2023 Digital Advertising Trends
Improved Ads Targeting Manager for Social Media Platforms
One of the most useful features of digital marketing is targeted ads, which allows businesses to choose a specific demographic with whom their content will be visible. For example, an ad by a business selling a wide range of beauty products will be able to target women between 16 to 70 years old that are currently living in Florida. Through targeted ads, you can be assured that the content you are putting out is being received by the appropriate audience and is not being wasted.
Facebook was one of the pioneers of this feature when it released its Facebook Ads in 2007. With this, businesses were able to run ads and target audiences based on the actions made by the user’s friends on Facebook. After more than a decade of improvement and analysis of consumer behaviors, Facebook released Meta for Business, a complete social media content and ads targeting manager for both Facebook and Instagram. Through this, targeted ads became even more specific, now allowing brands to curate their audience using a set of criteria including interests, gender, relationship status, age, location, language, and more.
With the success of Meta for Business and the continuous change in the digital landscape, several social media platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube have also adopted this feature. In 2023, targeted ads will still be relevant and effective. But now, it is also a race between these platforms on who can step up their game and further improve their ad targeting options to encourage more businesses to advertise using their platform.
Building Digital Communities
Today’s consumers are not only seeking out products and services from businesses. Instead, they are now looking for a safe space where they can build connections not only with the brand but with their fellow consumers as well. As a brand, engaging with your audience and fostering a community that will bring brand loyalty is one of this year’s challenges.
While inviting new consumers is important for your growth, strengthening the connections and ensuring the satisfaction of your community is what will drive sales. In creating an online community, make use of public social networks such as Facebook and Twitter with a huge user population. Be responsive, make them feel like you are listening, and facilitate interactions between fellow consumers. Stimulating your audience to make user-generated content featuring your brand and your products or services will also help reach more people and let your community grow organically. Encourage your community to share their experiences with you, especially relatable stories that will inspire other people to look into your brand.
Your brand’s values will also come into play and will be one of the deciding factors for many of your consumers. People love supporting brands with values that align with their own. Taking a stand on certain issues is undoubtedly risky but if it is linked to your identity as a brand then being vocal will help your community know that you are aware and actively participating.
Digitalized Businesses and the Use of Marketing Technologies
With the development and release of new marketing technologies, businesses will continue to become even more digitalized in 2023. Every year we see new software, applications, and digital tools getting published to assist in marketing efforts including content creation, execution of business plans, ads management, analysis of social metrics, online payment methods, and more. It now becomes a challenge for businesses to choose which MarTech would be most cost-efficient and beneficial to achieve their goals.
One of the most controversial and talked about marketing technology in 2022 was the Metaverse. An ambitious project by Facebook owner, Mark Zuckerberg, the Metaverse aims to create a virtual reality (VR) version of the internet and change the landscape that we know today. Although it did not reach its initial ambition of being used by common web users, many developers still saw this as a challenge to innovate and introduce new technologies to the digital market.
Hypersign brings digital integration to your waiting room, creating interactive bulletin boards for your clients to engage with your brand. Hypersign has a complete package of visual communications solutions including digital signage wayfinding, room scheduling, collaboration tools and more that will help boost your internet presence. It is an easy-to-use software with a simple layout for a smooth process of creating, publishing, and sharing content to your audiences. C2 Communications offers Hypersign management to kickstart your digital business.
Hypersign interactive bulletin board at the HCA Headquarters in Nashville, TN.
The rise of virtual and augmented reality, cashless money transfers, social media advertising, artificial intelligence, smart devices, and many more technologies enhanced current consumer experiences. Because of these, businesses have truly become more digitalized in the past few years to follow consumer demands and will continue to be even more so in 2023.
GeoFencing Location-based Marketing
Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices nowadays come with a built-in location and communication technologies such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and radio frequency identification (RFID). These technologies are being used by several applications on your devices to access GeoFencing or location-based marketing.
With GeoFencing, when a device is within a particular virtual boundary or 'GeoFence’, some targeted ads, content, and offers will be automatically triggered and shown on the device. For example, if a student is carrying a phone while browsing a bookstore that utilizes GeoFencing, they will potentially receive some content and notifications of special book offers around that area. This is a very effective way to reach new audiences.
In 2023, you can implement this location-based marketing with your own business with Device ID GeoFencing. Device ID is capable of creating custom shapes around different locations targeting users who have been in those fences within a timeframe you define. This also allows your business to reach consumers who have visited your set target locations in the past and expand your audience by analyzing other devices in the household and peers with the same demographic and behavioral attributes. C2 Communications is here to assist you in setting up GeoFencing for your own business to reach more potential customers and increase sales this year!
These digital advertising trends may all seem intimidating especially for businesses unfamiliar with the current landscape but hiring experts that are well-versed in both traditional and digital marketing, such as C2 Communications, will help ease your transition to this new playing field. We are your partner for all your social marketing, digital communications, and public relations needs. Contact us now to learn more about how we can help your business grow this 2023!