In the dynamic landscape of digital marketing, it can be difficult to stay on top of the latest news. New programs, platforms, and trends replace familiar ones quickly. The strategies that worked last year might not work next year. It’s a lot of information, and you might be feeling overwhelmed.
Allow us to help out a bit.
As 2022 draws to an end, we’re looking back at 4 of the lessons we learned about digital marketing this year. Think of it like a refresher course on marketing trends or a cheat sheet for 2023. Keep these 4 things in mind when you’re crafting your marketing strategy for the new year—they’re backed by data, and they’ll give you a good starting point when planning for the future.
Let’s see what 2022 can teach us about the future of digital marketing.
1. Email isn’t dead, and it’s not going anywhere.
Email marketing is thriving. There are 4 billion email users all over the world, and that number is only expected to grow in the coming years. By the end of 2023, there will be an estimated 11 billion dollars of revenue from email marketing!
If you aren’t already, it’s time to start investing money in email marketing. Email marketing has an astounding 3600% ROI! When you spend the time and money to strategize, segment, and personalize your emails, you’ll see huge returns for your business.
Let’s make 2023 the year you prioritize email marketing so you can see some of that 11 billion in revenue.
2. Email open rates are on the rise (but not for the reason you might think).
You probably saw some increased open rates in 2022 that have nothing to do with your subject lines or the quality of your emails. Ever since the release of iOS 15 in late 2021, email open rates for Apple users have been increasing.
iOS 15 introduced Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection, which prevents email senders from gathering data about an Apple user’s email activity. MPP sends all email to a proxy server before sending it back to the recipient, which makes emails appear as though they’ve been opened. Even if an Apple user doesn’t open and read your email, your email service provider considers it “opened.”
MPP is a major step forward in terms of consumer privacy, but it makes things trickier for digital marketers. In 2023, consider changing your metrics of success. Instead of focusing on open rate, work on improving your email click through rate, conversions, and unsubscribe rate.
3. Google Analytics 4 is the future of digital marketing.
Google Analytics 4 or GA4 was all the buzz this year. This data analysis platform is a must-have for anyone doing digital marketing. GA4 tells you about your website traffic, the kinds of people who engage with your site, and which pages perform better than others. This data is essential for optimizing your website and understanding your online audience.
GA4 includes some exciting perks compared to other programs:
- It collects cross-platform data, so you can analyze data from both websites and apps.
- It provides detailed, real-time reports.
- It doesn’t track IP addresses in accordance with privacy laws
- Its advanced predictive capabilities give you a better understand of your customers
In 2023, Google will stop supporting Universal Analytics, the predecessor to GA4. If you haven’t made the switch to GA4, you need to do so now. You will not be able to use Universal Analytics after June 1, 2023.
4. AI copywriting is making huge strides—but it’s no replacement for a human writer (yet).
To use AI, or not to use AI? That is the question that has been plaguing most marketers this year.
AI copywriting tools have come a long way recently, and there are more than ever to choose from. But AI still isn’t a substitute for a human writer.
Contrary to popular belief, using an AI tool isn’t magic. AI requires you to input data about your subject, your target audience, and the parameters of the copy you want. Only after you give the computer this data can it generate copy.
AI tools have their uses. They’re great for generating headlines, subject lines, CTAs, and other short-form pieces of copy. AI editors like Grammarly can be incredibly helpful for catching copyediting mistakes and typos. And as technology advances, we could see AI copywriters produce quality long-form content, too.
Do you feel equipped to take on digital marketing in 2023? Do you need some help navigating the worlds of email, online ads, and website optimization? Schedule a call with Sigl Creative, and let us be your guide. Together, we can make 2023 the best year yet for your business.
