mean one thing. We can’t ignore our online audiences as they are easiest to reach now.

In summary, the 6 digital marketing trends that you cannot ignore in 2023 are:

  1. Artificial Intelligence
  2. Short videos
  3. Chatbots and real time messaging
  4. Conversational marketing
  5. Social responsibility and inclusivity
  6. Stylish website design

If you’d like support in exploring thse digital marketing trends in 2023, get in touch or take a look at our 1-2-1 coaching.

Onwards and upwards my friend,

Px

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