2023 Digital Marketing Strategies

What will change in digital marketing strategies in 2023, and what happened in 2022 and before? Have social media user statistics changed? Can we analyse digital marketing in 2023 in numbers? With these questions being asked constantly, we could hardly leave this article off the Woxx Media Blog. Are you curious about one or more of the questions above? Then read on…

WHAT WILL CHANGE IN DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES IN 2023?

As we enter 2023 on the heels of global crises that have been mounting steadily since 2020, let's examine together the general question on the minds of everyone working in the sector, everyone looking to make their brand stand out by investing money, and everyone following the subject with interest.

• A LOOK AT DIGITAL GROWTH

Of course, the first thing we need to do is summarise how the previous year went, so that we can set out our expectations for this year. First of all, we see that two-thirds of the world's population were internet users in 2022.

This ratio shows us that in 2023 the total number of internet users worldwide looks set to reach a figure equal to the number of television viewers in the current system.

For context, Statista's data reports that TV today reaches an audience of approximately 5.41 billion people, while connected technology reaches an audience of just over 5 billion. However, as the number of internet users continues to grow much faster than the global TV audience, these two figures are expected to be roughly equal within the next 18 months.

Therefore, in a market like this, you need to set your direction, see clearly what lies ahead and prepare for the market so that you don't get lost among alternative channels.

• TIME PEOPLE SPEND ONLINE

On average, a typical internet user now spends more than 40 per cent of their waking life using connected devices and services. This means that the world's internet population will spend a combined total of more than 1.4 billion years of human existence online in 2022 alone. That said, the time each individual spends online has remained relatively stable in recent years, and in fact we have seen the global average dip slightly in recent months.

It would be more accurate to explain this decline as follows. As people become increasingly aware of how and where they spend their time online, they are likely to become more sensitive to disruptions, and in particular to the feeling that they may be wasting their time watching intrusive ads.

• LET'S RECONSIDER SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

The first thing to note here is that – as with our total time online – the time people say they spend using social media services has remained relatively stable over the past few years.

As you might guess, this may have something to do with the social media platforms themselves, so let's take a closer look at some of the changes in people's social media activity.

What is interesting here, however, is that the mix of platforms taking the largest share of that social media time has changed quite significantly over the same period.

For example, the time the average user spends on TikTok has increased in recent months, and this year's Q1 averages are already 20 per cent higher than the overall average for 2021. Indeed, TikTok has the highest average time per user of any of the major social platforms, with users spending almost a full day on the platform each month in the first three months of this year; combined with the fall in the averages of other social media channels, this makes the statistics look as though there has been little overall growth or decline.

However, it is worth noting that the motivations for using TikTok are quite different from those we see for platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. For example, more than three-quarters of TikTok users say they use the service to find funny and entertaining videos, while only 16 per cent say they use it to communicate with friends and family.

This is quite a different result from Facebook, where more than 7 in 10 users say they use the platform to communicate with other people.

So, given these sharp differences, does it still make sense to compare platforms such as TikTok with platforms such as Facebook, especially when it comes to building a marketing plan?

Ultimately, 'social' is a behaviour, not a channel, and these latest user trends show that each of the leading platforms now occupies quite different functional and emotional spaces in people's lives.

As a result, I think the time has come for us to recalibrate the way we talk about 'social media' and to reconsider how we allocate marketing budgets across different channels, and to give this careful thought.

For example, if most users see TikTok as an entertainment channel, might it make more sense to compare it with streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ – or perhaps even with broadcast TV – rather than with platforms such as Instagram?

• IS FACEBOOK REALLY DYING?

I would actually have liked to write a very in-depth piece on this subject, but I think that, owing to the insufficient data for 2023 and the current Russia–Ukraine war, the figures do not reflect the true values of this social channel, which has lost part of its audience. That said, if we take a look at the data:

To be honest, before looking at the relevant statistics I too thought that Facebook was dead, and I felt that Facebook's management had accepted this as well, which is why it was investing in the metaverse era. However, the numbers tell us not that this giant is dead but, on the contrary, that it is continuing to grow steadily, albeit in small steps.

It is worth repeating that I think countries such as Ukraine and Russia, for which no clear results could be obtained, may push these values down or up. So, as a final note, saying that Facebook is now dead is a complete misconception.

• DIGITAL MARKETING ON MESSAGING PLATFORMS

The latest analysis by data.ai reveals that WhatsApp's Business app was one of the 10 most downloaded mobile apps in the second quarter, which means the platform currently has two apps in the global top 10.

And to put this success into perspective, data.ai reports that there are currently more than 4 million apps available for users to download on the Google Play and Apple iOS app stores. So what are you waiting for? If there are apps with such an effective user channel, and you can appear in front of these users with a link or a single click, you need to use these channels with maximum efficiency.

• PAY ATTENTION TO WEARABLE DEVICE ADVERTISING

The rise of smartphone-connected wearables has particular implications for digital healthcare, one of the sectors in which we expect to see significant growth and innovation in the digital world in the coming years.

However, the increasing adoption of smartwatches could have some important consequences for marketers, especially if it results in people spending less time on their phones. So if your business has a mobile app, a website and social media channels, you will also need to produce notes, messages and visuals that can reach these devices' systems directly.

What's more, wearable technologies are not limited to smartwatches. Virtual reality headset technologies also show that you need to make your advertising effective in the metaverse and similar spaces, and to reformat your production advertising in 4K and 8K as virtual tours or 360-degree content.

Finally, 2023 will be a year in which I would advise all our business partners, and everyone working and creating in the field of digital marketing, to scrutinise the results they achieved in 2022, to take a clear stance by closely following the changing internet media trends of 2023, and to act by setting aside prejudices, hearsay and gut feelings, especially about social media platforms.

If all this feels like too much, or if you find yourself saying “we can't keep up with these analyses” or “we don't know who to advertise to or how”, Woxx Media will continue to be by your side across every area of digital marketing and digital advertising. Remember, even if you are only just reading this article, “You're in the right place, at exactly the right time.”

Özgür Ünal

SEO&CONTENT MANAGER