WHAT THE TECH SHOULD YOU DO IN THE DIGITAL WORLD IN 2023?

1. Getting on a new wavelength

Audio-based platform Clubhouse came along a few years ago now, but ultimately didn’t morph into the mainstream platform it had aspirations to become. Although, as ever, the main players (Twitter, LinkedIn etc) have been twiddling their fingers, optimising the concept and adding it to their plethora of formats. In 2023, when trust is running low among audiences, audio content will be key to building relationships and putting a genuine, real voice to a brand. Give Twitter Spaces and LinkedIn Audio events a go, particularly if you need a way of connecting in between physical events.

#WhoTheTech is this for? Category Multipliers, Refreshers

2. Messier data

We’ve already started to see this happen in 2022, but for a digital world dependent on data, there will be some big shocks as we move into next year. iOS 14 has and will continue to have a big impact on the data available to us. We’ll start to see companies implementing more first-hand data strategies (the kind your company owns itself), which puts more pressure on data capture. With 2023 demanding hyper-personalisation, with platforms like Google morphing their algorithm to a more audience-led play, keeping data by our sides is going to be more important than ever, particularly for early-stage, high-growth companies as they refine their audiences. If you don’t have the time to pull your data natively, there are plenty of tools that can help, such as Hootsuite, Meltwater and Pulsar – but the most important part is ensuring that you ‘clean’ your data before storing so you have a consistent single source of truth.

#WhoTheTech is this for? Category Multipliers, Disruptors, Category Creators

3. Social media and the metaverse

The metaverse is going to be on everyone’s lips in 2023, as we move beyond physical rooms to immersive social experiences. We’ll start to see events migrate from the physical to the virtual – attending events from behind a screen, virtual influencer panels and collaborations in web 3.0 becoming the new norm.

We’ve seen it in the consumer world already – think rap stars performing in computer games on behalf of giant consumer brands. Plus, with almost 60% of influencers already viewing themselves as virtual creators in the metaverse (Marketing Tech), we’re set to see it expand as the metaverse becomes more readily available. As tech brands, stay true to innovation, but be sure to be as creative as possible. Get your avatars at the ready.

#WhoTheTech is this for? Disruptors, Category Creators

4. The power of influencers

Influencers have long dominated the B2C space, and during 2022 we’ve seen B2B brands begin to embrace how influencers support marketing goals. In 2023, we’ll see these types of partnerships increase, with eMarketer predicting that influencer spend in the US will grow by over 23% as we head into 2023. In research undertaken by Influence, only 1 in 10 Brits said they trust social media advertising. In turn, we’ll see the pre-existing, trusting relationships that influencers hold becoming more valuable than ever, allowing brands to engage in the trust economy. Having strong advocates to champion your brand will be key to success.

#WhoTheTech is this for? Category Multipliers, Disruptors, Evolutionaries

6. Lead generation through social media

50% of B2B marketers find that social media is their most effective digital marketing channel for driving revenue. We’ll start to see much more weight being placed on driving revenue and leads via social media – particularly on LinkedIn, with research showing that LinkedIn is 277% more effective than Twitter or Facebook for lead generation (Hubspot). What’s key here is a perfect union of focused messaging and striking creative being bolstered by intelligent social targeting. Integration is imperative to the success of social lead gen campaigns – after all, you have three seconds at most to grab the attention of your audience, no matter how mature your targeting is.

#WhoTheTech is this for? Category Multipliers, Refreshers

6. Social media turbulence

Platforms under huge pressure in 2023 are Facebook and Twitter (no surprises there).

For Twitter, under Elon Musk, we’ve already seen an exodus of advertisers, citing concerns around data privacy, content moderation issues, and outside pressures. No-one really knows what Musk’s plan is for Twitter, so watch this one closely – it will be an inevitable rollercoaster. For Facebook, its lack of focus on its core business is causing turbulence, compounded by a significant drop in advertising revenue.

Both of these examples show that recent events spell the end of parts of big tech as we know it – shifting the power balance towards content creators.

As all the social media platforms compete for our attention, and adjust algorithms (constantly) to keep us hooked, B2B content strategies will have to diversify to hold onto that power in 2023. This year, we’ve already seen all social media platforms prioritise new content formats like reels or PDFs to drive content creators in new directions for engagement reasons.

Invariably, the rise of TikTok has catapulted these actions into the spotlight. TikTok is a great space to test what creative assets and messages land successfully, without needing to build up an organic audience from scratch, or invest in advertising. With tried and tested content, and fresh insights, you can keep what works and replicate your creative successes elsewhere. We’d heavily recommend doing this, particularly as other platforms find their feet again.

#WhoTheTech is this for? Everyone!

Let’s face it, we’re all planning for an uncertain year ahead. How your brand navigates the digital world will be instrumental to your brand success in 2023. 

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To work out who the TECH you are, and what that means for your creativity in 2023 – get your nose in our ‘#WhoTheTech do you think you are?’ playbook.