Continue reading to learn:
- What digital marketing trends will emerge in 2023
- How small businesses can use these trends to their advantage
- How to get help with digital marketing
2023 will be here before you know it. It’s exciting to think about what’s to come. If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably curious about future changes within the field of digital marketing. While some fundamentals will stay the same, there are seven digital marketing trends you can’t ignore in 2023.
Digital marketing is constantly evolving. What’s popular one minute might be irrelevant the next. As a result, small business owners need to have a firm grasp on any changes in the industry.
We’re here to help you remain on top of things! Let’s review some popular digital marketing trends for 2023 and how your business can capitalize on them.
1. User-Generated Content
How do you convince people browsing the web to purchase your products and services? You can fill your website and social media channels with stunning photos and the most informative and persuasive copy you can write. You can throw out all sorts of impressive facts and figures.
But all this self-promotion will only get you so far.
If you really want to win over potential customers, you need your current customers to publicly vouch for you by creating user-generated content. After all, people are more likely to trust a person than a business.
What is User-Generated Content?
User-generated content is any written or visual content people create to promote a business online. Some examples of user-generated content include:
- Social media posts featuring images or videos of real people enjoying a product
- Video testimonials of customers talking about their recent experience with a company
- Reviews of a business posted on websites like Google, Facebook and Yelp
- Live stream videos of people unboxing products
Many companies have built a strong brand reputation by getting their customers to be their advocates. This digital marketing trend will certainly become more popular in 2023.
How Do You Get User-Generated Content?
So, how do you get your customers to create user-generated content?
One of the best ways is to make it easy for them to leave you an online review. You can do this by creating a review postcard to hand out to satisfied customers. This card should include clear instructions for how to leave a review and a QR code they can scan. At Frontier Marketing, we create these review postcards for our clients all the time.
You can also ask satisfied customers if they wouldn’t mind filming a quick testimonial video. Make this as easy as possible for them by offering to film it and giving them prompts for what to say. For more information on how to do this, check out our guide to making customer video testimonials.
One final option is to offer incentives for making user-generated content. For example, you can offer special discounts to customers who leave reviews. You can also hold a contest on social media requiring people to post a photo of them enjoying your product with a branded hashtag for a chance to win.
2. Artificial Intelligence Tools
Recently, the Internet has been buzzing about an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called ChatGPT. This tool has amazed people with its ability to create detailed, natural-sounding content in seconds based on a simple prompt. It is the latest development in a growing trend that has caused some to wonder if AI will replace human marketers.
But don’t start letting robots create all your marketing content! While it’s tempting to think of AI tools as replacements for human effort, machine learning programs are no substitute for knowledgeable marketers.
The main problem with AI tools is they can’t create quality content, which is what Google values most when determining what should rank first in its search results. Google has explicitly said that they penalize any AI-generated content they find on websites. This is because AI content is often spammy and not the most accurate.
Therefore, it’s a mistake to use AI-generated content on its own in your marketing materials. You may get away with it for a time, but Google will eventually find it and penalize you. Furthermore, visitors won’t appreciate its subpar quality and will be less likely to patronize your business as a result.
However, this doesn’t mean AI tools have no place in your digital marketing strategy for 2023. On the contrary, AI tools can be handy for research, outlining and brainstorming purposes. For example, you can ask ChatGPT to write you some content on a certain topic and then use that as a starting point for your own writing. Doing this can help speed up the content creation process.
3. Short Educational Videos
As a small business owner, it’s your job to be an expert in your field. The best way to demonstrate your knowledge is by posting a short educational video on the website and social media platforms.
These types of videos have skyrocketed over the last few years thanks to platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. These platforms limit people to only a few seconds/minutes. So, it’s your job to adjust to these metrics to be successful. 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.
4. Interactive Website Features
There’s nothing better than a well-developed website that tries to interact with its users. Features like personalized quizzes and tools are attractive because they help provide quick answers to questions that people have.
For example, let’s say you’re redoing your home’s landscaping, and you need some mulch. Since this is a DIY project, you have no idea how much mulch you’ll need. Landscaping websites that have mulch calculators will prove beyond useful. Instead of spending time determining how much mulch you need for the project, you can use the mulch calculator by inputting the dimensions of the space.
The more a website aims to help users through interactive content like this, the better off it’ll be.
5. Conversational Marketing
These days, people value a close, immediate connection with the companies they purchase from. But it’s not always easy to create that closeness online. 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.
Conversational marketing is a technique that incorporates instant messaging into a company’s marketing strategy. Many businesses have already started doing this by adding chatbots to their websites. These features allow visitors to send messages to the business and get help immediately.
One common objection to conversational marketing is a lack of bandwidth to respond to these messages. Fortunately, automated chatbots help with this problem by providing preprogrammed responses to common user questions.
6. Third-Party Cookies are Going Away
You may have heard that Google is slowly phasing out third-party cookies. This development is a significant digital marketing trend for 2023 because it will limit companies’ ability to send out personalized advertising. As a result, many businesses will have to significantly alter their marketing strategies.
A third-party cookie is a piece of code websites use to track visitor behavior. Cookies have been especially valuable for paid advertisements because they make it possible to target audiences based on very specific user interests. But once cookies are no longer available, it will make it much harder to provide personalized advertisements.
Instead, marketers will have to develop more personal strategies and one-on-one marketing tools to attract people to a brand. Consent will also be front and center in 2023. More websites will need user permission to use any of their personal data.
Another consequence of this shift is Google is switching from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4. So, if you use Google Analytics, you will want to start migrating to the new version now before Universal Analytics goes away on July 1, 2023.
7. Stylized Website Design
Your website needs to look its best to attract more customers. A web design best practice for 2023 will be to feature plenty of empty space between content and images. Although people might think that empty space is unappealing, it presents a unique opportunity to let the content shine. It also prevents a website from feeling overcrowded and overwhelming to visitors.
Today’s top-performing websites also often feature many unique custom graphics. Generic images no longer do the trick. People want to see art that illustrates your brand and shows who you are. So, the more attention and care you give to the graphics on your website, the better.
Website features like animated cursors, parallax scrolling, and asymmetric styling will also be more prevalent next year. Companies will hire web designers to do anything they can to make a website look unique.
So, if your site hasn’t been updated in a few years, 2023 is the perfect time to give it a facelift.
8. Social Responsibility & Inclusivity
The final digital marketing trend you can’t ignore in 2023 is social responsibility and inclusivity. Now more than ever, internet users are interested in what a company stands for. Does a website state what behavior it will and will not tolerate? Are there certain social causes it’s obvious the company supports? Displaying these opinions might attract more visitors.
Inclusivity will also be on the rise in 2023. People want to see a brand that accommodates all users. For example, are there features that assist the disabled community in navigating? Frontier Marketing offers services to make websites more accessible for those who need it. The more you show people what you stand for, the more likely trust will be developed.
Need Help with 2023 Digital Marketing Trends?
You can expect to see all these top digital marketing trends in 2023. Visitors will no longer settle for traditional websites and marketing strategies. Instead, they want to interact with a business that embraces modern platforms and takes the time to learn about their interests.
Need help making this happen? The right digital marketing agency will help you implement these new trends in marketing.
Choosing the right digital marketing agency can be tough. You want to make sure the agency understands your brand and goals. Frontier Marketing fits that bill perfectly! We provide digital marketing services in the Chicago region and throughout the country. Our team will take the time to learn about your business and field to better understand what you need.
Please call (847) 254-0837 to discuss how our team can support your business!
Editor’s Note: This blog was originally published in September 2022 and updated in December 2022.