Almost every other digital business owner and marketing expert knows that focusing on SEO, PPC campaigns and social media presence is crucial to increase visibility and organic traffic. But with algorithm updates, evolving technologies and tools, it becomes challenging to keep up with the latest marketing trends.
So, how to determine what to focus on?
Well, the trick is quite straightforward – “work smarter and not harder.”
To stay on top of ongoing and future trends, many SEO consulting agencies tend to conduct the research and heavy lifting for their clients. This means you are better off working with a well-known SEO company in Kelowna that is known for embracing new technologies and is fuelled by innovation.
However, if you prefer doing in-house digital marketing in 2023, consider working on the following 2023 trends in digital marketing.
1- Top latest digital marketing trends of 2023
1.1- Top seven benefits of SEO outsourcing
1.1.1- Realign your online and offline marketing
Of course, you might consider focusing on digital marketing services in Canada, given 3.010 billion people across the world are online. But that doesn’t mean you should overlook traditional marketing strategies. The year 2023 is all about omnichannel marketing. This means you should combine digital activities with the real world to deliver immersive experiences. Tech-savvy consumers are expecting a full-fledged experience from the brand. And what is better than building a marketing strategy on multiple platforms? Not only will this help exalt the customer experience, but it will also assist in building meaningful connections.
You might wonder, post-pandemic, the world has gone completely digital. But that is just a misconception. People across the world still appreciate checking their outdoor mailboxes. And when they have emails from the brand they know or love interacting with, they feel connected and valued as a customer.
A perfect combination of modern and traditional marketing can be, using animated templates for marketing on social media sites like Instagram and investing in billboard mock-ups to put forward your brand in an urban environment.
Whether you hire a digital marketing agency or work with your in-house team to realign online and offline marketing, ensure that you retain a steady visual identity everywhere.
1.1.2- Focus on data collection
That businesses will proactively gather more data by employing different practices. For instance, forms are excellent to obtain information about the consumers, thereby supporting the sales funnel. They can come in handy in influencing the next business decision, too. Bear in mind, no matter how basic your forms are, they can gather valuable information. And these data can prove useful in converting digital browsers into potential buyers.
If you have a CRM (Customer Relationship Management), consider adding details like the customer’s name, email ID, contact number, etc., into it. You can further add these details to the mailing list or even track the user activity whenever they visit your website. This way, your sales team can better evaluate the user’s activity in terms of the buyer’s journey.
1.1.3- Conduct youth-centred marketing
Gen Z is not just the “next generation” of customers but the “current generation,” too. And it is estimated that their purchasing power is 44 billion annually.
Gen Z’s way of viewing and interacting with the brand is quite trail-blazing. They largely consume content through youth-dominated platforms like Instagram, Tik Tok, etc. They tend to connect with brands that appeal to the way they communicate and their interests. Gen Zs expect brands to be transparent, honest, authentic and down-to-earth.
It is noticed that the new generation doesn’t like when a company sells them the product. They instead crave the experience and “vibe.” They are more biased toward eye-catching visuals and video-based campaigns. If you are looking forward to attracting this market in particular, consider focusing on visuals more.
Also, frame your brand’s identity as per their taste and not the other way around. A study shows that Gen Z finds bright colours to be hopeful and motivating.
1.1.4- Prioritize visual search
Not every search has to be the result of keywords and phrases typed in the search query. If you notice, Google gives the option to upload an image to do the search, too.
For instance, if the photo is a screenshot of a plant, Google search results provide species information. In the case of a landmark image, you will be provided with historical data. If you upload the product image, you will most likely come across details on where to buy it and similar products.
Now the question is, “how can you fortify visual search?”
Well, it is quite straightforward. All you need to do is add a high-quality image on your site, social media, etc., and tag them with descriptive keywords. You can even introduce the image search with your digital inventory, especially if your target audience uses sites like Pinterest. Brands that advertise using well-known platforms tend to experience a boost in search results.
Other things you can consider include the following –
- Have an image sitemap. This will boost your image’s chances of being located by search engines.
- Avoid uploading images to your website without adding descriptive file names first.
- Use alt tags for all your images, also known as alternative tags.
1.1.5- Smart and automated bidding on Google Search Ads
Assuming you also use paid ads to boost visibility and drive traffic to your site, you need to focus on smart and automated bidding, too.
You should analyze every bit of data and regularly make changes, like adjusting bids, keywords and ad phrasing to obtain the best results from Google Ads Campaign.
Although being obsessively attentive to such details helps gain results, the process can be exhausting. As a business owner, running the business and the campaign can overwhelm you, thereby impacting the outcome.
By adding automated bidding strategies, you enable Google to employ machine learning and evaluate the data it has on its users to make an adjustment to your bids in real time. The ads specialists at well-established SEO digital marketing agencies use automated strategies to benefit their clients without losing control over their finances.
Also, it is worth noting that you can optimize the performance of PPC in plenty of ways. But for successful outcomes, experts at a digital marketing agency in Canada suggest creating the campaigns and working on them on a regular basis. Testing everything is crucial – even the automated bidding strategies with each other.
1.1.6- Gamification
As the name might suggest, gamification is a process of incorporating gaming features into a website. Although it might seem unnecessary, games have the ability to make things engaging, fun and addictive.
And as a marketing expert or business owner, you want your customers to be addicted to your brand, right? And besides, gamification can assist with boosting brand awareness, customer loyalty and, eventually, sales.
With 5.22 billion smartphone users across the world and more than one-third of the world’s population being gamers, it is easy to see why gamification can be an effective marketing strategy.
Here are some excellent ways to include the game in your digital marketing in 2023 –
- Log in to the website for five days in a row to avail a gift.
- Spin a wheel to obtain 5% to 25% off or something else.
- A website scavenger hunt can encourage people to scour every page of the website to find items and obtain rewards.
- Ads games to boost brand awareness.
Why focus on gamification?
- It helps in boosting user engagement
- Make the users engaged in the services and products you offer
- Offer a clear and concise CTA to the audience on how to convert
- Use it for educational reasons
- Attract the customers back to the site using it
- Use it to train people
1.1.7- Video Marketing
Video marketing shows no signs of stopping in near future. In fact, when done right, this one of the top 2023 digital marketing trends delivers a variety of benefits, including –
- Consumers respond well to visuals and videos compared to text, thereby boosting engagement rate.
- Compared to other marketing mediums, videos are effective in showing off new services, products and existing offerings.
- When compared to graphics and copies, videos are easy to weave together and are cost-effective, too.
Compared to most marketing forms, video marketing results in the highest conversion rates. But, similar to any other continuing trends, you need to stay updated with video marketing, too, to leverage its full potential.
Here are some trends noticed in video marketing –
- Live videos keep the audience engaged three times more than an ordinary video. Live videos trigger “FOMO,” aka fear of missing out, thereby hooking the viewers until the end.
- Personalized or custom videos help in sharing information promptly, thereby preventing the message from being lost. You can integrate personalized videos in emails to boost the click-through rates by 8 times than traditional emails.
- Product videos can help your consumers understand what they are buying, making them confident to make a purchase decision. Videos provide a better sense of specifications and scale than pictures and text alone.
1.1.8- Use AR and VR to generate a intuitive experience
How video helps in making a connection between the brand and audience on an emotional level, let us now determine how it generates a visceral experience.
The phrase “visceral” is used to describe the inward and deep feeling. Using advanced technology like augmented and virtual reality, you can easily tap into these feelings. You can create digital marketing 2023 campaigns that offer deep and meaningful experiences to consumers.
Using AR and VR technology, brands have now started offering tours of facilities. They are also creating interactive 3D models that help in examining products thoroughly. Moreover, customers are able to comprehend the manufacturing process in-depth.
With technological advancements, AR/VR has become more accessible now than ever. As a small business owner or start-up owner, even you can make the most use of it.
For instance, if you own a home décor shop, AR can help you showcase to your customers how a particular piece of furniture from your shop might look in their spaces, and that too, without having to visit your shop.
Some benefits of VR and AR include the following –
- This 2023 digital marketing trend can provide a more immersive shopping experience, thereby allowing the consumers to determine how the product might look in their office, home, etc.
- Assists in consumer’s purchase decision
- Provides the customer with a more personalized experience, thereby enticing them to come back for more.
- Boosts user engagement rate and brand awareness as a whole.
1.1.9- Influencer Marketing
Even though influencer marketing is one of the known and already being employed digital marketing services in Canada, it isn’t going away anytime sooner. It is here to stay for a long haul.
Whether you use Instagram, YouTube or TikTok to leverage influencer marketing, when done right, it will get the job done as expected.
Influencer marketing is one of the excellent digital marketing trends for 2023 that checks all the right marketing boxes.
For instance, you work with a known face in the industry that represents your niche quite well. This known face already has a huge following list, meaning you end up reaching a multitude of people at once. Also, most of the followers such influencers have, follow them, particularly for the industry they represent.
Take a fashion influencer, for instance; he/she might be followed by people who appreciate the art of make-up and may try the tips suggested by him/her, too.
Ensure to choose the right influencers for your brand because choosing the wrong influencer means advertising your products to an irrelevant audience. And this type of unplanned digital marketing in Kelowna may not work.
If you want to promote a beauty product, don’t partner with an athlete; instead, look for a beauty guru or fashion influencer.
2- Our final thoughts
Although digital marketing trends are constantly changing, some trends tend to impact your future marketing efforts for good. For instance, new big trends like AI, immersive experience, AI, etc., aren’t going anywhere. In fact, your ability to get ahead of these trends can keep you ahead of the curve in 2024 as well.
Irrespective of which digital marketing trends 2023 you adapt to, ensure they make your brand feel relatable, engaging and authentic to the audience.
If you need assistance with either of the trends listed above, consider working with SEO Resellers Canada. Our leading digital marketing company is staffed with the industry’s seasoned professionals and equipped with the latest tools and technologies. We deliver only custom digital marketing solutions that resonate with your needs.
