If the last three years have taught us anything, it is that disruption in the economy is constant. As consumers emerge from the pandemic and face a market downturn, the importance of strategic marketing becomes apparent for businesses wishing to stay ahead of the competition.
To help you start the New Year off right, the AJA Marketing team has compiled a list of 2023’s essential marketing trends.
1. Social Media Rules
In tandem with the meteoric rise of ad revenue and marketing on TikTok, has been marketing’s collapse on Twitter, reflecting a need for brands to remain flexible in their marketing strategies.
While Instagram reigns supreme in marketing the retail industry, TikTok, which boasts an estimated 140 million active monthly users in the United States alone, is an industry disruptor. TikTok has recently revamped its targeted advertising strategy, allowing businesses to market their products better and on a broader scale. For our clients in the legal, non-profit and professional services space, LinkedIn delivers the most impact as it remains the largest professional network with more than 875 million members in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
While each business is unique with different audiences and marketing goals, all should consider their social media strategy. Many businesses could benefit from creating pages on major social networking sites (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook) and consistently distribute content on those platforms. Additionally, partnerships with content creators- not necessarily influencers- remain important, and some brands should consider collaborating with a creator who reflects their company values and customer base.
2. Marketing Automation
With the tech world abuzz over the power of AI and automation, it is important to recognize the utility of automation in your own marketing strategy. On a basic level, automation can streamline the most strenuous marketing tasks, saving you time and money. Instead of having to manually click send on every promotional email or text, automation uses customer data and databases to automatically trigger scheduled sends or next steps. This leads to more dynamic user experiences and, on average, a 14.5% increase in sales productivity.
This technology is not going away; by mastering it now, your business can provide better experiences earlier than competitors.
3. Local Marketing Continues to Dominate
The pandemic was both devastating and revitalizing for local businesses. While local business generally struggled during the pandemic, an October 2021 Quickbooks survey of adult consumers indicates that 93% of consumers feel supporting local businesses is more important now than ever, with 61% reporting they use online sources to find local, small businesses to shop at. This is not entirely surprising, as this attitude has coincided with an increase in the use of the Google term “near me” (ie “shoe store near me”) this past decade. By taking small steps, such as optimizing your business’s search engine results, supporting community events, or placing ads in the local paper, you can become better connected with local consumers who want to shop from you.
If you are looking to grow your business this year, AJA Marketing can help. To better support our clients, we recently launched a new service, Always Working, geared specifically towards small businesses and entrepreneurs. Whether you feel your small business lacks a cohesive marketing plan or you need support positioning your business for success, we are here to help.
As a woman-owned, small business, we know what it feels like to have a passion for the work you do, and a desire to share it with the world. Help us help you! Contact us to set up a consultation with our team of industry-leading experts today.
