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Marketing trends are changing fast, and many of the old rules of the game aren't applicable anymore. What does this mean for your business?
In a word: opportunity.
In fact, the Millennial and Gen-Z population is growing, and with that comes increased purchasing power. This means that marketing teams need to be ready for the increased competition in the digital marketplace — a space that is growing increasingly competitive.
If you want to succeed in 2023 and beyond, you need to be willing to embrace new ways of thinking about marketing—and there are five trends that you need to get on board with right away.
Influencers and User-Generated Content (UGC)
Influencers are a powerful tool for marketers, and they're becoming more visible in marketing campaigns. They can be useful in building brand awareness, generating leads, or even increasing sales.
Brands’ global spending on influencers was estimated to more than double from $6.5 billion in 2019 to $13.8 billion last year, according to data compiled by Statista.
What’s driving this shift? According to a study by Nielsen and Collective Bias, 85 percent of consumers trust recommendations from people they know over brands themselves—and the trend is only increasing as we move further into the digital age.
But there are some challenges with influencer campaigns: finding the right person(s) for your brand, measuring ROI and putting together an effective campaign strategy can be difficult.
User-generated content (UGC) has been around for a while but is only now being embraced by marketers as a viable way to reach customers without spending lots of money on advertising space or paid distribution channels like Facebook or Twitter Ads.
According to Adweek, 85% of people say UGC is more influential than content made by brands directly. That's because when you give your audience a voice and let them tell their own stories, you're giving them the opportunity to feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves—and that's an incredible feeling!
One example is clothing retailer Monsoon, which asks shoppers to share photos of its products with the hashtag #MyMonsoon. These images are pulled into on-site galleries, enabling consumers to easily shop the looks they see. And when Monsoon started using this same UGC in its email campaigns, click-through rate increased by 14% and revenue by 3%.
Create an Influencer Marketing Campaign with Digital First AI
We know just how hard it can be to create an influencer marketing campaign from scratch.
We also know that you may not be a designer, copywriter, or social media expert. And yet, as a marketer, it's your job to create and execute campaigns that will help your clients grow their businesses online.
That's why we started Digital First AI: an easy-to-use all-in-one marketing tool that helps you do what we do best (market) while also allowing you to focus on the things that are outside of your wheelhouse (like graphic design).
What's included?
1. Pre-made marketing funnels & tactics with step-by-step instructions (includes benchmarks and resources)
2. AI copywriting for social media captions, emails, and landing pages
3. One-click graphic generator for social media, landing pages, and more!
4. Team collaboration (assign tasks or share with your clients)
The Metaverse
Companies are taking the plunge with their feet in the metaverse. According to Bloomberg, Metaverse may be $800 billion market, next tech platform.
The current trends point towards a growing interest in both consumer and enterprise VR devices, as well as interactive marketing campaigns. In fact, many companies are already using AR and VR technologies to improve their customer experience or create entirely new ones altogether (think: virtual doctors).
We'll keep our eyes peeled on this trend as we move into 2023; hopefully, come next year we'll have some concrete answers about what's happening here!
Nike and Roblox have joined forces to launch NikeLAND, a metaverse experience that allows users to play mini-games and indulge in a lifestyle centered on sport and play.
By creating its own virtual world, NIKE can give fans a whole new way to connect with the brand. Visitors are able to explore the different areas of NIKELAND (e.g., the gym or stadium) and interact with other users by playing against each other or joining them in a group activity. It's also possible for visitors to customize their avatar by selecting different outfits and shoes from NIKE’s collection of products.
In addition, NIKELAND allows visitors access to exclusive events such as concerts with famous musicians from around the world who are also fans of sports like basketball or football. They can also shop online for exclusive items that aren't available anywhere else."
TikTok + Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels are a great way to tell a story, and TikTok is a great way to reach younger audiences.
The fact that something can be both short and popular is important because it means you don't need to put in the time or effort of creating a full video. For example, Instagram Reels are only 15 seconds long — but if you're able to convey your message within that timeframe, then why not?
On TikTok, content creators often go for 1:30-second clips instead of 60-second ones because it makes sense for their audience. The platform has over 500 million monthly users and 75% of them fall into the 13–24 age group; most prefer short videos over longer ones!
We're not gonna lie—we're obsessed with this Sephora video.
With over 1.3 million views on this video alone, Sephora reminds us why they’re among the best brands on Instagram Reels. Showing off legit results from a #SephoraSquad creator, this video serves as social proof to shoppers.
In the first 10 seconds of the video, you see a woman putting on a mask and then taking it off. At first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary—but then you realize that her skin looks flawless! A quick scroll through her Instagram page shows that she's been using Sephora products for months now and has seen a noticeable difference in her skin tone and texture.
We love this because it shows that beauty is more than just skin deep—it’s also about how we feel inside our own bodies and minds. By showing us that there are real results from real people who use their products every day—and by showing those results in a relatable way—Sephora has earned itself another loyal customer!
Conversational Marketing
The growing importance of conversational marketing is a trend to be embraced. Many businesses have already begun to adopt this strategy and others are following suit. Conversational marketing refers to the use of chatbots, voice assistants, and other conversational channels in order to interact with customers while they’re on their mobile devices.
This approach fosters trust with your customers by making it easier for them to get answers directly from you without having to wait for an email response or phone call. It also allows you cut lead times since you can answer questions in real time rather than waiting until after business hours or when someone gets back into the office.
Kiehl's, a high-end skincare company, has developed a Messenger chatbot that helps you search for skincare product gifts. The bot is designed to be conversational, so the entire shopping experience happens right in the conversation panel.
The ability to use payment automation within Messenger and integrate flexible payment methods was huge for Kiehl's. They've created a seamless shopping experience for their customers because of it.
Personalized Marketing
Personalization is the holy grail of e-commerce. It’s what makes your customers feel like they’re shopping at their favorite store, even when they’re buying from you online.
This isn’t just about making your product recommendations and website more tailored to each individual customer, though—it’s about creating a personalized experience that feels seamless and fun for everyone involved.
When 90% of consumers say they’re willing to share their behavioral data if additional benefits are provided that make shopping cheaper or easier, it seems pretty clear that personalization is the new black.
What can you do? Here are just a few ideas:
- Create personalized content that speaks directly to your audience's needs based on their demographics and past behavior
- Send personalized emails containing information tailored specifically for each customer—like an offer or discount code tied directly into what items they've looked at or purchased recently
- Use technology that analyzes previous website visits across multiple devices and browsers (and even with different IP addresses) so that when customers come back again later, the site greets them with relevant offers based upon what their browsing history has shown us about their interests
It's a wrap
This is just a snapshot of what’s to come in 2023. As we mentioned above, the world is changing fast, which means your marketing strategy needs to change too. There are so many new technologies emerging every day that it can be hard to keep up with them all!
That being said, the best thing you can do for your business is stay informed about what’s happening with your competition—and then use this information to make smart decisions about how you market yourself online today.
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