With 2023 fast approaching, the new year will bring with it yet another shift within the digital advertising space. Understanding these shifts will be key in positioning your business in the most advantageous way possible ahead of your competitors.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 5 digital marketing trends that are set to have a big impact in the digital space throughout 2023:
TikTok will continue to dominate
TikTok continues to grow from strength to strength, far exceeding all predictions in being limited to just a dance-type video- based platform. Exceedingly popular with the younger generation, one-fifth of Generation Z users (people between the ages of 10 and 25) spend an average of more than five hours per day on the app.
Additionally, roughly 40% of Gen Z users make use of TikTok video content to make informed purchase decisions – where they can learn about and purchase new products. This results in a consistently captive audience that enjoy consuming content, creating ideal opportunities for businesses targeting the younger generations or to even expand their existing brand awareness/image.
An increasing number of businesses have recognized that TikTok is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the digital space and adapting their strategies to include the platform. In 2021, 3% of marketers said it was the most effective platform for reaching their business goals. However, that number skyrocketed upwards by 700% in 2022 with over 24% of marketers stating that the platform was the most effective means of reaching their social media goals and objectives.
Underestimate TikTok at your own peril.
Interactivity is a must
There has been a massive shift in the way in which social media algorithms operate compared to the last few years. Engagement was once the most sought-after mechanism to rank content to be seen above others, but it now has a focus on interaction. This can be attributed to the likes of Instagram introducing new interactivity features such as reaction stickers in reels, or by TikTok’s never-ending pursuit of producing video-based content – interactivity is slowly starting to become the new means to push content online effectively.
As a result of the newfound focus on interaction, these new tools offer businesses the ideal opportunity to create, build and nurture real relationships with customers online – at a fraction of the cost of responding to individual comments on their feed.
Brands will use social media to provide instant support to customers
The online space was forced to rapidly evolve at an accelerated rate as a result of the global pandemic brought about by COVID-19. As a result, an increased number of users replaced daily activities such as shopping and communicating with online alternatives – which they continue to do so today despite the world slowly returning to its pre-COVID way of life.
This has brought about a newfound expectation from users online to receive immediate responses to inquiries made via any platform. Failure to do so proves to be harmful for any business as consumers react negatively in the form of poor reviews – which filters its way through to their own followers, damaging their online reputation. A HubSpot poll found that 90% of consumers seek an immediate response from a brand when they have a customer service question.
However, if brands respond promptly, it creates positive brand awareness in the form of praise or recommendations from customers – which is essentially positive online word of mouth. Additionally, brand loyalty and reputability is also created as a result of quick and helpful response times.
Social media advertising will become the go-to
A report by GWI, who conduct intensive research into consumer insights to form country-specific metrics, showed that 28% of internet users are informed about new products and brands via social media ads. Furthermore, 80% of users reported that they turn to social media when looking for information about brands to make informed purchase decisions. Additional research from SurveyMonkey shows that 48% of social media users have purchased a product after seeing an ad for it online.
In a world where the impact of social media on both users and businesses alike increases daily, a number of opportunities are up for grabs for those who can adapt their online strategies to effectively meet new consumer buying habits.
Short-form video content will be king
Short form video content has become the go-to means of content being consumed online as algorithms being used by online platforms are geared towards it, which was previously focused on static content that accumulated the highest number of likes. Instagram videos receive twice as much engagement as static posts receive, which explains why more than 82% of content posted online this year is video-based.
TikTok continues to grow exponentially in the social media space as a result of the platforms dedicated to short-form video content. The app was downloaded 315 million times globally during the first three months of 2020 – which set a record for highest number of quarterly downloads for an app. In response to TikTok’s popularity, other social media platforms introduced new features to produce short-form video content in the form of Instagram/Facebook reels and YouTube Shorts to compete within the space.
Producing short-form video content will be key in any online strategy going forward for the foreseeable future, until the algorithms favour the next hot trend within the social media space.
At Lion Marketing, we consistently stay on top of the hottest social media trends to give our clients a competitive edge! Contact us today via (011) 453 4297 or find out more about Lion Marketing and our industry-leading strategies – https://www.lionmarketing.co.za/
