As we enter 2023, I can’t help but notice lots of commentary about what we can expect on a variety of fronts, including marketing. As I think about marketing in 2023, a few things spring to mind, maybe because I was doing a lot of reading about them during the last week or so of the year while I was enjoying some downtime. But, I see three key trends for 2023: a continued focus on local marketing, disruption from ChatGPT, and increasingly sophisticated use of data and analytics.
Even the big brands are trying to gain traction in local markets and compete against local businesses that, perhaps surprisingly, have an edge because their content can be more specific and relevant to local geographies and, therefore, rewarded by Google. Brands with multiple locations need to localize their content and ensure that it is unique and relevant to “win” from a search standpoint.
That’s obviously challenging and labor-intensive. Agencies are stepping up and leveraging technology to help multi-location brands compete. But, I see this as a big benefit and opportunity for small local brands that can, with relatively little investment (in time and money) ensure that they’re front and center when consumers search for “X near me.”
They don’t have to spend a lot of money, or time, to attract Google’s attention, and by default, the attention of their local markets.
Artificial intelligence is getting better and better, which is what it does. From a content creation standpoint, ChatGPT has really captured the attention of content developers and for good reason. ChatGPT is a new iteration of AI-created content and, based on a little experimentation, it’s much better than previous iterations. This has the potential to both help and, potentially, challenge freelancers and agencies whose livelihoods revolve around creating content.
Help, because ChatGPT can provide a good starting point saving time for creating certain types of content.
Harm, for the same reason. As this technology advances, demand for freelance talent may diminish. I don’t see that happening in 2023. But, what I do see happening, is a lot of discussion around this and new use cases emerging.
I was curious so I decided to try it myself. I entered a very simple prompt: “What is blockchain?” In about 30 seconds this is what ChatGPT generated:
Not bad really. If nothing else, it might be a great starting point to create an outline for a longer piece about blockchain and its benefits and potential applications. Which is exactly how I think I might use the tool, at least in the near term. But I’m reading about a lot of interesting use cases, not just for marketers or content creators, but businesspeople of all kinds. For instance, how about using ChatGPT to:
Basically any kind of writing tasks could benefit, at least initially, from a pass through this technology to see what it might produce.
Today’s technology offers marketers the ability, better than ever before, to deeply analyze their strategies and tactics to determine what works, what doesn’t, and how well things work. Marketers can use increasingly sophisticated data and analytics to more precisely measure which marketing activities are generating the best results. Emerging trends like programmatic digital out of home advertising (DOOH) and more precise ways to measure omnichannel marketing efforts will not only help marketers streamline and reduce the costs of their marketing efforts, but will also yield insights into how to better target and reach prospects and key customers.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more changes in store for marketers in 2023. These, though, are some of the trends I’ll be watching. How about you?
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
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Recommended Reading:
21st Century Secrets to Effective PR
Direct Mail in the Digital Age
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Strategic Planning
The Everything Guide to Customer Engagement
Best Practices in Influencer Marketing
The original version of this page was published at: http://blog.stratcommunications.com/what-lies-ahead-for-marketers-in-2023/
Since 2008 we've been helping clients with their traditional and digital marketing efforts to generate measurable results. Our background is in business journalism, marketing, corporate communicati... Read more
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