theB2Bcompany's CRM platform of choice is HubSpot for a wide variety of reasons, all of which could be the subject of another blog. Or book. Suffice to say that it's an excellent platform choice for any mid-sized B2B business and has all the functionality needed to make your B2B marketing, sales and servicing really sing. I mention HubSpot now because they recently released the HubSpot Blog's 2023 Marketing Strategy & Trends Report: Data from 1,200+ Global Marketers, and it makes for interesting reading. Most specifically, the six top marketing trends of 2023. Let's take a closer look:
1. Short term video will see the most growth in 2023: Whilst there is no official length for short-form videos, they are generally acknowledged to be between 3 and 60 seconds long. Currently these videos are the most popular form of content amongst marketers in general, but slightly less so amongst B2B marketers. 90% of short-form video marketers plan to maintain or increase their communication efforts in this format into 2024, as they are currently achieving excellent results by doing so.
2. Influencer marketing will continue to grow its high ROI: Only one in four marketers currently leverage influencer marketing, and notably it offers the second highest ROI of any trend behind short-form video. This is a big opportunity in the B2C space and perhaps in the top end B2B space. Enough said!
3. Branded social media tactics are growing: Using social media direct messages (DMs) for customer service is relatively new, but already used by 30% of marketers. DMs have the 3rd highest ROI of any marketing trend and their use will grow into 2024, with 15% of marketers planning to try it for the first time. 87% of marketers currently spending money in the DM space plan to maintain or grow their investment in this trending channel into 2024.
4. Website SEO continues to shine: This is an interesting one. Whilst certainly not new, leveraging a blog in combination with an effective SEO strategy continues to be a powerful tool, with 29% of marketers using their website to attract and convert leads.
5. Marketers will continue to humanise their brands: 30% of marketers are currently creating content that reflects their brand’s values and culture, making it the third most popular trend right now. There is quite a big swing towards brand building communication, inline with the growing desire amongst all consumer groups for brands to be real forces for good.
6. Marketers will benefit from data in 2023: data, data and more data is a big 2023 trend with marketers looking to make more informed decisions and get better results by generating, analysing and implementing data driven thinking.
So, there you have it. The six big marketing trends that are coming of age in 2023. Some are more applicable to the B2C world than others, but using short-form video, optimising your SEO programme, humanising your brand and getting deep into the data are all things you need to be looking at to keep ahead of the chasing pack. May we suggest that you get up and at 'em!