The digital world is evolving at a pace that most businesses struggle to keep up with. We spend more time online—and on our phones—than ever before. By 2023, 47% of marketing teams anticipate an increase in their budget.

Short-form videos (TikTok and Reels) continue to grow in popularity, Facebook and YouTube remain the top platforms for advertising investment, and content creators are becoming increasingly relevant. Gen Z says influencer recommendations carry even more weight than those from friends and family.

Want to learn more about what to consider for your digital presence? Keep reading to find out how your brand can respond to new trends and shifts in digital behavior.

Top 3 Tactics for 2023

Listen to your audience through data
Pay attention to the metrics you can gather. To create content and ultimately achieve business goals, it’s necessary to go beyond the usual data. Beyond demographics, it’s time to prioritize conversations. If they don’t exist, create them. Find out what your audience likes (outside your brand), where they consume content, what causes they care about, etc.

Continue humanizing your brand
Users still prefer content that reflects the values and principles of brands, because it humanizes them. Corporate brands need to identify a purpose or mission and make it part of their personality—both online and offline.

Greater relevance of the creator economy in your strategy
Instagram, for example, has been increasingly investing in content creator development. It has launched tools like collaborations, the creator marketplace, affiliate tools, and others currently in testing.

Social media marketing

On social media, the importance of socialization—being organic and natural—has always been emphasized. But it’s also important to consider that platforms are increasingly implementing more commercial tools for brands.

💡Insights 2022

• Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are the top platforms (Hubspot).
• Facebook has been the platform with the highest return on investment for businesses (Hubspot).
• The most effective content formats are short-form videos and live streams (Hubspot).
• Carousels on Instagram are the type of static content with the highest engagement (Metricool).
• On TikTok, people trust content from other users talking about brands more than content from the brands themselves (Hubspot).
• User-Generated Content (UGC) Creator Trend (Later)
• Video meme trend: storytelling through current world events (Later)

We Recommend:

Create more short-form video content.
Content creators are leading the trends, and brands should join in by producing content with a similar communication style on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Users want to see entertaining content that sells—not just product commercials.

Organize your Instagram feed cohesively, but not rigidly.
With Adam Mosseri’s announcement that Instagram is no longer just a photo-sharing app, one key point was reinforced: aesthetic is no longer the most important thing.

Users today are not attracted to overly curated and meticulously planned profiles. We used to decide whether to create a chessboard-style feed, post in groups of three, or follow a vertical format.

Now, brands and creators have more freedom to focus on quality content instead of worrying whether something fits into the feed visually.

Explore working with UGC creators.
Traditional UGC is created organically by a brand’s followers. A UGC creator, on the other hand, makes content that looks organic but is paid. This is different from working with influencers. Influencers post on their own accounts and cater to their audiences. UGC creators make content for the brand—not for their own platforms.

Develop a brand personality on social media.
It’s not enough to only talk about your products and services. Some of the most effective content to build and showcase your brand’s personality includes fun content (memes, trends, etc.), interactive content (polls, quizzes, games), and behind-the-scenes content.

Digital Advertising

💡Insights 2022

• 80% of brands are using paid advertising (Hubspot).
• Facebook and Instagram have the best ROI compared to other platforms (Hubspot).
• Social media accounted for 33% of digital ad spending in 2022 (Wordstream).
• Between 70% to 80% of people ignore ads when they encounter online advertising (Wordstream).

We Recommend:

Use short-form videos for advertising as well.
To reduce the chances of people ignoring your ads, create ads that feel organic, taking advantage of the growing trend of video formats.

Leverage storytelling.
Instead of focusing on specific products or services, use advertising to bring users closer to your brand through stories. Think strategically—dedicate some ads to first connect with your ideal target without directly promoting a product. Then, use remarketing with more commercial ads.

Think of campaigns as part of a process, not isolated actions.
In our experience, it’s essential to map out the path a user takes after seeing an ad. Start by introducing them to the brand, encouraging them to follow and engage. Then, launch more sales-oriented campaigns to guide them through a conversion funnel.

Web Sites

💡Insights 2022

• 73% of consumers trust information from a business’s website over other sources. (BrightLocal)
• 43.25% of websites are built with WordPress. (W3Techs)
• 50% of consumers believe that brands should place greater priority on web design. (Top Design Firms)
• 80% of marketing teams use websites in their strategies. (HubSpot)
• 23% of small businesses did not have a website in 2022. (Digital)
• 59% de los consumidores investigan online primero antes de comprar. (Raydiant)

In 2023, are social media platforms enough, or do you need a website?

Evaluate how sales happen in your business. Are you doing too many things manually that you could automate? Are you overwhelmed by DMs on Instagram? These could be signs that you need a website.

We Recommend:

In 2023, you have more options than ever to build your website. We suggest exploring Webflow, one of the fastest-growing tools worldwide. On the other hand, WordPress remains our #1 recommendation—especially for eCommerce sites. More than a third of the world’s leading companies use WordPress as their website platform. It has all the tools you need to build any type of site and makes it easy for administrators to make updates later.

If you decide to create or redesign your website, real, professional photos are essential. Make sure to include a photo production session in your website planning. According to consumers, images are one of the most important elements of design. Photos can be what convinces a customer to choose your products.

Consider adding some type of purchase assistance tool. Many websites use quizzes, comparison charts, and other interactive visual resources to help users make decisions and feel supported by the brand.

Email Marketing

💡Insights 2022

• The main reason businesses use email is to improve customer loyalty and retention. (Hubspot)
• 79% of marketing teams say that email is one of their top 3 most effective communication channels. (Litmus)
• Gmail is the most popular email client. (Hubspot)
• 33% of brands send weekly emails, and 26% send multiple emails per month. (Databox)
• 50% of people make purchases through marketing emails at least once a month. (Salecycle)

We Recommend:

If you haven’t explored this part of your digital presence yet: try experimenting with basic email marketing plans. There are some excellent free options available for small businesses. Start with simple campaigns—like offering a discount coupon in exchange for signing up to your database.

If you already have a database: don’t let it go to waste. Make a plan and begin by sending 1 to 2 emails per month to connect with your audience.

Social selling is very popular, but don’t overlook this channel. In 2023, it’s very likely you can use it to complement your content on social media.

Email personalization remains key. You can tailor the experience for your audience with small touches like including their name in the email, or with more advanced segmentation based on interests.

The future of digital marketing is heading toward video, collaboration, and bold brand personalities.

Social media platforms are evolving into all-in-one hubs, where users can be entertained, informed, communicate with friends, and shop—all in one place. Each platform aims to keep people engaged for longer.