2023 digital marketing trends starts with privacy. The POPI Act and Google\u2019s changes regarding gathering of cookies as data to use for personalised marketing are having a significant impact on how businesses gather data from consumers. But, this isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing because the solution is obvious: aim for more strategic engagement and human connection with consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can still gather data from consumers by looking at their engagement with your social media content, and of course by using incentivised forms and surveys for them to complete. With a bit of creativity and humour, you can easily make these feel more like a fun quiz \u2014 quizzes get excellent results when it comes to generating new leads and adding more subscribers to your mailing list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another way to collect customer data is through instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Mobile contact with your customers is about as personal as it gets! With a few clicks, customers can answer three simple, yet very useful questions around new product launches, developments, customer experiences, after-sales support, and more. It\u2019s powerful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As instant messaging apps mature and develop into data-gathering\/-holding tools in their own right, it will become a crucial source of invaluable information on your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consumers have seen what can be done with a level playing field on platforms such as TikTok where content creators are bored with perfectly produced aesthetics and simply show up as real and relatable. It has sparked fantastically unique collaborations between different creators, creating new communities in various niches and industries. They expect to be marketed to in a similar way \u2014 relevant, honest, relatable human connections. Hard, old-school ways of selling are off-putting by comparison!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While older businesses may be a little intimidated by the consumers\u2019 need for more creativity, it presents a new opportunity for brands to present more of their human side. This means giving employees more room to play and to bring their ideas to the table \u2014 a trend that\u2019s well overdue! The crux is that there is more room for radical creativity than ever before, and the chances of achieving success by trying something different are higher too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may seem counter-intuitive to bring up chatbots right after talking about relatable content and creativity, but chatbots (when used correctly and strategically) make the sales journey much easier and faster for both consumers and businesses. Consumers get quick answers to their frequently asked questions, and business can focus on the interactions that are more crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tools that can help businesses automate various tasks are cost- and time efficient, while improving quicker customer satisfaction. If you\u2019re not using chatbots on your site yet, it\u2019s time to investigate how this can make a difference to your sales team and the time they spend on customer support versus generating sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A chatbot is only one form of useful artificial intelligence. Other bots can be used for tasks like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n