Are you looking for ways to improve your marketing strategy in 2023 without adding more work to your already full plate? You’re in luck! As a full-time marketer who notoriously hates the hustle of Instagram, I’ve compiled a list of 2023 marketing trends that are easy(ish) to implement and don’t require a lot of extra effort on your part.
If you are like most small businesses I know, you likely don’t have time to jump on every new platform or read a post about 100 things to do in your marketing in 2023, so I am keeping it short and sweet for you (I’ve limited myself to just five!). Do me a favor and keep reading until the end, and then send me a DM over on Instagram and tell me your favorite 2023 marketing trend!
2023 Marketing Trends (The Highlights!)
Static Grids on Instagram
I’ve been showing up on Instagram for exactly 3 days and let me tell you my thoughts. Small businesses and big businesses alike are TIRED of hustling on Instagram. It’s no longer a good investment of your time and money to constantly create content that never gets seen. It’s not just static posts – reels aren’t performing like they used to anymore either.
So what does this mean for small business marketing? If you’ve been spending 100% of your marketing budget (time and/or money on Instagram), it may be time to diversify. I’m seeing small businesses choose to create a “12 post grid” that works almost like a mini website. They may (or may not) still create reels without posting them to their grid and show up on stories regularly, but their most recent 12 posts are there to stay.
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I LOVE creating things once and having them continue to work for me, so this is one of the 2023 marketing trends I am the most excited for. While some marketers are saying Instagram is officially dead, potential customers will still search for your profile and they don’t want to see an account that looks like it went out of business. Instead, use your 12-post grid to showcase detailed info about your brand or business so that viewers can stay up-to-date and in the know. Feel free to incorporate some carousels too (especially since we can edit them now!).
SEO is King… Even on Social Media
Blogging has been around for years, but its importance has grown exponentially in the digital age. I don’t care what they say, blogging isn’t going anywhere (it’s still where I get MOST of my customers from – for both my marketing business and my destination wedding planning business). As docial media influence wanes, brands are increasingly relying on search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure they are visible to their target audiences.
Even social media platforms are prioritizing search-driven content. I know nothing makes me feel more trendy (almost gen Z) than searching for something on Tiktok that I would have previously Googled (sorry Google!). If you think worrying about SEO is only for bloggers, I’m here to let you know SEO is just as critical on social media. In fact, by using keywords and carefully crafted captions, social media posts can be optimized for better search rankings and more engagement from users. So, if you want to maximize the power of social media marketing, remember that SEO is king… even on these platforms!
This is actually a GOOD thing because it means that effort you put into your post will last you longer than 48 hours. So even though it may not SEEM like less work for you, it will require less work overall.
Repurpose Your Content on Multiple Marketing Platforms
While creating an omnipresence is nice in theory, it’s not always the most practical for small businesses. As a user, I find it a little annoying that all the platforms slowly become the same (looking at Tiktok adding carousel posts and IG adding “suggestions” in my feed). As a small business though? We can use it to our advantage. While not alllll types of content work well for multiple platforms, I believe it’s worth repurposing more often than it’s not.
Here’s a quick checklist:
- Short form video = Reels, Tiktok, Youtube Shorts, Pinterest Idea Pins
- Long-form video = Youtube + A Podcast or Audio-only format
- Long-form content = write a blog, post on Linkedin, work the content into an email, or even use bits on social media!
As a bonus? You can also repurpose your Youtube content into written form and/or embed a Youtube video into your blog post. Some people read some people listen, and some people watch. It doesn’t have to be unique content. For me, it depends on the content too! I love a motivational podcast or a quick tip, but something with action items or “5 things” I prefer to read.
Repurposing content across platforms will expand your reach and help your audience connect with you in even more ways. While you do NOT have to do everything, there are ways to maximize what you are doing already IF that feels aligned to you.
2023 Marketing Trends Are Clear: Professional UGC Creators are Officially the New Influencers
If you immediately just thought “I don’t have time for that”, hear me out.
When I talk about an investment, I’m talking about time AND money. Compared to paying (good) influencers, UGC creators are going to fit better in your small business budget. While I am hearing that ad costs on social media are going down, if you are planning to invest in something this year, I might argue that partnering with a UGC creator to create content you can repurpose might get you more for your buck. Organic traffic will ALWAYS convert better than paid ads.
If you don’t have ANY advertising budget, UGC content is still worth the time investment (in fact, I might argue it’s the most important content you can create). If there is one thing I’ve seen over and over again in 2022, it’s that UGC sells.
Even Small Businesses Are Going to Use the Power of AI Content Marketing in these 2023 marketing trends
When it comes to AI writers, I like to consider myself an early adopter. While I don’t think any of them will replace a human (yet!), they are a GREAT tool for generating headlines and content ideas. Jasper AI, which I use currently, can also write a pretty solid blog post.
Did you know 85% of this post was written by Jasper AI? While the 15% I added is likely what made it all make sense (and made you stick around to the end!), it’s worth noting that it was pretty freaking good on its own. If AI writing is something you are curious about, use this link to grab yourself a free trial. Yes, it’s an affiliate link but as you (hopefully!) already know, I wouldn’t recommend it unless I thought it was worth your cash.
For my fellow Pinterest marketers, Tailwind launched their new feature, Ghostwriter, to come up with AI Pinterest descriptions and I am obsessed. Pin descriptions are SO tricky because you have to FILL them with keywords without getting too fancy with them. While that’s an affiliate link too, I’ve been a long-time user of Tailwind for Pinterest and they have come up with several new features lately to save you time if you are a one-person marketing team (but I will save that for its own post!).
Which 2023 marketing trends have your attention?
There you have it – 2023 marketing trends that are short and sweet – just like I promised. I hope you can see here that not ALL 2023 marketing trends are bad, and some might even save you time and money. If you want to take your marketing up a notch this year, I have a little something for you. My fast and slow marketing roadmap is here and it breaks down exactly how to balance and diversify your marketing channels as a small business that simply can’t do it all. It’s yours. It’s free. Grab your copy here.
