5 Business Marketing Trends to Watch in 2023

More than 218 million U.S. consumers are forecasted to shop online this year—and that’s a ton of potential customers your business could target. But with the virtual landscape becoming saturated with internet-savvy brands, your marketing plan needs to stand out from the competition and align with the expectations of today’s consumers.  

5 Trends to Watch Right Now

Whether your goal for 2023 is to scale customer acquisition, create a network of brand connections, or launch a new product or service, you need to engage your target audience in a meaningful way. To help you do that successfully, our Endeavor team compiled five upcoming marketing trends to watch in 2023:    

Social Media as a Customer Service Tool 

A recent HubSpot survey found that one in four millennials and one in five Gen Zers contacted a business on social media last year. HubSpot also predicts this interaction will gain more momentum in 2023, so it’s time to plan on consumers sliding into your DMs. Leveraging one-on-one messages is still a relatively new tactic, and HubSpot estimates that just 15% of marketers intend to use it for the first time this year.  

The ROI potential for social media customer service is high, so when a consumer reaches out to you on a social media platform, respond within 24 hours. Be conversational and offer helpful answers or solutions to create a positive social media experience.

The Power of Short-Form Video

One thing’s for sure: the prevalence of short-form videos will continue to grow in 2023. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube feed consumers’ appetite for video content in 30–60-second reels.

According to the survey, 90% of marketers who create short-form video content will increase their output this year. And here’s the good news: short-form video isn’t just a great way to connect with consumers: it can also streamline your workflow. Short reels take much less time and resources to film than …?.

Social Justice and Ethics for Brands

If companies have learned anything from the past few years, performative justice doesn’t cut it. A recent poll from Google Cloud reveals that 82% of consumers want a brand’s values to align with their own, and three-quarters of consumers report severing ties with a business due to ethical conflicts. So what matters does the average socially-conscious customer expect to see? 

According to Hubspot, 50% of Gen Zers and 40% of millennials want companies to advocate for causes like racial justice, gender equality, climate protection and LGBTQ+ rights. In 2023, almost 90% of marketers will focus their content around social responsibility— twice the investment from 2022.    

Native Advertising

Native advertising is promotional content with the look and feel of organic content—an ideal aesthetic for consumers tired of sales gimmicks. While less than 25% of marketers tried out native advertising last year, of those who used it, 50% agree it’s their most lucrative source of ROI, HubSpot reports.

Unlike banner ads, which can feel disruptive, this advertising style naturally blends in with the platform’s feed. As such, consumers are not as quick to scroll past your content. Any touchpoint in the marketing funnel could leverage native advertising—no matter the buyer intent—and nurture viewers into customers.  

Zero-Party Data Collection

According to a poll from AU10TIX, 89% of U.S. consumers felt that companies asked for more private data than necessary in 2022. Since most customers are wary of sharing their information (and rightfully so), brands must re-evaluate how they gather personal information for marketing. To that end, zero-party data collection will be essential this year. 

Zero-party data collection means you only collect the information consumers voluntarily share with your business. This approach helps consumers feel in control and bolsters online security. Our advice? Don’t mandate that a user shares their data. Instead, create interactive, info-flexible website forms for consumers to input contact details, answer survey questions, subscribe to a newsletter or register for an event.

Put these Future Marketing Trends to Use in 2023

It’s time to look at this new year with a fresh set of eyes—and enhance your overall marketing strategy with a few of these trends. And for those needing a new space to set the tone for success, Endeavor is here to help. With plenty of work and office spaces, conference rooms and flex desks, you’ll have the environment you need to create your marketing game plan.