7 Innovative Digital Marketing Trends To Include In Your 2023 Brand Strategy

I guess Valentine’s Day got to us! The way that digital marketing interferes with branding proves that the two have the potential to be true lovers.

The world isn’t the same anymore; we’ve known this for some time. We are all bombarded by brands through a variety of channels. Thanks to the relentless storm of digital media looming over our heads, day in and day out.

Understanding that branding isn’t only about getting a perfect logo design is essential. Still, it depends significantly on factors like customer experience, creating favorability, staying trendy, and reaching the target audience where they are most active. Thus, brand strategy is much more than brand identity design. It is a comprehensive approach to building and establishing a brand.

Now that we’re in 2023, digital marketing is still evolving at a rapid pace. Therefore, digital marketing trends must be considered when devising your brand strategy to stay ahead of the curve.

Here I will mention seven innovative digital marketing trends you can add to your brand strategy this year.

1) Artificial Intelligence Tools

Although marketers and influencers have exhausted everyone by talking about Chat GPT, I am not in the mood to discuss its abilities and benefits anymore. This said automation and algorithms have become an important part of a brand’s strategy.

• Chatbots are still popular when it comes to conversational commerce. As per Juniper Research, voice assistant usage will reach 8 billion by 2023. Chatbots can be configured to suit a brand’s niche. Chatbots can recommend products, answer straight-forward questions, and even assist customers in completing purchases. Chatbots can save resources and time for brands to provide quick support to customers online.

“The size of the chatbot market is forecast to reach around 1.25 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, a great increase from the market size in 2016, which stood at 190.8 million U.S. dollars.”
– Statista

• Predictive analytics use statistical data and machine learning algorithms to make predictions about customer behavior. With such a technology at hand, brand’s can optimize their digital marketing efforts to make decisions regarding ad targeting, product placement, and pricing.

“By leveraging data with predictive AI, you can create effective marketing strategies and drive even better decisions.”
– IBM Watson Advertising

• Personalized Search Engines use artificial intelligence to create tailored experiences for customers. They have the ability to detect, track, and analyze data such as browsing behavior, search history, and location of the users in order to suggest specific products, website content, and email campaigns. However, Danny Sullivan shares an alternative insight.

Artificial intelligence marketing is a golden opportunity/technology to leverage this year for your brand strategy. The trick is to not overuse or misuse it.

2) Influencer Marketers as Brand Ambassadors

Gone are the days when only movie stars had the power to influencer your target audience. Today, brands are making digital influencers and content creators their brand ambassadors. For example, Khaby Lame is the new eye candy these days. He has been seen collaborating with brands like Hugo Boss, Qatar National Bank, and Mc Donald’s.

Image Source: group.hugoboss.com

No longer do you need to include a hotshot celebrity in your brand strategy. Influencer marketers can approach content creators who have thousands or millions of following online to collaborate with them.

“At Fifth & Cor, we have a great example of how powerful influencers can be. Our team partnered with a Luxury Jewerly brand to help drive sales, attract leads, promote brand awareness, and build community engagement. Part of our strategy included implementing an influencer program. Through this program, the brand was able to secure a macro-influencer deal with a major recording artist, in addition to managing a team of nearly 50 micro-influencers.”
– Robin Dimond, CEO and Founder of Fifth & Cor

3) Brand Presence on TikTok

TikTok is currently the most popular social networking website with more than one billion users in over 150 countries. If you’re targeting the young audience (Gen Y and Gen Z) then this social media platform should be in your 2023’s brand strategy.

Here are tips to grab:

• Create a branded profile to showcase brand personality, products, and services.
• Make creative and appealing content for an audience that enjoys scrolling.
• Partner with influencers to garner more attention for your brand.
• Spread hashtag challenges invite people to participate for discounts and gifts.
• Encourage users to create and share content that relates to your brand.
• Shove in a few ads into the mix like in-feed ads or sponsored hashtags.

Ofcourse I understand that TikTok may not be for all brands but it is an option to look into. Brands like Chipotle, Guess, NBA, and the Washington Post are on the platform. These examples are diversified. Hence, you might have a great opportunity in front of you that you’re ignoring.

• Check out this video. It is creative, funny, and entertaining.

@chipotle Add these to your “in” list #chipotle #lifestylebowls #whatieatinaday #food #chipotlehacks ♬ original sound – Chipotle

• On the other hand, this one is seductive and sensual. Gives beachy and sexy vibes.

@guess we really love our new fragrance introducing GUESS Seductive Blue for Women #perfumetiktok #perfume #GUESSFragrance ♬ I love earth – ari ✿

• The recurrent element on this page is the black, blue, and red box with text.

Image Source: tiktok.com/@nba
• If you’re a brand, always put your logo as the profile image.

Image Source: tiktok.com/@washingtonpost

4) Focus on Customer Experience

Customer experience should be an integral part of your brand strategy, especially since the digital marketing landscape continues to flourish and evolve. Brands are increasingly competing on how to provide the best customer experience to their target market.

Image Source: pimcore.com

Bookmark these tips to incorporate CX into your digital marketing strategy:

• Use artificial intelligence and data analytics to give personalized experiences.
• Invest in omni-channel marketing for a seamless customer experience.
• Be equally active and innovative on website, email, mobile app, and social media.
• Be on top of interaction. Be where your customers are. Educate, entertain, and guide them.
• Optimize for mobile devices such as tablets, laptops, and smart phones.
• Make mobile apps, mobile-friendly campaigns and websites.
• Make use of chatbots to answer easy and quick questions from customers.
• Focus on user-interface and user-experience of any digital design you make.
• Listen to the customer from anywhere.
• Conduct surveys
• Be open to recommendations and testimonials
• Monitor social media comments

Be there where your customers are! But be there not just for the heck of it. Give your audience an experience they’ll remember and cherish.

“Customers have higher expectations when it comes to personalization, smooth omnichannel experiences, 24/7 access and control of their own narratives.”
– Scott Clark, CMSWire.com

5) Videos Are Still In The Picture

Videos are here to stay. Video marketing has by far been the most widely-used forms of digital marketing and it is continuing to be at the top of the league.

Check out the kinds of videos you can include in your 2023 brand strategy:

• Make short-form video content for social media platforms.
• TikTok
• Instagram Reels
• YouTube Shorts
• Make explainers videos for complex product and service features.
• Collect testimonials into a video as a powerful proof to support your brand.
• Hold webinars to position the brand as an expert and influencer.
• Use VR and AR for immersive customer experiences.
• Tell your brand story using real-life people or animations.

These are some examples of the kinds of videos you can make. Sky is the limit. You can go wild with creativity. Try to stay on top of the trends to provide value to your audience.

6) Sponsored Ads on Social Media

Yes, I know advertising is the intruder and marketing is the guest most people invite. However, sometimes you have to be there. You need to be in the face of your audience. Not always, not everywhere, and certainly not for everything.

Sponsored ads fall under the category of premium content that sponsors pay a publisher to design and distribute. There are different types of sponsored ads, such as:

• Paid search ads
• Native ads
• Content widgets
• In-feed ads
• Promoted listings
• Carousel ads
• Web banner ads

Image Source: coca cola

Now, if ads are just not your things at all then you can hire content writers and creators to make sponsored content for the band.

• Infographics
• Listicles
• Videos
• Stories (Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram)
• Podcasts
• Reviews

The choice is yours. In your 2023 brand strategy, you can include one of the two or both. This depends on your resources and the kind of digital campaigns you want to run.

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7) Be on Top of Trends

You could say that I am out of ideas but being on top of trends is the new trend. Believe it or not. Being in the digital marketing and branding industry is all about standing on your toes. It is vital to the success of your business to make sure that trends are not missed.

• Trends in new technologies
• Trends in hashtags
• Trends in global challenges
• Trends in economical or political strides
• Trends in celebrities and influencers
• Trends in popular culture
• Trends in conversations

Brands that stay ahead of trends are most likely the ones with more exposure than those who are ignorant and clueless.

For your brand strategy in 2023, I recommend you stay updated about trends because then the brand can connect more strongly with the audience.

Which digital marketing trend will be the first on your brand strategy this year?

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