Guide to Digital Marketing Trends You Need to Know – 2023 Review

From the rapid rise in artificial intelligence (AI) to the less than spectacular adoption of the metaverse, the digital landscape is changing and evolving at lightening speed. Join us for a comprehensive look at the trends in digital marketing that you can expect in 2023.

As technology continues to evolve, so does the world of digital marketing. In this guide, we’ll explore the top digital marketing trends of 2023, so you can stay ahead of the curve and keep your marketing strategy up to date. 

Top Digital Marketing Trends 2023

To fairly evaluate all the top digital marketing industry trends that are evolving faster than ever before, you soon discover that the digital marketing field encompasses a wide variety of sub-categories — from social media to SEO to marketing automation and more. Despite this complexity, today’s trends include several common themes: 1) optimizing digital marketing for mobile devices, 2) improving the customer experience in all interactions, and 3) adopting AI in useful ways.

From those overall concepts, we have broken down the top digital advertising trends for 2023 into four categories: 

• B2B & B2C Marketing Trends

• Marketing Technology (or MarTech) Trends

• SEO and Content Marketing Trends

• Social Media and Influencer Marketing Trends

Biggest Trends in Online Marketing

Today’s trends in online marketing follow a familiar pattern — as technology evolves, consumer tastes change — and marketing and advertising pros need to be early adopters of those changes so they can create opportunities for their clients to capitalize on new online marketing trends.

Let’s get started!

B2B & B2C Marketing Trends

The B2B & B2C marketing landscapes are constantly evolving, and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends. However, by staying ahead of the curve, you can ensure that your digital marketing strategy is effective and reaches your target audience.

Here are some of the top B2B marketing trends to watch for in 2023:

• The Rise of AI — AI is already having a major impact on B2B and B2C marketing, and its influence is only going to grow in the years to come. AI can be used to automate tasks, personalize content, and target marketing campaigns more effectively, but we are also finding that it can go beyond the expected. 

AI is being used to write podcast and video scripts, advertising taglines and jingles, SEO meta tags, and is even proficient at creating marketing budgets and business plans. While there continues to be discussions about the overall safety of AI and its impact on society, there’s no denying it’s usefulness as a tool to get the job done quickly and cost effectively.

• The Continued Growth of Video — Growing much faster than previously expected with 91% of consumers expecting more video content, it’s a powerful tool that can be used to engage and educate potential customers. Already widely adopted in the B2C arena, we can expect to see even more B2B marketers using video in their marketing campaigns.

• Personalization — In today’s digital age, customers expect to be treated as individuals. In fact, according to McKinsey, 76% of consumers are more likely to purchase goods or services from brands that personalize. Marketers are increasingly using data to create personalized experiences for their customers, and this trend is only going to continue in 2023. By personalizing their marketing, businesses can build stronger relationships with their customers and drive more sales.

• The Importance of Data-Driven Marketing — Data is essential for making informed marketing decisions and there is more real-time data available today than ever before. By collecting and analyzing marketing and results-oriented data, you can track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and make adjustments as needed.

Martech Trends 2023

Here are the top MarTech trends to watch for in 2023:

• The Rise of No-Code Platforms — No-code platforms are making it easier for marketers to create and manage marketing campaigns without having to learn complex coding languages. From design with Canva, Shopify, and Figma, to data analysis and research with HubSpot, Screaming Frog, and SparkToro, this trend is expected to continue in 2023, as more marketers look for ways to automate their marketing tasks and free up their time for more strategic work.

• An Increased Use of AI and Machine Learning — Mentioned above, but worth mentioning again, AI and machine learning are already being used by marketers to automate and personalize content and campaigns. In 2023, we can expect to see even more use of these technologies, as marketers look for ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

• Data Privacy and Security — Data privacy and security are becoming increasingly important to consumers, and businesses need to take steps to protect their customers’ data. From healthcare to finance, data privacy and security are a top priority and digital marketing teams need to be able to guarantee their clients a secure environment when providing any marketing services or data collection.

• Continued Growth of Omnichannel Marketing — Omnichannel marketing is a strategy that integrates all of a business’s marketing channels, such as website, social media, email, and mobile, into a seamless experience for the customer. This trend is expected to grow in 2023, as businesses look for more ways to reach their customers across all of their touchpoints and provide an integrated user experience.

SEO and Content Marketing Trends

Here are some of the SEO and content marketing trends to watch in 2023:

• Increase in Short-Form Content — Consumers are increasingly looking for quick, easy-to-digest content that they can consume on the go. This is leading to a rise in short-form content, such as infographics, videos, and social media posts. The one exception — for SEO, expect blog content to continue to be longer to rank well with search engines. 

• Audience Intent as a Driver for Content — Just creating content for content’s sake is no l longer an option. Best SEO practices require you to really understand your audience’s intent and to deliver thorough, timely, and expert content that answers their search questions. Otherwise, your content will fall in Google’s rankings — plain and simple.

• Growth of YouTube and Other Visual Content — YouTube subscription channels, webinars, podcasts, and other types of video content continue to explode as a powerful content marketing tool, and its popularity is only going to grow in 2023. More people are consuming video content, and businesses that create high-quality content are well-positioned to succeed. Look for digital marketing teams that are experienced in scripting and producing original content to reach your customers.

• Increased Need for High-Quality Content for SEO — With Google’s implementation of E-E-A-T, it is more important than ever to create high-quality, expert content that stands out from the crowd. This means investing in high-quality writers, designers, and producers to create the level of quality that matches the visual components used in digital marketing, e.g., websites, social media, etc.

• Less Crawl Frequency — As part of Google’s climate goals (one of which is using only carbon-free energy by the end of 2023), they announced less crawling of websites for ranking purposes. For SEO, this means less chances for rank changes so it’s critical to rank as high as possible from the get-go!

Social Media and Influencer Marketing Trends

• The Rise of Micro-Influencers — Micro-influencers, those with 10K to 100K followers, are becoming increasingly popular with brands. This is because they have a more engaged and authentic audience than macro-influencers (those with over 100K+ followers). Plus, micro-influencers are also more affordable to work with, making them a more attractive option for small and medium-sized businesses.
• Influencer Marketing on TikTok — TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, and it’s also a major player in the influencer marketing space. Even with all the political wrangling about the future of the platform, brands are increasingly turning to TikTok influencers to successfully reach a younger audience.
• Influencer Marketing to Drive Sales — In the past, influencer marketing was primarily used to generate brand awareness. However, brands are now using influencer marketing to drive sales. This is being done through a variety of methods, such as including discount codes in influencer posts or creating exclusive products or experiences for influencers’ followers. Even Amazon has a whole influencer-curated channel.
• Employee Advocacy on Social Media Platforms — One of the new trends of digital marketing that we are seeing more and more is the use of employees as brand ambassadors. Instead of hiring outside influencers (or in addition), many companies are seeing the inherent value of rewarding their employees for their advocacy on behalf of the company. Using an employee to reach their professional contacts on LinkedIn or Twitter brings a level of trust that an influencer can’t replicate. 

Take Advantage of New Trends in Digital Marketing

So, we’ve looked at some of the current trends in digital marketing, now let’s look at a few tips to help you and your team take advantage of the digital marketing trends for 2023.

1. Refresh Your Website – Dust off your current website and refresh it to ensure it is meeting the content and SEO requirements that will be needed in the future. That will include speed and mobile responsiveness that meets or exceeds Google’s requirements.

2. Focus on User Experience — Prioritizing your users pays big dividends and keeps them engaged on your site and ultimately making a purchase.

3. Take Advantage of Paid Ads — Digital advertising is more cost effective than TV or other types of advertising. Find a digital marketing partner that knows how to maximize your marketing budget through paid ads and CPC.

4. Automate — Make automation a part of your digital marketing strategy.

5. Analyze and Redirect if Needed — Use the analytics of past performance to improve your future results. 

Moving Forward with 2023’s Online Marketing Trends

The year 2023 is proving to be both thrilling and difficult for marketers! Due to the latest internet marketing trends as well as societal pressures, brands will have to carefully consider their messaging in order to engage their audiences and work with partners and influencers that share their values. 

If you want a digital marketing partner with proven experience in building successful brand strategy, digital marketing, website design, and positioning your business to capture more site customers, contact Lounge Lizard today.