1. Long-term influencer-brand relationships
Historically, one of the best marketing strategies is word-of-mouth advertising. People are more likely to try a product or service if someone they know and trust recommends it. Influencer marketing, which involves a collaboration between a brand and an individual with a specific niche and large online following, takes that concept and modernizes it for today’s new digital era.
93% of marketing professionals use influencer marketing for reasons like:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Building trust and authority
- Reaching their target audience
- Driving conversions
- Generating leads
- Setting a new trend
- Connecting to a wider market
While this form of social media marketing isn’t new to 2023, brands are seizing the opportunity to build more authentic connections with their target audience by appointing long-term “brand ambassadors.” These mutually beneficial relationships allow the brand to build lasting relationships with their influencer partners, while the influencers can maintain trust with their audience by promoting the same brand over time.
2. Live streaming and video-based content
Video-based content is becoming a key focus area in social media marketing because it can capture a viewer’s attention for a longer amount of time compared to static posts. From TikToks to Instagram reels, marketers are using bite-sized videos to drive engagement and increase brand awareness among millennials and Gen Z.
Live streaming is also proving to be an effective marketing trend. According to one report, consumers spent around 548 billion hours streaming through mobile devices in 2021. When paired with influencer marketing, live streaming allows potential customers to engage with influencers familiar with the product, talk about the product, and make the purchase all while watching the stream.
3. User-generated content
From TikTok trends to #OOTD posts, user-generated content is the new word-of-mouth. This type of content is original and brand-specific, created by consumers rather than brands. Unboxing videos, makeup reviews, branded hashtags, and photo tags are all examples of how brands can take advantage of user-generated content.
Because anyone can create user-generated content, adding this tactic to your marketing strategy can take your brand’s authenticity to the next level. Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to trust user-generated content compared to content created by brands—proving that now’s the time to prioritize authenticity in your marketing strategy.
4. New targeting solutions
Google is set to phase out third-party cookies by the end of next year due to rising privacy concerns. Cookies play a role in target marketing by tracking a user’s behavior across the web so marketers can deliver a customized experience. In order to remain relevant, brands are testing alternative targeting solutions to continue developing highly personalized content and ads.
5. Agile marketing
As the name would suggest, Agile marketing is an approach inspired by the Agile methodology. It’s a way of working that involves rapid iterations rather than one big project.
Agile marketing emphasizes real-time collaboration (over silos and hierarchy) and is designed so that marketers can respond more easily to change.
Benefits of Agile marketing include:
- Ability to deliver value early and often by grouping individuals into small cross-functional teams that can finish projects autonomously
- More focus on customer value and business outcomes as opposed to activity and output
- More data-driven decisions thanks to an emphasis on experimentation
- Better transparency and collaboration through visualized workflows and frequent touchpoints
