Marketing Trends in 2023
Video marketing
Short form content is on the rise and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are some of the top video content channels today. Thanks to its ability to capture attention and generate stronger engagement than other content, video marketing is predicted to play an even more prominent role in marketing in 2022. One strategy is to create more short video content, as it has discovered that the Instagram algorithm heavily favors Reels. In other words, more videos mean more exposure.
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Additionally, email marketing campaigns, websites, and advertising formats will incorporate more video content. The data analytics used to track video performance will become more sophisticated. As a result of improved tracking technology, we will see more companies investing in video advertising.
For example, remarketing is a primary form of advertising that will integrate video marketing in a way it hasn’t before. By using personalized video content, you’ll be able to optimize what type of videos you’re retargeting with to deliver the ads most likely to convert.
Likewise, user-generated content will dominate in video marketing. These mentioned sources will not only save time, but will also help with performance. People are becoming more blind to traditional advertising. By leveraging influencers and customer-created videos, you’ll engage your audience in a much more authentic and meaningful way.
How to prepare for the video marketing boom:
Invest time in producing high-quality video content for your brand.
Stay active on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Collect user-generated content encouraging customers to be a part of your brand.
Allocate more of your budget to video production.
48% of consumers use voice assistants for general web searches. To accommodate this growing number, more marketers will be optimizing their content for voice search. Unlike text SEO, voice search optimization involves a greater focus on long-tail keywords (more than three words) and question queries. Why? When people talk, they tend to ask questions in complete sentences.
To take advantage of the rise in voice searches, create content that answers people’s questions. Think about the common questions that arise in your company. For example, if you’re a veterinarian, you can expand your keywords to accommodate a more specific intent. Instead of keywords like “vet, cat vet, dog vet,” try answering common questions like “What to feed a sick cat that won’t eat?” Although it seems a bit random, this question is asked more than 1,000 times a month and can lead people to contact your business to learn more or plan a visit.
To keep up with this marketing trend, you can find the most frequently asked questions in your industry at places like Answer The Public or through keyword research tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and Google Keyword Planner. Lastly, since half of all searches are done on a mobile device, make sure your website is mobile friendly and has a fast loading speed to improve your SEO rankings.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
One of the marketing trends that will not only be evident in 2022 but in the years to come is virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). We will start to see these technologies used to promote products and services, changing marketing forever.
First, what is the difference between virtual reality and augmented reality? Virtual reality creates a computer generated reality that builds a fantasy world in three dimensions. Users are immersed in a new universe using virtual reality glasses and can interact with objects using their hands. On the other hand, augmented reality is based on the current setting of the real world, but with layers of otherworldly parts on it. In AR, users connect via phone or tablet to interact with that layered dimension.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are often also known as 360-degree marketing. Companies use this type of g marketing to improve buyer awareness and increase buying decisions. Brands such as TOMS Shoes, TopShop, Oreo, Sephora and IKEA are already successfully using these technologies for marketing purposes.
Want more ideas on how to add virtual reality to your business? Experts suggest that a good starting point for adding AR functionality is to test it on your business cards. A business card can be made interactive by creatively highlighting contact information when viewed through AR technology. For a more immediate start, social media apps like Instagram allow anyone to create AR filters to share with their audience.
“2022 is the year of the creator,” Brian Mechem, co-founder of leading influencer marketplace GRIN, says in these influencer marketing predictions for 2022. Over the past year, the influencer economy has grown dramatically and will continue to do so. By the end of the year, influencer marketing is expected to evolve into a $15 billion industry. This growth is largely due to the rapid expansion of Tik Tok. Influencers have proven that their fans will follow them across platforms, providing more reach for both creators and brands.
Do you want to know what is really driving this trend? Facebook plans to pay out a billion dollars to creators through 2022. With more influencers available and incentivized to offer content, more companies can find creators that are right for their niche. Nearly half of marketers say they are going to spend more than 20% of their budget on influencer content, as most see positive ROI.
Ways to keep up with influencer marketing:
Invest more in influencer marketing efforts.
Prioritize the production of video content with your creators.
Don’t limit yourself to a single social network or distribution channel.
Take advantage of influencer marketplaces to optimize your partnerships
Conversational marketing is a way of talking to your audience one-on-one to improve customer experience and sales. These conversations can be done through live chat, chatbots, voice assistants, and more.
In 2022, as digital marketing trends are on the rise, we will see more conversational marketing due to its favorable business impact. Better communication with customers means your business can shorten the sales cycle and significantly improve the marketing funnel. Time and money are also important reasons for this marketing shift. After all, 80% of routine inquiries can be answered instantly with chatbots instead of a customer service representative.
To use this marketing trend effectively, personalization will be a crucial factor. Further automation through the use of AI will drive conversions based on users’ previous experiences with a business. Another direction that we will look at in conversational marketing is the use of video chats. Unlike text-based chat, it will be more common for customer support and sales reps to set up video calls.
Web developers and engineers are no longer the only ones using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Marketers will also increasingly use these technologies in their day-to-day marketing efforts.
Martech Advisor summarizes that “artificial intelligence in marketing uses online and offline customer data along with concepts like machine learning, natural language processing, social intelligence, to measure your audience’s future actions. It enables you to target audiences with the right message at the right time through the relevant marketing medium to guide them through the marketing funnel.”
More specific areas where companies can use AI and machine learning to solve marketing problems and improve processes include:
- Customer segmentation and creation of personalized user experiences
- Predictive analytics, such as buying patterns and sales forecasting
- Chatbots and live chats
- Paid ads like programmatic ads, retargeting, and lookalike audiences
Viewers find live streaming very attractive. In fact, the viewing time of live content has increased by 250%. This format and the growing marketing trend is a great way for brands to showcase their personality and values in an authentic way.
Live streaming will not only make users better engage with brands and feel more comfortable making a purchase, but it will also change online sales. More and more channels are launching built-in shopping features that allow brands or influencers to recommend a product and share a direct, clickable link during live streams. Social commerce is a commonly used term to describe this form of social shopping experience, and in 2022 we will continue to see it gain momentum.
Features like Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Twitter Live, and YouTube Live are the most famous for this type of marketing. These features will become even more common and sophisticated across various industries as the year progresses.
Ideas for a live broadcast:
- Host a question and answer session to answer the most frequently asked questions
- Announcing the launch of a new product
- Create a live shopping event
- Branded audio content
The fatigue of being in front of the screen, the pressure of being in front of the camera and the flexibility of consuming audio content have pushed this marketing trend to the forefront this year. Podcasts, social media audio, and editorial listening all fall under “audio content,” something we’ll all be seeing a lot more of in 2022.
Since podcasts can dramatically increase awareness and recognition, more businesses will follow this trend.
The rapid rise of the Clubhouse social audio app is further proof that audio content is a marketing trend on the rise. ClubHouse isn’t the only hot spot where live discussions take place. Instagram rooms and Twitter spaces also demonstrate the demand for audio content on the web.
Adding audio to your marketing mix will expand your content marketing strategy and even boost your website SEO. Google is now starting to rank podcasts on the search results page (SERP). So having podcasts or videos embedded on your page can help you increase your ranking potential. Also, consider transcribing your podcasts into blog posts to help voice searches capture more natural language.
This marketing trend is low cost and high rewards
Driving traffic to your website through SEO is a solid marketing strategy that isn’t going anywhere. In 2022, SEO will continue to be a leading source of new business and traffic for most companies.
The main change for 2022 is that we will see an increase in featured snippets. Featured snippets are displayed in the first result on search engines and show a small part of your article. It is proven that they get a higher number of clicks on your website and contribute to your credibility.
Prepare for the rise of featured snippets by following best practices including bullets, numbers, and full answers to organize your content and increase your chances of getting a snippet.
Blogging – If you haven’t already, create a blog for your business so you can rank for more keywords related to your products, services, and industry.
Take AI into account: RankBrain’s AI algorithm examines your click-through rate, the time users spend on your site, and how valuable and well-organized your information is as crucial ranking factors. Make sure you write good meta descriptions and produce useful content that people will want to spend a lot of time with.
Write long-form content: Search engines favor long-form content that is 2,500 to 3,000 words or more. Spend time writing engaging content that covers a topic from start to finish.
Have a mobile-optimized website – Nearly 60% of all searches are now done on a mobile device. Confirm that your site is optimized for mobile devices to avoid critically damaging your SEO.
Follow the EAT principle: EAT stands for Experience, Authority, and Reliability. Search engines take them into account to determine rankings. Work to develop a strong EAT around your company as a whole and the authors who write your content.
An inclusive marketing plan is not just about displaying diverse images on your website or social media pages. As a marketer, you must already see how our world has changed and understand that being inclusive and respectful of all is the new norm.
Consumers look for brands that stand up for what they preach and are aligned with all values. If you’re looking for customer loyalty and enduring user respect, you need to be an authentic brand. Let all individuals and groups recognize themselves in your marketing efforts and know that they can connect with your business.
Enable diverse perspectives at all levels of your company, from your UX designer and marketers to senior management.
In each marketing campaign, try to star in a different group.
Tell true stories as much as you can. People need to know that the representation exists instead of a fictitious user persona.
Try to show people or stories that positively challenge common assumptions and stereotypes.
Tailor your marketing efforts to different cultural contexts to make your brand inclusive to different groups around the world.
