Digital Marketing Annual Recap: 2023 Year in Review
It is time for our digital marketing annual recap—looking at what we marketers have faced and embraced in 2023.
What a year for business-to-business digital marketers! The sunset on Universal Analytics, Twitter was X-ed, AI has almost come of age, and Edge made a comeback. Who would have thought?
The real question is, how will all these events impact us in 2024? That’s what we’ll find out with this 2023 digital marketing annual recap.
Digital Marketing News Headlines from 2023
Looking back is imperative to planning and forecasting. Seeing what worked (and what didn’t) guides your decisions, particularly where to allocate more budget or invest. Let’s look at what made headlines and how we can apply the lessons we’ve learned.
AI Wrote This!
Well, not this blog, but the statement is true for many businesses out there. And where the robots weren’t writing content, they most assuredly aided research, content outlines, or content ideas.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI and launched on November 30, 2022, has dominated headlines ever since. Its popularity mushroomed so much that it went from being freely available to freemium within months. Paid subscribers can access the more advanced GPT-4, officially named “ChatGPT Plus”.
The undeniable benefit of AI and ML is that they can increase capacity and output, but there are downsides, like everything in life. There are still ethics and privacy concerns surrounding AI. While we’ve tried many impressive AI tools (see here), the machines aren’t 100% foolproof.
Key Takeout: Remember that YOU still hold the ultimate responsibility when using AI. Always check and edit what AI has produced before publishing.
The Dawn of GA4
From GPT to GA4—Google Analytics 4.
The sunset on our well-known universal analytics, giving way to an upgraded analytics tool designed to track 21st-century users in a privacy-first, cookie-less world. Humans are naturally resistant to change, so it took a while for marketers and SEOs to get a grip on the new Google Property, but we believe it is all for the better.
Key Takeout: If the transition from UA to GA4 teaches us anything, it’s that third-party cookies are going away. You must prepare for the inevitable—the sooner, the better. GA4 is the best way to get ready. So, if you haven’t done so already, read about GA4 part 1 .
The Rise of the Chatbot
Speaking of catering to today’s online users, Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) have become invaluable in Chatbots.
Did you know retail spend via chatbots is expected to reach $142 billion worldwide by 2024?*
Consumers are online round-the-clock; fortunately, chatbots provide a way for them to receive service and support when it suits them most.
According to Insider Intelligence*, almost 40% of internet users prefer chatbots to virtual agents.
If you want to know more about adopting this technology for your business, we recommend The 2022/3 Marketing Automation Update.
Key Takeout: Chatbots can increase engagement and revenue if used as a strategic tool. Invest time in user experience, ensuring your bot can handle complex queries or hand them off to a human at the right time!
Social Media Selling
Social Media headlines this year revolved around sales, from Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover to Meta magnifying e-commerce across their platforms.
Influencer Marketing
Influencers are the current byword—and it doesn’t look like this trend is going away soon. Social proof, endorsement, none of these are new terms, but that is the essence of influencer marketing, and the crowds just can’t get enough.
You must, however, do your due diligence if you want to jump on this bandwagon. Influencer success relies on a carefully thought-out strategy, or it can backfire tremendously. That being said, once you’ve researched, negotiated, and effectively planned with your choice influencer, there are many rewards to be had.
From Market to Micro Retrospective
Looking back at what affected the market is pivotal to your plans. What is equally as important is analysing your digital marketing assets’ performance. The most crucial of which is your website.
Online and website audits help you identify areas needing improvement and refine what’s working. Things change so rapidly that what was working 12 months ago might not be anymore.
In the hustle and bustle of adapting to GA4 on a dime, updating social media icons from a little blue bird to X, or implementing chatbots, it’s likely that a couple of minor things took a knock. Each is probably no big deal in isolation, but little things add up to big things fast.
Key Takeout: Invest time in a thorough website audit and review of your online presence.
Use the information from the audit and comprehensive analytics gathered over the past 12 months to inform the development of a robust digital marketing strategy in 2024.
*Source: Insider Intelligence, April 15, 2022. https://www.insiderintelligence.com/insights/chatbot-market-stats-trends/
