As we approach the end of 2022 it goes without saying that it’s a good time to review your marketing activities for the year and make plans of what to keep, ditch, or do differently going forward! If that seems like a big ask or like something you want to do but have no idea where to begin, then you’re in luck as I’ve devised a list of what I predict will be the most important marketing trends of 2023. In this piece I’ll be giving you all the tips you need to turn your marketing into money – whatever the size of your business.
- Embrace the power of community
Community is everything and I’ve no doubt that lots of you have joined a number of Facebook groups and possibly set some up of your own, but since the introduction of the @everybody function people are losing interest and getting frustrated leading them to look elsewhere. Interactive communities are forming I other places such as WhatsApp who have now launched their community function, and I heard a whisper about TikTok working on something similar. One to watch in this field is going to be Telegram who offer broadcast communities where only admins can post.
When it comes to online communities, get ready to watch them move offline as we see people take the opportunity to get together in person and truly leverage the relationships made in the online world.
- Engagement brings ROI
You must encourage engagement, but what does engagement mean:
- Proactive messaging, asking open questions
- Making your engagement measurable this could be likes, comments, shares, and seeing how many people click through on a link to name a few.
- Using trends to your advantage such as awareness days, big news stories and current trends
- Tell real stories
- Be responsive to the engagements you receive
- Highlighting your reality will also improve engagement
- Embrace A.I
You may be thinking what is she going on about? AI (artificial intelligence) is now deciding what you see based on what content you have engaged with on some of the leading social media platforms – the others will follow suit and build AI into their algorithms!. So, make sure you’re providing content that allows your audience to educate the AI that they want to hear from you!
- Social Commerce
Even businesses without a physical product can still take advantage of selling online via social media. If you don’t have a physical product think digital! You can sell courses, downloads, time and experiences!
- Let’s get visible
Visibility is going to be the buzzword of 2023, so how do you become more visible? Look for PR opportunities, this could be being a guest on a radio show, providing comment for an industry publication or letting your local paper know what you are up to. Research speaking opportunities are there any networking events on or offline that you could share your expertise at? All these things will help give your personal brand leverage.
- Internal Marketing
Some might say that this is only relevant for big brands, but I think SME’s should take note. Internal marketing starts with customer services and how you communicate and treat your suppliers and clients. If you have a team, make sure you get their buy in, some ways of doing this include getting the team involved in ideation, celebrating success and by having guidelines and prompts for the team.
- Invest in the brand
Your brand encompasses identity, logo, design, strategy and marketing and it will strengthen trust in you in these uncertain times, but building a brand is a long game that gets results over time. Don’t make the mistake of spending cash on brand when what you need is sales.
- Retention marketing
The most cost-effective leads are the ones you already have. Those people who have made enquiries, who you’ve had chats with at networking events, past clients, those on your mailing list etc. Stay connected with those people and provide them with content that will keep you top of mind.
- Interactive lead magnets
Who doesn’t love a quiz? These are brilliant for obtaining information on people who follow you. Other interactive lead magnets could be calculators and assessments. People love high value content that is all about them.
Finally….
- Acknowledge the dark side
Digital word of mouth – this is the stuff you don’t see such as somebody mentioning you in a WhatsApp group or a friend forwarding a link to your blog that generates an enquiry. Just because you can’t measure it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening!
To summarise I wouldn’t expect anybody to do all of these things but if you pick just three or four and ensure that every piece of content you produce has a purpose, I can guarantee you will see results.
Which of these do you think you’ll try in 2023?
