Marketing Trends to Expect in 2023

Wouldn’t it be easier if you could see the future? Imagine if you could find out which marketing channels you needed to invest in next year or how you should be adjusting your strategies in order to achieve results in the coming months.

Well, unfortunately here at Embryo we don’t have a crystal ball, however, we do have over 50 talented digital marketing specialists with years of experience. This is why with only a few more weeks left in 2022, we decided to share our marketing predictions for 2023. From SEO to digital PR here’s what our team of experts are expecting to see over the next 12 months.

Our 2023 Predictions…

News Brands Will Invest More Heavily in SEO and Trend Reporters, and Network Content Editors

In the last couple of years, we’ve seen the employment of these types of reporters and editors grow – and I think we’ll see further investment in creating even more of these roles in 2023. They’re more often than not key targets when the time comes for those working in digital PR to pitch their client’s news stories to the press.

Network content editors are responsible for writing and delegating these types of stories to reporters, to publish across a news network (various sites within the same news brand) and with only dozens in the industry at news brands like Reach PLC, Newsquest, NationalWorld and so on, there’s more work to be done.

More and more, news brands are recognising the importance of sharing stories that hold SEO value and gain traffic and clicks. Whilst also capitalising on and sharing stories across multiple sites, even if the story is not local to the specific regional or local area.  – Predicted by our Digital PR Strategist, Tamara Siddiqui.

Brands Will Elevate User Experience with VR and Interactive Content

We’ve seen it this year and it will definitely continue in 2023, that consumers will continue to crave in-depth demonstrations, reviews and imagery throughout their online journey. As technology advances, so do the ways in which businesses can connect with their customers. The property industry has proven the power of 3D video experiences to showcase a property, and e-commerce brands will continue to experiment further with video content as a means of displaying their products.

The virtual reality trend enables users to envisage a product in as much detail as possible online. They can take part in 360-degree videos and they can even test out the product themselves through virtual reality shopping experiences. I believe that in 2023, consumers will demand more from e-commerce brands as they strive for an even more immersive experience. I believe that VR will become the norm for product discovery. From make-up to home decor and vehicles, consumers will be able to explore every aspect of a product before they purchase it. – Prediction by our Lead Content Writer Shona Worsman.

The Death of Low-Budget PPC Clients

Due to the imminent recession and the ever-rising CPCs across paid media. I think low-budget clients will completely phase out. It’s already proving difficult for smaller businesses to make an impact using paid search and I think it’s set to get even harder.

Over the past 6 years in PPC I’ve noticed there are some standout industries that this has affected most: Finance, insurance, car leasing, mortgages, and retail, just to name a few. Ways in which I think small businesses can combat this is to ensure they’re coming to paid media with a solid brand and marketing message. Recently, I’ve seen businesses use SEO, social media, and DPR in order to provide themselves with a solid marketing base which has then been excelled by paid media.

Essentially, a few years ago, PPC was seen as a quick fix for businesses that needed a quick return on investment. Whilst PPC’s primary role is to do this, it’s important that it’s not the only platform a business looks to in order to achieve it. Reasons for this include other marketing channels being much more efficient in creating a demand for a product or service, whilst PPC excels in capturing that demand. – Predicted by our Senior PPC Manager, George Noon.

Competing within Google’s Evolving SERP Features Will Be More Challenging than Ever Before

In 2023, I believe Google is going to continue its SERP presence evolution more than ever. This means that gaining a presence in the SERPs (search engine results pages) will be more challenging than ever for SEOs.

Although they have been continuing to develop for a number of years, the last 2-3 have seen a notable increase in developments from a SERP perspective. Google has been introducing new SERP features more and more to help serve the best results for their user intent.

I believe this will vastly continue to develop in 2023, introducing a scary amount of new features within the results themselves. Whether that be the extension of AI features we’ve seen recently, or new featured snippet results in not only for specific industries such as flights, hotels, jobs, and recipes but also based upon user intent and what they believe users want to see. – Predicted by our Organic Lead, Amy Leach.

Businesses Will Invest Heavily in ‘Brand’ (Design, Development and Values)

Google found that 72% of consumers say that having a brand’s values align with their own is a deciding factor when making a purchase. That’s why businesses will need to invest more in brand awareness activities to establish who they actually are and how they portray this in their marketing activities to be authentic and win customers. Businesses frequently and mistakenly believe that a brand consists only of a logo and possibly some fonts and colours, but a brand encompasses much more than that. Your brand is your company’s identity and it should reflect your values, beliefs, and other things you want your audience and customers to know or consider when they engage with you. – Predicted by our Head of Brand and Marketing, Hannah Matthewman.

So those are just a few predictions from some of the team. We have 48 other predictions from experts in Paid Social, PPC, and digital strategies that you can read and download for free in our upcoming predictions report. The report will launch in the next few days, but in the meantime, you can drop us an email and we’ll make sure you get your copy as soon as it goes live.