With new technologies to work with, updated platform algorithms to navigate and changes in customer behaviour to accommodate, the task of marketing an online business is constantly in flux. In this post, we look at some of the key marketing trends online businesses should look out for in 2023.
Using video for social media content
When it comes to marketing your online business on social media, video is becoming an increasingly important medium. Statistics show that it maintains an audience’s interest for longer than images and text and, in response, platforms like Instagram are updating their algorithms to promote videos over static content.
The influence of TikTok has made short, snappy videos highly appealing to audiences and, in 2023, these will offer the greatest opportunity for brands that want to widen their reach and increase viewer engagement.
Another tactic that is also becoming important is live streaming. This is most effective when audiences can interact with independent and impartial product experts who can discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the items on sale.
It should also be noted that younger audiences are digital multi-taskers who will use several devices simultaneously and switch between them. As a result, they will often watch video content with the sound off and subtitles on. For this reason, make sure any video content has subtitles built in.
No-code marketing applications
According to Gartner, it seems that days of using coding to develop new marketing applications is on the wane. It predicts that within two years, more than two-thirds of new apps will use low or no-code technology. This will make it far easier for online businesses to develop web pages, questionnaires, workloads and even undertake data analytics.
Metaverse experiences
Brands of all kinds are investing in virtual real estate on the growing number of metaverse platforms. As these platforms are highly popular with younger generations, building stores in these virtual worlds offers a wide range of marketing and CX opportunities. How popular are metaverses? Nike’s Roblox store had over 7 million visitors in 2022 and an online performance hosted on Fortnight by Travis Scott had an audience of twelve million.
2023 will see more brands set up shop in the various metaverses, using these stores not just to promote physical products but virtual products too. They will also be used to offer a multitude of virtual and augmented experiences that enable visitors to engage better with the brand.
Multilingual marketing
While English dominates online marketing, only 17.4% of the world’s population can speak English, and only 5% of people speak it natively. If online businesses publish only in English, their content has a limited reach, leaving many viewers having to use online translators. However, these often make errors or are so unclear in what they say, that potential customers are put off.
As a result, more marketers are looking at publishing multilingual content to extend their international reach. To do this more effectively, they are making use of machine translation tools and following this up with human translator editing. Machine translation is a highly capable technology, but it lacks precision and nuance. A human translator can let the machine translator do the bulk of the work and then refine the content for audience consumption.
Push notifications on apps
With more people using smartphones for going online and the email market becoming severely crowded, marketers are increasingly making use of app push notifications to attract and engage users.
Research has shown this to be a significant driver of conversions with a high ROI, especially when messages are memorable, creative and low frequency.
Audio-only marketing
While video is growing in popularity for younger audiences, those of older generations are increasingly attracted to audio content. Beyond traditional radio advertising, marketers can make use of podcasts, audiobooks, audio webinars and various other sound-based alternatives. Many people use this medium during the learning phase of the purchasing process to research products they are interested in. This makes audio a great medium for discussing the pros and cons of products.
At the same time, brands should recognise the growing use of virtual assistants, e.g., Alexa and Siri. Over 25% of UK homes now have them and many of these devices will access online content and read it aloud to potential customers in response to questions. The textual content on websites should therefore be written with it in mind that some users will access it in this audio-only way.
Conclusion
The ways in which online businesses can reach and engage with potential customers are expanding. In 2023, expect to see more use of video, audio, metaverses and app push notifications, with businesses making greater use of no-code applications and multi-lingual marketing. For fast, secure and reliable web hosting, visit our homepage.
