Digital marketing is constantly evolving – and staying up to date with the latest trends and updates can be a challenge. But if you want to get ahead in this competitive field, it’s important to understand the terminology that will shape digital marketing trends in 2023. In this insider’s guide, we cover all the digital marketing buzzwords you need to know for success: Dark Social, Algorithms, NanoInfluencers, Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI), semantic targeting, nuanced interaction metrics, and more. Keep reading to find out how these terms will impact your business strategy next year – and beyond.
Understanding dark social
Dark social is the term used to describe activities in which users share content with other people through private messaging platform. It refers to the social sharing of content that occurs outside of what can be tracked by web analytics programs. This can include sharing links through instant messaging apps, email, or other private channels, (like such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.) It makes it difficult for marketers to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and understand how their content is being shared.
Be part of social conversations
With dark social, marketers and organisations need to recognise 84% of consumer's activity is taking place on unknown, private channels. It's essential for companies to find ways to take part in these conversations because that is how buying decisions get made - with people trusting people. Plus, dark social spaces allow buyers to learn from influencers, which is key if you want to create demand for your product or service. You need to be where your customers are in the dark social places to give you insight into customer's intent. Dark social shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to making strategic marketing plans.
Algorithms - what's next?
Algorithms are mathematical formulas used by search engines, social media platforms, and other digital services to determine what content should be displayed to each user. As algorithms become more sophisticated, they will continue to play an important role in the way digital marketers reach their target audience. They are used by search engines and social media sites to organise information, rank results, and make recommendations.
Google and search engine algorithm
Watch for algorithm updates by bookmarking these important resources for SEO:
Google Algorithm updates for Developers
Straight from the source...
Search Engine Land
This website provides news and analysis on search engine algorithms, including updates from Google and other search engines.
Moz Blog
Moz's blog often covers algorithm updates and changes, as well as providing tips and strategies for improving your search engine rankings.
Of course, we need you updated, too! Remember to subscribe to get email updates from Treat.
Social media algorithm
There are several websites and resources that can help you stay informed about algorithm updates on social media platforms,
Social Media Today
This website provides news and analysis on social media algorithms and updates, including changes to the algorithms of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite's blog often covers algorithm updates and changes for social media platforms, as well as providing tips and strategies for improving your social media presence.
Social Media Examiner
This website provides information, tips, and strategies for social media marketing and management, including coverage of algorithm updates and changes.
NanoInfluencers offer higher engagement
NanoInfluencers are digital influencers with a smaller but highly engaged audience. They tend to be more affordable and reliable than larger influencers, making them an attractive option for many digital marketers.
Nanoinfluencers are often seen as the “new wave” of influencer marketing because they have a deep understanding of their niche and can engage and converse with followers better than influencers with large audiences.
By providing regular, meaningful interaction with their audience, nano-influencers can quickly build trust and loyalty with those who follow them. Nano influencers offer personalised connections that large influencers cannot compete with, generating higher engagement among their audience.
Audio-only formats and podcasting
Podcasting has experienced a rapid uptick in popularity over the past few years, and is no doubt one of the hottest digital marketing trends. In podcasting, audio formatted content is delivered through internet radio broadcasting, which can be listened to on demand.
This provides a great marketing opportunity as podcast advertising has been proven effective as people are more likely to engage and listen to sponsored podcast ads versus commercial breaks during traditional radio stations. Additionally, podcasting allows for getting creative with your messaging and delving further into topics of interest for your target audience. We should leverage podcasting's unique strengths in our digital marketing efforts, enabling us to draw attention towards our audio content in an exciting new way.
Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI)
To help inform your video and audio advertising, look for Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI). It's a technology used to insert personalised ads into audio content based on viewer demographics, location and other factors.
Dynamic Ad Insertion is a compelling way to reach a targeted audience efficiently and at scale. In the last 5 years, Triton Digital reported a surge of 500% in gross revenue in media buying, showing that advertisers are increasingly investing in this kind of advertising. As brands continue to prioritise reaching an engaged mobile audience, we anticipate dynamic ad insertion will be highly sought after and result in further growth. Dynamic Ad Insertion has positioned itself as an invaluable tool for media spenders going into 2023.
There are several Dynamic Ad Insertion platforms that are popular in the UK. Here are a few examples:
Brightcove
A cloud-based platform that provides video hosting and streaming services, as well as DAI capabilities. It allows for real-time insertion of ads into live and on-demand video streams.
SpotX (now part of Magnite)
A global platform that specialises in video advertising and provides DAI technology for both live and on-demand video. It allows for targeting of ads based on factors such as geographic location, device, and audience demographics.
Teads
A global platform that allows for real-time insertion of ads into video content, and provides targeting and optimisation tools.
We have recent experience with Sky AdSmart and would love to help you build out your TV advertising campaign, tailored to your target customer.
In-game advertising
In-game advertising has become an increasingly viable option in digital advertising in 2022, with more than three billion people playing games (Newzoo.com) in a variety of demographics. As viewers are less able to ignore traditional banner advertisements, in-game ads have emerged as a much more effective and creative method of promoting products and services.
During 2023 in-game advertising is likely to be a focus of many digital advertising campaigns. In addition to the creative aspect of in-game advertising, it also opens up new revenue streams, creating incentives for innovation in this area. This form of advertising is so successful that the in-game advertising market is expected to grow annually a rate of 16% in the next five years. It is no wonder that advertisers are realising the potential of in-game advertising - offering a great way to reach target audiences in an increasingly saturated digital space.
Leveraging in-game platforms
There are several ways that a company can approach in-game advertising, depending on their goals and resources. Here are a few examples:
Branded Content
A company can also create its own branded content within the game, such as branded levels or game modes. This allows the company to control the messaging and presentation of their brand within the game.
In-game Advertising Networks:
Some companies use in-game advertising networks to deliver their ads to the target audience, it allows you to reach a large audience and can be more cost-effective than other methods.
Influencer Marketing
Partnering with popular gaming influencers to promote the product or service within the game. This is a cost-effective way to reach a specific target audience.
Nuanced interaction metrics
Nuanced interaction metrics are data points that measure how users interact with content on various digital platforms. By understanding these metrics, digital marketers can gain valuable insights into their target audiences and create more effective marketing strategies.
For example, metrics such as viewability, resizing and zooming in, full screen visibility and content interaction which monitors how users interact with an ad or page must now be monitored more closely than ever before.
Nuanced interaction metrics have become increasingly important in the marketing industry, particularly as we move into 2023 and the economic downturn continues. Companies need to be able to assess engagement and understand if their ads are being seen by potential customers accurately in order to maximise every media dollar spent effectively.
Cookies (will crumble)
In 2023, privacy software will require significant changes to the way we use tracking on the internet. Third-party cookies, used as a common method of tracking, will lose their effectiveness. Instead, privacy-compliant targeting technologies like contextual and semantic methods will become more prevalent. These new alternatives are designed to focus on consumer privacy while still allowing for personalised user experiences online. As these methods become more widely adopted, online privacy protection can be improved for everyone by limiting the use of third-party cookie tracking.
About semantic targeting
Semantic targeting is used by digital marketers to target their ideal customer base. With semantic targeting, businesses are able to see through demographics and understand the subtle nuances behind user behaviour for more tailored campaigns.
This type of targeting delivers relevant and personalised ads to users based on the meaning of the content the customer is consuming. It uses natural language processing and machine learning to understand the content, and match it with the most relevant ads, providing a more accurate and personalised ad delivery experience.
Things are moving fast - it's important to stay up to date
By keeping up to date with the latest marketing buzzwords and trends, you’ll be well-prepared for success in 2023 – and beyond! To learn more about the topics discussed in this insider’s guide, check out our other blog posts and resources. You can also contact our team for more information about digital marketing services. Together, we can help you create a winning strategy to reach your goals. Email hello@treattorbay.co.uk, or book in an appointment right in our open-book diary below.