Do you remember the days before internet? What about a time before broadband? It will blow your mind at how much marketing has change since Tim Berners-Lee created the world wide web, revolutionising our lives and making the concept of digital marketing possible.

 Fast forward to 2022, digital marketing is now the most effective method of reaching an audience. No matter where they are in the world, you can target campaigns to the desired groups of people based on their habits and preferences.  

 Which begs the question…if digital marketing is so advance now, what innovations and trends are we likely to see within this sphere in 2022. Will there be any major developments or are we expecting more of the same? As the leading digital marketing agency in Marbella (Costa del Sol), here are some of the trends that we think will continue to be big in 2023.  

Graphics go large

This point could be started and finished with one simple phrase, “ A picture paints a thousand words”.  Words can provide the minutiae of the message but well thought out and executed graphics can impart information instantly. The use of graphics in digital marketing is already prevalent and this trend will continue into 2023, with digital content comprising more graphics than text. It is easy to understand, share and suits the short attention span of todays audiences.

Greater segmentation = better campaigns

If you know your audience, great. Yet knowing who and where they are is only the first step. Going forward, digital marketing strategies are much more successful if the target audience is segmented, drilling down on demographics, location, habits and preferences to create a comprehensive customer persona. This makes it easier to hone your content / messages to appeal directly to each segment.

Influencer marketing gains more ground

Love or loathe them, there is no denying that influencer marketing is a big deal and continues to grow across all social media platforms. So much so, that influencer marketing is becoming more important in marketing strategies for established brands and also for new kids on the block.

 Celebrities, businesses and marketing agencies are keen to collaborate with influencers who can directly reach and of course ‘influence’ the desired target market.  A series of posts can dramatically raise the profile of a brand or product. It is big business for the most successful, they are managed by agents and charge thousands of Euros for their posts.  

Social commerce– shoppable content

According to research carried out by the Harris Poll for Social Sprout, “43% of Gen Z and 49% of Millennials have purchased goods and services on social media”.  As a result, around 73% of companies are providing ‘shoppable content’ across their social media platforms and an enormous 79% will adopt this practice in the near future.

Instagram reels

Since Instagram introduced Reels in 2020, they have become the most popular format on social media with over 500 million daily users. So, you can see the attraction as a business! Reels was devised as an alternative to Tik Tok, Instagram reels have grown from the initial 15 seconds to 90 second videos which can help to present your business in a way that we encourage greater engagement and connection with the target market. It’s an entertaining and easy way to raise your brand’s profile.

Chatbots

Today’s customers want instant gratification. They don’t want to wait for someone to respond when they call. They want help now!  One solution to this which is great for businesses where the staff are not available 24-7 is to use a chatbot; either machine learning (AI) or rules based.

 Machine learning chatbots uses the information provided by the user to learn and provide a more personal (human) conversation.  Whereas the rules based chatbots initiatives a sequence of events once the user interacts.

 A report by Juniper Research has estimated that by 2023 chatbots will save businesses and customers 27 billion hours that would have been used for customer service enquiries.

Interactive marketing

Continuing the theme of personal attention … everyone likes to feel that they are being listened to and this can spur some people on to reply to polls and surveys. This type of interactive marketing is a win-win situation, as the audience gets to interact by providing information (yes, they are probably only doing it to claim their reward…entry into a draw, vouchers, discounts or whatever enticements you may offer etc.) and the company surreptitiously collects customer data.

There are many more techniques and new technologies that are expected to gain traction in 2023, so watch this space….

If you would like advice on creating a marketing strategy for 2023, get in touch to find out how we can help you.