Stay Ahead of Your Competitors in 2023 With These 5 Trends!

2023 has arrived!  Even after all the ups and downs of 2022, we made it and it’s exciting to consider what lies ahead.  And if you run a small business, you probably want to know what the future holds for digital marketing. 

While the basic fundamentals pretty much remain the same, there are several digital trends to consider looking closer at in 2023. 

We publish this article to help local business owners make smarter, more informed decisions. So, let’s take a look at some popular digital marketing trends for 2023 and how your business can take advantage of them. 

1. Conversational Marketing 

People today want to feel like they have a close relationship with the companies they buy from. But cultivating that connection is not always easy. People don’t want to submit a lead form and then have to wait a day or two for a response from your business. They prefer to engage in a discussion right away and get the questions they have answered.   Conversational marketing will therefore be essential in 2023. 

Conversational marketing is a strategy that integrates instant messaging into a business’s marketing plan. Many businesses have already begun to do so by incorporating chatbots onto their websites. With the help of these tools, customers can contact the business and receive immediate assistance. 

One common objection to conversational marketing is that people don’t have enough time to respond to these messages. Fortunately, automated chatbots solve this issue by offering pre-written answers to frequently asked visitor questions. 

Either way, your website will become considerably more useful for visitors if it has some kind of a live chat or canned response feature where visitors can get quick answers to their questions.  

2. User-Generated Content 

How can you persuade online users to buy your goods and services? 

 You can fill your website and social media channels with beautiful photos and the most compelling and convincing copy you can write. You can even throw in a wide range of compelling statistics BUT… 

…You can only get so far with all this self-promotion. 

If you really want to win over future customers, you need your current customers to publicly advocate for you by providing user-generated content. People are more likely to trust a person than a company, after all. 

User-generated content…okay what exactly are you talking about? 

Promotional materials made by customers themselves, whether textual or visual in nature, are examples of user-generated content.   Several examples of user-generated content include the following:  

• Social media posts that include images or videos of real people enjoying a product/service 
• Video testimonials of customers talking about their most recent experience with a business
• Customer unpacking videos showing their excitement 

Many businesses have developed a stronger brand reputation by encouraging their customers to act as brand ambassadors for the business.  This trend in digital marketing will definitely grow in 2023. 

What is the best way to get user-generated content? 

Making it simple for them to write you an online review is one of the best ways to accomplish this. It can be as easy as creating a review postcard to present to happy customers. This card should have clear directions on how to leave a review, as well as a scannable QR code. 

Another option (based on the situation) is to request a quick testimonial video from your most highly satisfied clients. Make it as simple as you can for them by offering to record it and provide them with talking point options if they prefer.  

 Offering incentives for creating user-generated content is the final option. For example, you could give customers who leave reviews special discounts. You could also run a social media contest where participants had to share a picture of themselves using your product along with a unique hashtag to be eligible to win. 

3. Tools for AI 

Recently, ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, has been making waves online. This tool’s ability to generate intricate, authentic-sounding information in a matter of seconds in response to a straightforward request has astounded users. Some have questioned whether AI would eventually replace human marketers due to this most recent advancement in a developing trend. 

But don’t start outsourcing all of your marketing content to robots! While it may be tempting to perceive AI technologies as a substitute for human labor, skilled marketers cannot be replaced by machine learning systems. 

The fundamental issue with AI tools is that they are incapable of producing high-quality content which Google prioritizes when deciding what should appear first in its search results. Google has made it clear that it would punish websites that contain AI-generated content. This is due to the fact that AI material is frequently inaccurate and spammy. 

Therefore, using AI-generated content only in your marketing materials is a mistake. For a while, you might get away with it, but eventually Google will catch on and penalize you. Visitors won’t appreciate its poor quality, and as a result, they’ll be less likely to support your business. 

With that said, AI tools still have a place in your 2023 digital marketing plan. Using AI tools for brainstorming, outlining, and research can be useful. For instance, you may ask ChatGPT to create some content for you on a certain subject, and then use that as the basis to jumpstarting your own writing. By doing this, the process of creating content can happen faster. 

4. Quick Instructional Videos 

As a small business owner, it’s your job to know everything there is to know about your industry.   In order to show off your expertise, you can try uploading short instructional “how-to” videos to the website and share them on social media.  People love to see behind the scenes, or how things are done at businesses they support.  

Thanks to apps like TikTok and Snapchat, the popularity of these videos has exploded in recent years. These platforms only give users a few seconds or minutes. So, in order to succeed, it’s your responsibility to make these adjustments. Make the most of this brief opportunity to prove your expertise. 

5. Interactive Features of Websites 

Nothing is more beneficial than a well-designed website that seeks to engage with its visitors. Personalized tools and quizzes are appealing features because they let consumers quickly find solutions to their problems. 

 For example, let’s say you run a local pizza place, but you specialize in Detroit Style, which is typically more like deep dish, and is cooked on rectangular-shaped pans instead of the traditional circular style most people are used to. Your pizza is thicker, heavier and stretches all the way into the corners so they are getting a bigger pizza by volume.  

 But people don’t know that, and the most frequent question you get is how many people each pizza feed?  So simply by adding a pizza calculator, they can input the number of people they are feeding, and it will suggest the number of pizzas they’ll need.  This is especially useful for larger orders.   

 The more helpful your website is for visitors the better your business will do. 

So…what trends should you tap into in 2023? 

You can expect to see all of these top digital marketing trends in 2023.  

But the trends you should tap into are the ones that make the most sense for your business. Customers are no longer satisfied with antiquated websites and marketing tactics from 2005. Instead, people want to engage with a business that uses modern platforms and takes the time to learn about their interests. 

Read more on Why Every Business (Including Yours) Needs Digital Marketing.