Marketing strategy has come a long way from print ads in newspapers. Hello, television, internet, and even TikTok influencers. Without a doubt, B2B marketing is constantly evolving at a pace so fast that you might lose your breath trying to keep up. We know that 2023 will be no exception.
If you want a head start, check out our marketing predictions for 2023.
1. Artificial intelligence (AI) meets marketing: the conversation is just getting started
AI has been around for a while now, but the conversation about what exactly AI means for marketers is truly ramping up. With new inventions such as ChatGPT, AI feels like a big unknown for business and marketing is no exception.
People wonder, for example, what happens when consumers read or see AI-generated marketing content that’s presented as something organically created by a human? This may have an impact on brand trust and authenticity which are often foundational elements for growing and maintaining loyal customers.
On the flip side, how does AI change the content creator role? As AI evolves, it has the potential to replace humans in a lot of content creator jobs due to its cost-effectiveness. It is also possible that the role of human content creators, including writers, artists, and videographers, will grow to be higher profile because a person has the ability to do the work with nuance and skill that a computer never could.
We think 2023 will be a revealing year for how marketers and AI work together.
2. Marketing is a team effort: time for better sales and marketing alignment
We’re no economists, but we think it's safe to say that 2022 was a tough year for people’s wallets. As a result, many businesses are scaling back their 2023 marketing efforts because of the uncertainty of what's to come. We believe the silver lining is that reduced spending and an increased need for efficient operations will drive better sales and marketing alignment.
Historically, a lot of marketing is done because it's what a business has always done, or it’s done for "awareness". But as budgets and team sizes are cut, sales and marketing will need to come together to become more impactful. Leads generated by marketing will be under more pressure to convert in the hands of the sales team and the sales teams will need to be more communicative than ever about the types of leads that are best for marketing to go get.
We’re hopeful 2023 will deal damaging blows to silos and inspire sales and marketing teams to ally in a way that’ll be unstoppable when resources rebound.
3. Budgets shrink, teams change: marketers seek to augment limited resources
Budget cuts and staff reductions mean there are fewer resources for markers to work with as they aim to reach their goals. Literally, fewer dollars means less time, less manpower, and sometimes even less available experience and skill to get the job done. And yet, because of the financial environment the business is operating within, conversion and sales goals often come under increased pressure.
That’s where agencies come in. Agency teams are comprised of seasoned professionals who can be on standby to tackle marketing strategy, launch campaigns, and conduct special projects efficiently and with a high level of expertise. They have the knowledge needed to cover a wide range of marketing projects from lead generation, nurture campaigns, channel expansion, even ads, social media, and events, all without the commitment to headcount.
We predict that agencies will be asked to step up at an increased rate to fill gaps left by increasingly limited budgets.
Each year brings new challenges and opportunities for marketers to grow their skills and enhance their abilities. If you want to see how we can help you make 2023 the best year yet, drop us a line.
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