<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11ce193c7c9bcead0fa7_651d3d332b816a3eaf7a1d4f_63a301769bc15c8a71b7179a_Screenshot%2525202022-12-21%252520125131%252520(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>News</span> <h1 class="gn-title">The Major Marketing Communications Trends for 2023</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>21 December 2022</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>7 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">As challenges of global issues, capacity management, and buy-in for further investment continue to loom over in-house marketers, a focus on 'slow burn' tactics might seem out of place.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">However, in the face of ever-more fractured, saturated marketplaces, both in-house and agency marketing leaders alike are in agreement on the trends to shape Marketing Communications in 2023; a year where brand loyalty and authenticity will be king.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In this year's 'Pulse Check' survey, <strong>we asked more than 150 in-house and agency marketing leaders</strong> to share their predictions on the trends, challenges, and opportunities they're expecting to see in 2023.</p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">150<em>+</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">In-house and agency marketing leaders surveyed.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">50<em>%+</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Chose Customer Retention and Loyalty as the top opportunity for 2023.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">70<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Of in-house respondents predicting no significant change to their budget.</span></div> </div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Marketing Communications Trends in 2023: The Opportunities</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">From the below options, we asked our respondents to select the <strong>major opportunities for marketing leaders and communication strategies in 2023</strong>:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">Options presented to respondents</div> <h4>Major opportunities for marketing communications in 2023</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Branded Communities and Audience Engagement.</strong></li> <li><strong>Consumer/Market Research.</strong></li> <li><strong>Customer Experience and Retention.</strong></li> <li><strong>Organic Growth Channels.</strong> Social, SEO, etc.</li> <li><strong>OOH, TV &amp; Media Spend.</strong></li> <li><strong>PR and Reputation Building.</strong></li> <li><strong>PPC and Digital Advertising.</strong></li> <li><strong>Tech-led Solutions.</strong> New Platforms, Software etc.</li> <li><strong>Other</strong> (to be clarified).</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal">With the exception of one discrepancy between our in-house and agency respondents on the opportunity to be found in Tech-led solutions, the <strong>results were almost identically aligned on the key opportunities for marketing communications leaders</strong> in the new year.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>#1 - Investing in Customer Retention and Loyalty Strategies in 2023</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Across both in-house and agency marketing leaders, more than 50% of respondents chose <strong>Customer Retention and Loyalty</strong> as holding the most opportunity for marketers in the new year, the most popular response selected across the board.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Ian Hyde</strong>, Head of Digital Performance at <a href="https://www.visualsoft.co.uk/"><strong>Visualsoft</strong></a>, stresses the importance of Customer-centric marketing in 2023.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">'Focussing on customer experience, and giving consumers a <strong>real reason</strong> to shop with you will be key in 2023. Rewarding loyalty and attracting customers through personalisation will allow you to gain a competitive advantage in tricky market conditions.'<cite>Ian Hyde · Head of Digital Performance, Visualsoft</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">As <strong>Ryan Ogilvie</strong>, Head of SEO at <a href="https://www.evolvedsearch.com/"><strong>Evolved Search</strong></a> shares, 2023 is the year to 'get to know your audiences! Invest time and money in speaking to your audiences and identifying their needs. These needs can then be fed into <strong>every</strong> marketing channel to ensure that everything you're doing has your audience(s) in mind.'</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Read our article: <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/key-advice-to-boost-your-retention-strategy-and-reduce-customer-churn" target="_blank"><strong><em>Customer Retention 101 - Key Advice to Boost your Retention Strategy and Reduce Customer Churn</em></strong></a></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>#2 - Branded Communities and Audience Engagement</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">We <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/marketing-communication-trends-to-keep-an-eye-on-going-into-2022">flagged it last year</a>, we'll flag it again. <strong>Branded Communities and Audience Engagement</strong> came second on the list of key opportunities for in-house marketing leaders, with 47.2% of respondents choosing this option.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">As consumers become more 'switched on' to blatant marketing efforts, it's no surprise that direct audience engagement and relationship building are taking the lead as a major trend for Marketing Communications leaders in 2023.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Dan Maisey</strong>, Head of Commercial Performance at <a href="https://www.fabricsocial.co/"><strong>Fabric Social</strong></a>, stresses the importance of authentic channel activation for any 2023 marketing strategy.</p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>Community development will be crucial; it's not about Gen Z or Millennials etc. anymore. It's about communities within them.</q><cite>Dan Maisey · Head of Commercial Performance, Fabric Social</cite></aside> <p class="gn-reveal">Brands tapping into those communities through top-quality organic content that resonates, that's where brands will gain resonance, salience, and <strong>ultimately brand loyalty</strong>.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">View our Whitepaper for guidance on creating an authentic brand and building a loyal community: <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources/against-the-grain-marketing-done-differently" target="_blank"><strong><em>Against the Grain: Marketing Done Differently</em></strong></a></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>#3 - 'Going Long' with Investment in PR and Reputation Building in 2023</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">As far as marketing opportunities in 2023 go, the final frontrunner for marketing communications trends selected by our respondents was a focus on <strong>PR and Reputation Building</strong>.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Though ranked 5th as a priority for our agency respondents, almost <strong>48%</strong> of in-house marketers chose an investment in PR and Reputation Building as a key opportunity in the new year.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">The trend of 'going long' with marketing strategies has been gaining momentum in 2022 with the likes of <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/airbnb-says-its-focus-on-brand-marketing-instead-of-search-is-working-11667506438"><strong>Airbnb citing their investment in 'brand marketing'</strong></a> to be at the core of their success in a turbulent year.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Sarah-Louisa Stanton</strong>, Marketing Manager at <a href="https://www.meridianbs.co.uk/"><strong>Meridian Business Support</strong></a>, highlighted the strategic and ethical value of brand positioning for marketing teams in the new year.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">'Our customers are 100% the most important part of our 2023 strategy. We're heading into a truly difficult time, so ensuring we position our brand as one who genuinely cares and wants to support all our customers will not only help with brand awareness. <strong>It's also morally the right thing to do</strong>.'<cite>Sarah-Louisa Stanton · Marketing Manager, Meridian Business Support</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Investing in longer-term strategies, however, doesn't need to mean a total disregard for shorter term tactics.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Nick Boyle</strong>, Technical SEO Director at <a href="https://theauditlab.com/"><strong>The Audit Lab</strong></a> shares the value of finding a balance with an integrated marketing strategy.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">'It's all about diversity! Channel diversity (and as such, KPI diversity) and a solid short-to-medium-term strategy is going to be vital. <strong>Hit the quick wins while the long-term strategy</strong> gains momentum.'<cite>Nick Boyle · Technical SEO Director, The Audit Lab</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Key marketing trends for 2023 - opportunities for growth" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11cd193c7c9bcead0f8c_63a31966abb50ca70222e463_Survey%2520results%2520-%2520Key%2520opportunities.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Survey results: key opportunities for marketing communications leaders in 2023.</figcaption> </figure> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">05</span>#4 - Organic growth through social, SEO, customer communications, and brand authenticity</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Across the response for this year's survey, another core marketing communications trend for 2023 emerges in the form of investment in 'organic' channels.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">From SEO to social media, organic channels are making a major comeback after the short-term digital acquisition boom in recent years. Partly attributed to the growing complexity of customer journeys, but also the growth in understanding of 'being marketed to' from consumers, <strong>organic channels allow audiences to discover brands of their own volition</strong>, and combat the potential skepticism around shorter-term paid acquisition.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">The role of content in a successful organic strategy in the new year can't be understated, but effectively executing this can be a challenge in itself.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Kieran Edward</strong>, Director at <a href="https://www.deadpixelfilms.com/"><strong>Dead Pixel Films</strong></a>, stresses the importance of creativity in organic content in 2023.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">'There needs to be a focus on <strong>creating content that consumers can't create themselves.</strong> It's hard to create aspiration and brand mental availability if your touch points are the same as their iPhone camera roll or Instagram stories. Bring back escapism!'<cite>Kieran Edward · Director, Dead Pixel Films</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">View our event round-up: <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/round-up-organic-social-2023-trends-and-opportunities-for-your-growth-strategy" target="_blank"><strong><em>Organic Social 2023 - Trends and Opportunities for your Growth Strategy</em></strong></a></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">06</span>#5 - Segmentation, Personalisation, and Audience Understanding</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Our final marketing communication trend prediction for 2023, and it's no surprise given the above, is a focus on properly understanding your audience.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Investment in <strong>consumer research, integrity of audience data, and smaller, more targeted campaigns</strong> are all on the roster for 2023 marketing communications leaders.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">As <strong>Danijel Matijević</strong>, Marketing Operations Manager at education app <a href="https://photomath.com/en"><strong>Photomath</strong></a> shares, 'A key consideration for us is <strong>the need to reach and engage with the right audience,</strong> with a clear focus on identifying and targeting the segments of the market that are most likely to benefit from the app, and developing <strong>targeted and effective marketing campaigns</strong> to reach these segments.'</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">07</span>What to expect in 2023: Further trends for Marketing leaders</h2> <h3 class="gn-reveal">External support: Marketing Agency Relationships in 2023</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Despite predictions of a challenging year ahead, in-house teams are looking optimistic when it comes to budgets and external support for their marketing strategy.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Marketing trends for 2023 - Budget predictions from in-house teams" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa11cd193c7c9bcead0f8f_63a31989d3ea4634b3404a6d_Survey%2520results%2520-%2520Budget.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Survey results: budget predictions from in-house marketing teams for 2023.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">With 70% of in-house respondents predicting <strong>no significant change</strong> to their budget in the new year, more than 60% also believe there will be no significant change to the scope or length of relationships with external resource and marketing agencies.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Andy Hill</strong>, Founder at <a href="https://distributedigital.co.uk/"><strong>Distribute Digital</strong></a>, shares that in-house teams looking to outsource particular areas of strategy to marketing agencies should focus on 'deciding what presents the best value for your in-house team, and what it makes sense to partner on. <strong>Don't have an expensive internal team doing work that can be outsourced</strong>.'</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events" target="_blank"><strong><em>View our upcoming events calendar</em></strong></a> to get involved in the expert-led workshops around key marketing challenges and trends in 2023.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">08</span>2023 Marketing Communications Trends: Contributors and Publication</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">As a blend of anonymous and public contributions, more than 150 businesses have contributed to the findings within the report, to be released in the new year.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In-house contributions came from a range of industries and businesses, including: <a href="https://www.anaergia.com/">Anaergia</a>, <a href="https://www.aparito.com/">Aparito</a>, <a href="https://www.exclaimer.com/">Exclaimer</a>, <a href="https://glean.co/">Glean</a>, <a href="https://www.iris.co.uk/">IRIS Software Group</a>, <a href="https://www.lovell.co.uk/">Lovell</a>, <a href="https://www.meridianbs.co.uk/">Meridian Business Support</a>, <a href="https://photomath.com/en">Photomath</a>, <a href="http://www.respectmortgages.co.uk">Respect Mortgages</a>, <a href="https://www.weareadam.com/">We are Adam</a>, <a href="https://www.victorianplumbing.co.uk/">Victorian Plumbing</a>, and more.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Agency contributions were also collected across a range of specialisms, with credit to: <a href="https://www.astorycalled.co.uk/">A Story Called</a>, <a href="https://www.actuate.agency/">Actuate Agency</a>, <a href="https://thisisaudience.com/uk/">Audience Collective</a>, <a href="http://www.betteragency.co.uk" target="_blank">Better Agency</a>, <a href="https://www.bhandp.com/" target="_blank">BH&amp;P</a>, <a href="https://curated-digital.com/">Curated</a>, <a href="https://www.deadpixelfilms.com/">Dead Pixel Films</a>, <a href="https://www.december19.co.uk/">december19</a>, <a href="https://www.differentnarrative.com/">Different Narrative</a>, <a href="https://distributedigital.co.uk/">Distribute Digital</a>, <a href="https://www.drummondcentral.co.uk/">Drummond Central</a>, <a href="https://emperor.works/">Emperor</a>, <a href="https://empower.agency/">Empower</a>, <a href="https://www.evoluted.net/">Evoluted</a>, <a href="https://www.evolvedsearch.com/">Evolved</a>, <a href="https://www.fabricsocial.co/">Fabric Social</a>, <a href="https://gottabemarketing.co.uk/">GottaBe!</a>, <a href="https://www.hub-mdp.co.uk/">hub</a>, <a href="https://www.icebluesky.com/">Ice Blue Sky</a>, <a href="https://moot.group/">MOOT</a>, <a href="https://peakdistrictseo.co.uk/">Peak District SEO</a>, <a href="https://www.quba.co.uk/">Quba</a>, <a href="https://quibble.digital/">Quibble</a>, <a href="https://www.sciart.io/">Sciart Marketing</a>, <a href="https://secretsourcemarketing.com/">Secret Source</a>, <a href="https://www.selesti.com/">Selesti</a>, <a href="https://www.smartebusiness.co.uk/">Smartebusiness</a>, <a href="https://smokinggunpr.co.uk/">Smoking Gun</a>, <a href="https://www.snowlilleymarketing.co.uk/">SnowLilley Marketing</a>, <a href="https://www.startcommunication.co.uk/">Start Communication</a>, <a href="https://www.summit.co.uk/">Summit</a>, <a href="https://theauditlab.com/">The Audit Lab</a>, <a href="https://www.seoworks.co.uk/">The SEO Works</a>, <a href="https://trunkbbi.com/">TrunkBBI</a>, <a href="https://www.visualsoft.co.uk/">Visualsoft</a>, <a href="https://www.webbox.digital/">WebBox</a>, <a href="https://workhouse.agency/">Workhouse</a>, and more.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>With the full report set to be shared in early 2023,</strong> <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/resources#join-the-community"><strong>join the community</strong></a> <strong>to stay in the loop.</strong></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" 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