Here are five key trends you need to be aware of.

1. First Party Data is the only game in town
Where Apple leads, Google must eventually follow. And so it is that Google is calling time on the third-party data harvesting cookies used by many to target potential customers with online advertising. In future, digital marketers are going to have to source their own first party data – which means convincing potential clients to hand over their own contact details. This will also mean that “traditional” channels like email marketing will experience a resurgence in importance.

2. Organic search will get harder
Ranking organically on Google provides excellent value for marketing spend – every organic click is “free”. For Google, this represents lost revenue opportunities, so expect so see even more screen real estate given over to paid advertisements and Google’s own products. Naturally, your business will need to re-evaluate and strengthen its PPC and display ad strategy.

3. Branded search will be critical
Organic search won’t die out completely however – you can (and should!) seek to rank well for any query containing your brand name. These “branded searches” are extremely important – anyone searching for your company or products is immediately demonstrating a high level of interest/intent – just the people you want to reach. Optimising pages to improve ranking for your brand will pay dividends.

4. B2B is the new B2C
Many of the product research and buying techniques employed by consumers are now being replicated in the workplace. Millennials may not yet have the decision-making power of their Boomer counterparts, but they are much more engaged in the research process. This means that the people you need to reach are expecting increased personalisation and answer-based content.

5. Voice search does matter
Potential buyers are looking for answers – what problems can you solve? And increasingly, people are asking search engines directly. In fact, one report suggests that voice searches account for 20% of all queries. Tailoring content towards acknowledging and answering these questions will help to improve search engine visibility, organic rankings – and help your potential customers find what they need.

More of the same
In addition to these five trends, expect to see a lot more of the same. Personalisation, omnichannel, video and even social will continue to be an important aspect of any marketer’s toolkit. 2023 will be a year marked by challenges – and an opportunity to sharpen and expand your skills once more.

So what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Have we missed anything you feel will be a game-changer next year? Let us know in the comments.

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