5 B2C Inbound Marketing Trends You Should be Watching in 2023

The only thing consistent in digital marketing is that it is constantly changing. How do marketers stay relevant and prove their value in an economic recession? The answer is keeping up with digital marketing trends. Customers' needs are changing, and marketers need to change with them.  

This article will discuss which marketing trends are staying, which are evolving, and which new trend bandwagons you need to jump on. Each trend focuses on a different component of organic reach and how to show your customers you can meet their needs quickly. We will look at how each trend adds value to your 2023 marketing strategy and the best ways to implement those practices.

Influencer Marketing 

Influencer Marketing may seem like old news, but it has dramatically evolved over the past decade and will remain relevant in 2023. Brands need to build trust and authenticity with their customers, but the fact remains that, ultimately, customers trust other consumers the most. According to marketing data from HubSpot, 1 in 4 marketers is currently utilizing Influencer Marketing as part of their strategy. Approximately 17% of marketers plan to implement this trend into their 2023 marketing plans. 

How should Influencer Marketing be implemented? It’s all about building authentic relationships between your brand and your influencers. Large followings do not necessarily mean a more considerable ROI. When a brand looks for influencers to partner with, it is important to choose the one that aligns with your brand's goals and mission. Does your product or service make sense with its content and its audience? 

Influencer programs vary depending on your goals. Establishing what your organization wants from this partnership is essential before reaching out to potential influencers. If your company is launching a new product, a brand collaboration may be the way to go. If you desire a long-term partnership with a small number of influencers, having brand ambassadors is your best option. Before you decide on the type of influencer partnership you want, consider this checklist: 

• Audience: Who are you talking to with this campaign? What kinds of people do you want to reach? 
• Budget: How much are you willing to pay your influencer(s) on top of giving them a free product and/or a free service? 
• Social Platforms: Which of the social media marketing platforms sees the most engagement for your brand? Are the influencers you want to work with also active on this platform? 

Video Content

Video content remains one of the most relevant and high-performance mediums to share content, but it continues to evolve. We have seen the exponential growth of TikTok and Instagram Reels, but they look different from their conception a few years ago. Many marketing experts say that trending sounds remain highly important regarding reach on both Instagram and Tiktok, but we believe that it may not make the most significant difference in 2023. While it is still beneficial to incorporate trending sounds within your social media videos, it only needs to be done where it makes sense.

If you see specific trends related to your company's niche, try to incorporate them into a Reel or TikTok and watch how it performs. Authentic content that is more spur-of-the-moment and less curated may see more engagement. Chamberlain Coffee is a great brand that mixes “spur of the moment” videos and stylized content. They include an organic video with their spokesperson, Emma Chamberlain, creating a beverage with their products, and it sees over 100k more views than some of their stylized content. 

Here are a few more examples of video content: 

• Product demonstration video showcasing a new product’s latest features and benefits.
  
• Customer testimonial video highlights real customers' positive experiences using a particular service or product.
• Behind-the-scenes video showing the process of how a product is made or how a service is provided.
• Video series showcasing the latest trends and innovations in your industry.
• An educational video teaching viewers about a specific topic related to your company's products or services.
• A video highlighting the company's commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
• Showcasing the company's involvement in community events and philanthropic efforts through video.
• Customer success stories and case studies video(s) highlighting the impact of the company's products or services on their lives.

Audio Marketing

Podcasts are one of the best ways to humanize your brand. As the marketing world continues to adapt to changing trends, the one thing that remains constant is consumers' desire for brand authenticity and credibility. Our culture constantly evolves, and consumers want to know how your brand is a part of the conversation. In 2023, podcasts will remain top of mind for brands to market themselves within their consumer niche. Are you a clothing company with an emphasis on sustainability? A construction company that remodels people's homes? If you understand your audience, you will know the topics they find meaningful. Even if you are not a media brand, there is a place for you in the podcasting world. 

As a remote marketing agency, one podcast we love is Slack Variety Pack, created by Slack. This business tool used by many companies utilizes its brand to create a podcast filled with topics surrounding office culture and how to succeed in your business. It’s a great example of staying within your niche and talking to the right audience.

Within your podcast, you can educate potential customers and freely plug in different components of your business, such as sales, product launches, and email newsletter sign-ups. Try not to oversell; people will catch on to that quickly. Keep it as organic as possible.

Customer Shopping Experience Within Social Media 

While consumers want to see their needs met quickly, they still long for that personalized experience. So how is this achieved? By making your social media channels a one-stop shop for, well, shopping. In 2023, consumers will be shopping through platforms like Instagram more and more. People can click on linked products through posts and save those items in a wishlist that Instagram saves for them within the app. Social commerce makes up 4.4% of online retail sales, seeing the most conversions through Facebook, so if you haven’t set up your social media product pages, make this a priority in 2023. 

Utilizing your social media DM’s as a customer service channel is important, but also an effective marketing strategy. This is an excellent opportunity for your customers to ask questions about your products, but also an opportunity for you to upsell. According to marketing data gathered by HubSpot about branded social media DM tactics, “It has the 3rd highest ROI of any marketing trend, and use will grow in 2023, with 15% of marketers planning to try it for the first time.” 

A brand that implements this very well is Baggu. I had my eye on one of their bags that appeared to be sold out. I reached out to the brand via Instagram; I was not sure I would get a response, but I got one immediately.

Baggu did a lot of things right with this simple interaction. They personalized their response, assuring me that I was talking to an actual person. While the item I wanted was not going to be restocked, they let me know alternatives I would like now and products that would be coming to their store soon. Shortly after this conversation, I purchased one of the products on their site. This interaction was simple but an effective way to upsell. 

Here are some tangible ways you can utilize your social media DM’s to increase sales: 

• Offer unique discount codes for your followers who directly message you about a product or service they can redeem when they purchase. 
• Keep the conversation going by following up with the customer after their purchase was made; this doubles as a way to get customer reviews.
• Message followers who interact with your content the most to inform them about upcoming sales and product launches. Your followers will become your biggest advocates when they feel like they are getting special treatment from your brand. 

Email Marketing and Newsletters

Email marketing is far from old news; how we implement email marketing is evolving. Generic newsletters may be standard among many businesses to update their customers on company happenings, but there are better ways to elevate your email marketing strategy in 2023.

We expect to see more simplified and focused emails discussing only one target objective in the new year. This doesn’t just mean keeping your copy short, sweet, and to the point; it also means taking a good look at the design and asking yourself some key questions. Are your creative assets adding or detracting from your target objective? Are the sizes of your photos increasing scroll time for the viewer? All of these components add to the time the consumer scrolls through your email takes. The longer the scrolling time, the higher the chances your customers won’t respond to your call to action. A good rule of thumb regarding CTAs is to make them front and center or above the fold in the email.

While the design is important, if the objective of your email isn’t considered, you’ve wasted your time. We recommend narrowing your focus to one objective. Do you have a blog you are sharing in your newsletter to increase site traffic? Are you promoting a product collection? Every component of your newsletter should point back to your main goal. Too many CTAs can be daunting to a recipient and can lead to high bounce rates.

We manage the monthly newsletters for one of our B2C clients, and the goal for the December email was to push last-minute gift purchases before the holidays. The first thing the recipient sees, above the fold (upper half of email), is a clear CTA leading them to the client's website where they can make a purchase. Just below the blog CTA are linked products that are peeking above the fold which acts as a tease to the reader, urging them to keep scrolling. While we have multiple CTAs, each one is supporting the overarching objective: sell quick-ship products before the holidays.

As marketers, we understand that consumers have short attention spans, so it is important to give the consumer everything they need before their brain moves on to another next piece of content. 

Here are some additional emails to consider adding to your strategy:                     

• Transactional Emails: Emails triggered by a specific action or event, such as a purchase or sign-up. They may include receipts, confirmation emails, or password reset emails.
• Lead Nurturing Emails: These emails are sent to prospective customers who have expressed interest in a product or service but have not yet made a purchase. They are designed to engage and educate the recipient to move them further along the sales funnel. 
• Abandoned Cart Emails: An automated email sent to customers who have added items to their online shopping cart but have not completed the purchase. These emails are designed to remind customers about the items in their cart and encourage them to complete the checkout process. The goal of abandoned cart emails is to recover lost sales and encourage customers to complete their purchases. Typically, these emails include information about the items left in the cart and any special offers or discounts that may be available to incentivize the customer to complete their purchase. These types of emails show at least 10% conversion rates after one email. If you are a Shopify user, ensure your abandoned cart emails are set up and ready to implement in 2023.

Check out HubSpot's complete guide for the different types of marketing emails you can incorporate into your strategy.

Considering the state of the economy, it is easy to assume businesses' marketing needs will diminish. However, companies do not need to lose hope. Marketers need to play the long game by taking the time to truly understand what their consumers are looking for and what their needs are. With a focused approach, marketers can foster growth even during a recession.