7 marketing shifts for 2023

What will the world of marketing look like in 2023? Certainly not exactly the same as in 2022. What will change? First, we need to understand that marketing will change because the consumer changes. A recent survey of consumer attitudes by his audience targeting company, GWI, found that the chaos and uncertainty of the past few years have fundamentally changed the average consumer’s psychology. (See his WhatTheyThink report on the survey here.) For context, here are some global takeaways from the GWI survey.

• Consumers are still spending, but luxuries less. They are becoming less concerned and more pragmatic about using their possessions as a way to reflect their identity. They still love influencers, but they are less reliant on them striving to achieve a high-end lifestyle.
• Consumers are more ‘coming home’, prioritizing a healthier work-life balance. Home and family are more important than ever. GWI also saw an increase in offline activities such as crafts and reading.
• Consumers want brands to “do the right thing,” both in terms of social justice and sustainability. They also want more than lip service. They want to see brands actually making lip money. They want to see it in action.

What do these trends mean for marketers? HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing Report 2023 offers some insight. Interestingly, the survey data agree well with his GWI data.

What has changed in 2023?

According to HubSpot research, there will be seven fundamental changes among marketers in 2023 (and ultimately impacting everyone else).

1. Brands are becoming increasingly data-driven. Brands need to understand their audience better and target better. Of course, this is nothing new. But as consumers become more and more relevant, this needs to go far beyond demographics. It includes the way people shop, where and how they consume media, the online communities they participate in, and the social causes they care about. This requires a deeper data set than demographics alone.

2. More marketers are making pivots part of their plans. With the winds of economics, politics and international relations swirling, brands need the ability to flex and adapt to the impact of a fluid global environment on buyers. That means investing in automation and workflow systems that give you that flexibility. (As this phrase suggests, it’s hard to change a battleship for a dime. From a mobility standpoint, automation turns a clunky marketing workflow from a battleship to a fighter.) More than the last 3 in the last 50 years. The industry has changed more over the years. Eighty-three percent (83%) said he was forced to pivot two to four times in a year.

3. More brands are looking to create content that reflects their values. Here, as in the GWI study, the focus is on value rather than product, with “value” serving as a euphemism for social justice and environmental sustainability. This is also related to Trend 7. Companies are building online communities to engage consumers and humanize their brands. According to HubSpot, 30% of brands say they’re doing this, making it his third most important trend for 2023.

4. Marketers are increasingly using CRMs to organize and track data. It is difficult to efficiently and effectively use data that cannot be found or organized. CRM is a daily occurrence for printers, and the good news is that his customer base is using it more and more. The more a customer invests in his CRM, the better it can support data-driven campaigns. Let’s take a look at the top marketing strategies brands are trying out for the first time this year.

5. Increased focus on customer experience. If “pivot” is the buzzword of 2023, “customer experience” will define 2022. That focus continues, with CX becoming a standardized part of the marketing budgets of increasingly smaller companies.

6. Direct messaging on social media is growing in popularity as a form of business communication. The assumption is that when a customer sends an email, it goes into a big black hole and is never seen again. If they get a response, that’s a bonus. With direct messages through social media channels, expect a relatively quick response. It feels more personal and more direct. Twenty-nine percent of HubSpot survey respondents named social media DM as their top marketing strategy for the next year, with social media DM seen to have his third-highest ROI among all marketing trends. It is done. 15% of marketers plan to use social DM for the first time this year.

7. More and more brands are building online communities around them. This is similar to when brands create content that reflects their values. What better opportunity to share these values ​​than online communities where brands can engage directly with their customers? Of course, there are also business bennys. His 25% of brands report selling their products directly on social media apps (such as Instagram shops). When you engage with these customers on social media, they’re not just captivating, they’re a highly engaged audience. Nearly 30% of Gen Z and millennials report making a purchase on social media in the last three months.

Even though the report collects more information for 2023, all changes revolve around the same central core. In short, consumers want more engagement, more relevance, and a more personal feel. In response, brands are investing in marketing strategies and technical tools that give consumers what they want.