Digital marketing is always changing which means it’s essential to keep up with the latest trends and predictions for where the industry is heading.
Staying in the know about what the top experts are saying is the best way to spot opportunities for showing up to out-CARE the competition.
So, what are the top digital marketing predictions for 2023?
Jessika Phillips and Mike Gingerich shared their top predictions for social media and online marketing in 2023 on Magnet Marketers.
The Top Marketing Predictions for 2023:
As we look ahead to 2023, predictions for online marketing will be focused on creating customer-centric services that foster a sense of connection.
We believe that brands must focus on being more compassionate and empathetic in their approach to connecting with customers and emphasize creating meaningful relationships that are both emotionally engaging and value-driven.
How will these relationships be formed? >> It all starts from the inside out.
Brands must focus on how they will out-C.A.R.E. the competition by:
- C - capturing attention via your brand manifesto.
- A - articulate your brand message and capture your brand doing real things in real time.
- R - relationship-focused meaning using collaborations to co-create.
- E - exceptional experiences will help brands evolve and build brand loyalty.
The predictions for marketing in 2023 are bold.
Marketers and businesses must become more agile, focus on sensing and seizing opportunities, and develop a deeper understanding of their customers’ emotions, needs, and wants by tapping into customer data and analytics.
Here are the top 23 things that we predict smart brands will focus on in 2023:
Personalization & Automation:
The ability to personalize customer experiences will become increasingly important in 2023. Automation and data-driven marketing will be essential to enhance customer engagement.
Marketing will only enhance what’s already there – the core of your company.
Data-Driven Marketing:
Companies must invest more heavily in data-driven marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to acquire, convert and retain customers.
The use of data analytics will be essential for success, as it can provide insights into customer behavior and preferences - allowing companies to anticipate better what their customers want.
Competency:
Customers will choose to work with brands with proven competency in their technology, utilities, and overall proven experiences.
The easier brands make it for people to do business with them, the more they’ll drive repeat and referral business.
Culture-focused:
To truly stand out from the noise, companies must create a unique and powerful brand experience that resonates with their customers.
This could involve creating an authentic brand manifesto or providing an immersive, personalized customer journey beyond product promotion.
To do this, businesses must develop a strong company culture rooted in trust and fostered through collaboration. This is the foundation for a successful online marketing strategy in 2023.
People care about what a brand stands for which is why being culture-focused helps increase employee retention and engagement, which drives client loyalty.
Brand Loyalty Rewards:
Gamification and rewards systems will continue to grow, as people love to feel like they are progressing toward a goal and gathering points.
This helps to drive repeat purchases and increase engagement within your community - be it, teammates or customers.
Craveability:
It will be essential for brands to continue building customer utilities that keep them coming back.
Brands need to lean into the power of creating their own content and empowering their teams to do so because it’s the kind of content that works. It’s humanizing, educational, engaging, and craveable!
Metaverse:
Brands will continue to think creatively about utilizing these new technologies in Web 3 to create exclusive access to experiences for their online communities.
Growth of Dark Social:
There will be the continued growth of dark social communities.
The brands that create a sense of belonging with their communities and allow opportunities for co-creation with partners and customers will be the brands that stand out.
Voice Search:
The growing prevalence of voice search means businesses need to focus on optimizing their content for voice search queries.
Content Optimization:
SEO, SEM, copywriting, and design will continue to be important. Each represents tools that can be used to optimize content and maximize the reach and awareness of your website and social media content.
Nano-influencers:
More brands will recognize the power of nano influencers and start using them as part of their overall influencer strategy to capture attention and drive awareness.
Social Analytics:
Analytics will continue to become increasingly important in informing predictions and algorithms and in creating a better customer experience.
Companies will increasingly tap into sources such as social media or online forums for a better understanding of current trends and predictions, creating more targeted campaigns that are tailored to the individual needs and desires of their customers.
Crowdsourcing:
Brands will lean into the power of online platforms like Reddit to crowdsource and gain insight and ideas from their loyal fans and customers.
Chatbots:
We will continue to see more brands utilize chatbots to help save time without sacrificing the quality of communications with their audience. Chatbot integrations will become more powerful and allow for AI-powered voice functionality.
Interactive 3D Experiences:
As VR becomes more common, the utilization of headsets for commercial use - such as for job training and/or career exploration will surge.
The brands that are setting themselves apart are the ones that are creating these immersive experiences that are engaging, educational, and/or inspirational.
To learn some specific predictions as they relate to virtual reality, read expert Mark Suter's blog!
AI Predictions:
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) will power more personalized experiences and create an even more competitive landscape as companies can quickly respond to customer preferences and capture attention through sophisticated targeting capabilities.
Automation will enhance efficiency, increase scalability, reduce costs and deliver faster results.
Similarly, AI’s ability to create predictions based on customer behavior will be hugely helpful in creating customized and immersive experiences for these customers.
LinkedIn Growth:
We predict that LinkedIn will be a top growth channel in the B2B space and continue to roll out features and functionality that make it easier than ever for your brand to become seen. 
Internal Marketing and Organic Content:
Internal marketing and organic content will be even more important, as many people are becoming increasingly wary of intrusive advertisements and spam emails.
Companies must create engaging, high-value content that resonates with their target audience to capture attention and build trust.
Content marketing strategies should also include podcasts, videos, webinars, and blog posts to capture customers' attention.
It’s critical to have a plan that empowers your team to show up for the brand on their own terms to show up where your customers are hanging out. 
Live Video Selling:
Brands and influencers will lean into the power of live video selling and start tapping into platforms like Amazon to start providing value and showing up with specific and helpful recommendations for products to their audiences.
Live selling is one of the best ways to show your customers that you’re listening because you are with them live, providing specific suggestions and solutions to their problems.
GA4:
With the emergence of GA4, brands will tap into tools for smart engagement and reporting, and focus on using data to tell the story.
CX/CEM:
Brands will recognize the importance of focusing on customer experience and diving into the core context of who they are and how they show up to truly out-CARE the competition.
Marketers will have to adapt to meet new consumer expectations or risk being left behind which means becoming agile when responding to changing customer trends and interests.
Given that 90% of buying decision start online, the experience has to be stellar. If the website experience is poor, they will find elsewhere to purchase the desired product/service.
Businesses need an effective and responsive customer service strategy to keep up with the ever-evolving needs of their consumers.
Short-form Video:
Individuals and brands will lean into the power of authenticity in creating short-form content that captures attention and drives engagement.
This kind of content is binge-worthy and exploding across all algorithms, making it a huge opportunity for brands.
TikTok:
Businesses will continue to utilize TikTok more as a platform to showcase personality, provide value and generate a sense of community by having fun and pulling the curtain back on the brand.
“TikTok is going to continue to grow and evolve.” @jessikaphillips (click to tweet)
It’s so important for brands to be creating human-centric content that allows their communities to feel connected to them.
Putting It All Together:
At the end of the day, it’s all about creating exceptional experiences, and to do that, brands must focus on sensing before they seize.
It’s critical to know exactly who you are and what you stand for as a brand, as well as how you operate as a team.
Once you have that right, you can start to lean into all of the tools and technology available to start to attract the right people to you and create customized solutions for them.
The final takeaway? >> Keep your eyes open. Staying adaptable and nimble is how you best spot and ideate creative solutions as new tools and platforms are introduced.
To keep up with Jessika and our NOW team, visit our blog! To keep up with Mike Gingerich, check out his newest book!
Which of these predictions most resonates with you? What are you going to focus on as a brand in 2023?
We can't wait to see what you create!
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