Emerging Digital Marketing Trends That Will Heavily Affect 2023 and Beyond

The world is moving faster than ever. Every day we wake up to news about something new and promising in marketing. Digital marketing thrives on trends. Some of them last and others become lessons. As a digital marketer, staying abreast of all the marketing trends can be a real head-turner, but the key is to be aware and figure out how and if you can implement them in your process.

Many emerging trends are not new but have matured if their popularity and usage have increased.  We previously covered Four Emerging Trends That Will Heavily Impact Digital Marketing, listing sped-up augmented reality use via social media, voice search, and the use of digital experiences offline. While not at all uncommon, they have played a significant role in continuous changes in the digital marketing landscape.

But are you open to those changes? This article will discuss emerging marketing trends in digital marketing and ethical considerations.

Pillars of Digital Marketing

Before we get into what’s new, let us go over the six pillars essential for effective digital marketing:

1. Strategy and management: This includes analytics, strategy (Segmentation, targeting, brand positioning), integration, marketing, and sales alignment, resourcing, structure, skills development, and marketing technology.
2. Goals and measurement: This section should cover forecasts and digital reporting, including KPI dashboards, attribution, and customer insight.
3. Media: Comprising paid, owned, and earned media, including organic and paid search, social media, and display advertising.
4. Content: Content marketing strategy, including product and blog content to fuel content marketing, PDF downloads, interactive tools, and content distribution.
5. Digital Experience: Desktop / mobile website and apps. Online customer service.
6. Conversational messaging: Email, Chat, social media, customer service, on-site interactions, and personalization.

Artificial Intelligence

If you are on our mailing list, then you would have read a recent article about AI and its impact on digital marketers. The article acknowledges technology’s evolution and obvious contributions to human convenience. This is especially true in a fast-paced environment where turnaround is of the utmost importance.

AI has been powering most of our devices for a while, from thermostats to fitness trackers, appliances and so much more. But is this the “future” we imagined? Are we on our way to a George Jetson era, or is it already too much?

In December 2022, there was grave concern over the increased usage of OpenAI and Chat GPT. A Chatbot that allows users to get answers to a myriad of questions. While the concerns are valid, could AI replace actual human content? In fact, AI could prove useful for many copy and content writers. Having the bare bones of a subject area is useful but shouldn’t replace actual research into relevant topics for our readers.  Let’s be honest, it makes it easier, but how much charm and flair can you program?

Influencer marketing

The unprecedented growth of influencer marketing in B2C companies is partly while B2B entities are taking interest and implementing this into their marketing plan.  B2B companies talk a lot about their offerings, so having someone else toot their horn should yield significant results. But there are concerns about the authenticity of influencer marketing.  People are aware of how it works, so they are wary about trusting influencers since they are getting paid.  The question is, are they any different from a paid advertisement? In many regards, there are stark differences. But what is true for influencers is that regardless of payment, their honest feedback is appreciated.

According to HubSpot, 89% of marketers who currently engage with influencer marketing will increase or maintain their investment next year. They also reported that 17% of marketers are planning to invest in it for the first time next year.

The results from content produced through influencer marketing make a difference, so finding the right influencer is key. According to Searchengineland, marketers considered the following traits when selecting influencers:

• Relevance of audience (98%)
• Audience sees them as trustworthy (87%)
• Subject matter expertise (78%)
• Values align with the brand (69%)
• Influencer publishes on at least one platform (65%)
• Ability to create content (54%)
• Size of the audience (49%)
• Professional credentials (42%)
• Advocate for our brand (33%

Short-form video content

In our blog on 6 Ways to Revive Your Digital Content Strategy, we mentioned several content options, including an increasing demand for video content. According to HubSpot Blog’s 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Survey, short-form video content is the most popular trend among marketers, with one-third using it, but it’s also the most effective and has the highest ROI. Every social media platform facilitates and encourages the use of short-form video content. For B2B entities, this can be useful to gain additional brand awareness or leads based on the content shared.

Multi-channel social media marketing

There is a multitude of channels available to aid in marketing. Sprout Social shows that multi-channel marketing is a strategy that allows you to go after your customers and build your brand across many platforms and using many tactics.  This requires tailoring your message across different platforms, but also being uniform and aligned with your overall marketing strategy.

The key to a successful multi-channel marketing strategy is to:

1. Create and maintain a single view of the customer across all channels

A single customer view (SCV), according to cdp.com also called a unified customer profile or golden profile, helps businesses create profitable customer experiences, generate accurate and actionable insight, and offer reliable, relevant services no matter how a customer interacts with the brand.

2. Establish a multichannel marketing platform

The multichannel marketing platform an organization chooses will help it achieve the above objectives. It should provide campaign management capabilities, predictive analytics, and marketing attribution analysis.

3. Create consistent customer experiences across all channels

According to Social Media Today with customer experience being a core focus, businesses are generating results on the back of improved customer relationships, with engagement becoming more influential than the traditional one-off communication model of years past.

Ethics in Digital Marketing

Increasing changes to how we engage with current and potential customers will lead to growing concerns about ethical issues. Businesses and brands entering the digital world must constantly update their strategies to reflect current events.  There should be transparency and authenticity but more importantly, a moral standard for operating in digital environments.

Here are some things to take into consideration when creating and implementing some of these marketing trends into your digital marketing strategy.

Consumer privacy

Engaging online involves the collection of personal information and data related to customers. Brands must exercise caution with how that information is being collected and stored.  One particular concern in recent years is ownership of data and future use. Regulatory boards have been prudent about those issues, but maybe not as fast as most people would like. Most of these digital marketing trends are increasing at unprecedented rates. So, the question is, can we keep up?

U.S. data privacy laws are currently built on an opt-out model, meaning personal data can be collected and processed unless the individual shows otherwise. Digiday reported that starting in 2023, five U.S. states (California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah) will require companies to offer an opt-out on collecting and selling personal data and targeted advertising. California’s new regulation amends and expands on the requirements of CCPA, while the other four represent an entirely new set of obligations.

As a brand, you should exercise the utmost care when handling customers’ data. Usage, storage, ownership, and transparency must be communicated to avoid any blurred lines. Remember, as a business, you are also a consumer, and your usage of other digital experiences might also put you at risk.

Copyright infringement and Personal information security

Investopedia defines copyright infringement as the use or production of copyright-protected material without the permission of the copyright holder.

The most glaring concern when using AI is copyright infringement. How much is too much and who must be recognized for the creation? The recent increase in AI used to write and create art is a great example of “is it too much?” There are several pending lawsuits from artists claiming copyright infringement with AI companies who have used their art without permission.

Advertisements on ethical websites

Advertising, paid and unpaid, is a huge part of digital marketing. But, like any act of dissemination of information for profit, requires some ethical guidelines. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defines ethical advertising as “truthful, not deceptive, is backed by evidence, and fair.” The FTC requires that advertisers follow those four requirements so that they can state that they promote truth in advertising. The concept of a “reasonable consumer” is used when determining the perspective from which the FTC decides whether an advertisement fulfills these requirements.

The guidelines are key, especially when using third parties to market a product or service. It is imperative that they follow a set of rules to maintain those requirements. Influencer marketing falls heavily into this category.

Technological revolutions occur daily that can affect business outcomes. Marketers must constantly know those changes and determine how to incorporate them into their strategies. Artificial intelligence has come a long way and already has a place in our daily lives. Other additions have become increasingly effective in marketing but exercise caution in usage. Nothing trendy is without risks, and sometimes the benefits outweigh those risks when properly implemented.

As a digital marketing agency, we must examine our usage and the implications they might have on our bottom line.  Are you ready to explore any of these options? Is your marketing strategy flexible enough to accommodate changes? If these are questions, you need to be answered, we can help you understand your options.  Schedule a call with our marketing team.

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