Digital Marketing: Trends for 2023

LANE Digital
Jan 3, 2022
8 min read

That's it, 2022 is coming to an end. At LANE, we've already thought about the year ahead. Communication strategy, prospecting, projects... we're ready to face whatever 2022 has in store for us. And you, have you already made your marketing resolutions? Do you know the new marketing trends for 2023? The last two years have been marked by the pandemic and the significant digitalization of businesses . This has inevitably changed some of their habits. Indeed, if last year, the goal was to recover from an unprecedented shock, this year, it's about reacting in order to succeed in a post-pandemic world.

The questions surrounding digital marketing can seem endless. As technology, consumer behaviors, and interests continue to evolve, new questions arise. To help all marketers rethink their people, data, and experience strategies, we've analyzed some of the upcoming marketing trends.

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A Look Back at Digital Marketing in 2023

In 2022, digital marketing is undergoing a transformation. Companies are now approaching marketing through the lens of social media. This is driving the focus on personalized and conversational marketing. As a result, brand awareness is becoming a growing objective. It's the third overall marketing priority , and it's now supplanting sales as the primary reason companies launch campaigns.

Marketers also tended to increase their budgets ( 63% ) in paid advertising, content creation and software. In fact, when it comes to software, marketing is the sector that uses automation the most (76% more than sales and 139% more than finance).

This year, the focus is on brand authenticity and optimizing the customer or prospect experience. This will require fostering relationships rather than prioritizing traditional sales or marketing campaigns.

In short, marketing is becoming more human , creative, personalized, social and experimental than ever.

1 - The strong comeback of emailing in marketing strategies

You shouldn't take the audience you build on social media for granted. Indeed, if for whatever reason you lose your Instagram or LinkedIn account... you also lose your followers and any connection with them! To avoid this kind of catastrophic scenario and to build a real community, create an email list.

This way, you'll capture more of your prospects' attention. In fact, the multitude of requests they encounter and the algorithms' tricks don't always favor the dissemination of messages to your followers. But you can also build loyalty with newsletters. Simply by offering them a lead magnet in exchange for their email address.

With Google's recent announcement that it will be removing cookies from the Chrome browser, tracking web users will become more difficult. It's time to collect data on a partnership approach with users. Signing up for your newsletters becomes more valuable.

In the image below, you'll find what Hubspot reveals about 2021 marketing trends in its report. Indeed, 77% of companies are seeing more engagement in email marketing campaigns than in the previous 12 months.

2- The orientation towards virtual or hybrid events

You've probably already participated in a virtual event this year. For 2022, expect the year to be rich in online conferences, webinars, online training, or virtual trade shows thanks to tools like Meeting application , Veertly or B2match . These tend to replace real-life events, and have reached a large audience. This gives you the opportunity to make yourself known to new people. It's an opportunity not to be overlooked.

Indeed, to differentiate themselves as experts in their chosen field, many companies are looking to invest in hybrid experiences. At the same time, they increase personalization, innovation, and improve customer identification. This gives them the opportunity to interact with participants and be educational by explaining the benefits of their offerings. This is very beneficial for building a brand image. It also helps build trust. Furthermore, if you add a narrative dimension to these exchanges by explaining your approach and mastering storytelling, you'll score points.

Most social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube also offer the option to host live sessions. If you haven't tried this type of event yet, now's the time to get started!

On the other hand, if you're looking to develop an event app, agencies like LANE Digital Consulting offer custom and white-label applications . If you're more interested in virtual or hybrid events, LANE also offers a unique virtual experience.

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3- Content is king

So what are the content trends to focus on in 2022?

Interactive content : This type of content typically contains a call to action that encourages engagement. For example, quizzes. The answers will give you ideas for new topics for your upcoming content.
Ephemeral content : The Stories format is popular because it reinforces the feeling of "FOMO" (fear of missing out). Literally, the fear of missing out. This growing popularity of Stories has highlighted the value of content that disappears or has a short lifespan. These posts convey short, fun messages and are a good opportunity to speak directly to your community. A form of authentic exchange is highly valued.
Personalized content : This involves segmenting your content to attract audience members based on their preferences, habits, and behaviors. In a world sometimes overwhelmed by online information and not enough time to sift through it, personalization is a huge win for brands looking to win their consumers' attention. Outgrow , for example, is a great tool for creating personalized content.

4- Do video marketing

The surge in video marketing also explains TikTok's enormous success in 2021. We're now living in the age of video, and this trend should also be incorporated into your strategies.

Additionally, your website is 50 times more likely to generate organic search results if it contains a video. Online users find video content more compelling. So much so that Google boosts sites and pages containing videos in its rankings.

Either way, you should invest in video marketing and pay close attention to the rise in mobile video consumption for 2022.

Here are 3 things to do for your social media videos:

If your goal is to reach new followers, experiment with TikTok videos.
To re-engage your existing Instagram audience, experiment with Reels.
However, if you're successful with short videos on one platform, try them on others. And note the results. As always, you'll want to translate videos for each channel. No TikTok watermark on Reels, please!

5- Invest in influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is more effective than advertisements. Your product will resonate more with fans and followers if a popular social media personality promotes its merits. Influencer marketing has reached a level where 63% of consumers trust an influencer's opinion on a product or service more than that of the brand itself. Why? Because influencers are considered opinion leaders and can establish their credibility through every post or advertisement on social media. When they work with brands, it's because they genuinely believe in them. This trust is then passed on to consumers.

Working directly with influencers can help you develop unique exclusives that resonate with their target audience. Be careful to choose quality influencers who truly align with your brand, rather than having a large number of influencers who don't align with your audience at all.

6- Automation: a growing marketing trend

Just like this year, automation will be part of the 2022 marketing trend! According to Hubspot 's 2021 Marketing Trends Report, 78% of companies reported using automation in 2021. On the other hand, 26% of current holdouts plan to adopt automation soon.

Automation allows you to, on the one hand, make repetitive tasks no longer a burden thanks to tools like ClickUp , and on the other hand, to create personalized customer experiences with CRMs like Hubspot.

This is the case when you implement chatbots on your website to automate answers to basic visitor questions. This way, the answers are immediate and potential customers will be able to proceed to register on a form or purchase a product. It's therefore an effective way to avoid missing out on a sale when you are unavailable .

7- The consumer avatar

Is Facebook's move into the metaverse a marketing ploy? Time will tell. What is certain is that this virtual interdimensional space opens up new perspectives. It could well revolutionize consumption and the very concept of the consumer.

Today, the digital world is the internet and apps on our smartphones. The next step will be a much more immersive universe that will resemble the world of video games. In a game, we already embody a character, who runs, shoots, and drives. Tomorrow, we will be able to dive into universes with an avatar that looks like us, and we will not only play. We will be able to interact, communicate, work, consume, and have fun. That's the metaverse! A New Digital World that will be an extension of our real world and into which we will dive via computers by equipping ourselves with digital glasses.

In a few years, we could see the birth and democratization of a new consumer who would take the form of an avatar straddling several levels of reality.

If this is the case, the brands that think about it today will be the big winners of tomorrow!

Now let's take a look at Hubspot's preferences for the next 12 months.

What are Hubspot's marketing priorities for the next 12 months?

According to Hubspot 's 2021 Marketing Evolution and Trends for 2022 report, the priorities will be:

Improving the customer experience. Indeed, simply being online is no longer enough. To differentiate yourself and attract new customers, offering a quality customer experience has become essential.

Content marketing optimization. Yes! Marketers are increasingly using content marketing (82% in 2021 compared to 70% last year). As mentioned above, the key format for the coming year remains video.

Social listening. This year, social media is the top channel used by marketers. The main marketing tactic adopted on social media is social listening (64%). Quite simply, it's about building a direct relationship with your audience to support, engage, and convert them into loyal brand advocates.

Leverage conversational marketing. Chatbots have become common marketing tools, particularly in industries that offer live sales teams during "standard" business hours. Offering 24/7 conversation options helps ensure customers don't lose out on inquiries. In 2021, 47% of marketers are using bots in their marketing efforts, compared to 45% in 2020.

Marketing trends for 2023 in summary

This year, the landscape has changed dramatically. It's time to rethink and reinvent what it takes to be a successful marketing team.

Upcoming marketing trends seem to follow current trends with the strong growth of digital. So, there are no major surprises for next year. The only new development is the elimination of cookies, which will limit targeting and relevant product recommendations.

So, these marketing trends and the changes that will take place in 2022 shouldn't necessarily scare you. In fact, the marketing developments and trends observed this year present opportunities for brands and marketers. While the digital marketing landscape has changed, let's make it a positive phenomenon to focus on to improve not only digital marketing strategies, but also customer experiences. This means starting to experiment with new tools, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, ABM, and more.

The journey won't be smooth, and you may stumble, but you'll learn from your mistakes. Use social media to engage with your customers and audience. Leverage opinion surveys to collect relevant data and build your strategy.

By wisely combining these "big ideas," you'll be able to engage directly and effectively with your audience. Want to learn more about the evolving digital marketing landscape? Let's schedule a 30-minute chat!

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LANE Digital Consulting: at the service of your digital marketing strategy for 2022

Halfway between human and technology, we put our experience at the service of your business. Our main mission is to reduce your costs with digital transformation and increase your revenue through digital marketing .

From analyzing your business model and action plans to acquiring new customers in an innovative way, including developing your audience on social media, online advertising, SEO, branding, automation, and email marketing. In short, all the trends predicted above will be the steps we will follow to develop your digital marketing strategy in 2022. Of course, without losing sight of your expectations and respecting strict quality standards.

We look forward to helping you integrate these new trends into your digital marketing strategies for 2022.