With budgets getting tighter and with a minefield of options for digital advertisers, 2023 is undoubtedly going to be a challenging year for marketers. But for those who are willing to invest the time to do things well, the opportunities could be massive. If you’re looking for stand out results this year, here are our 3 Cs of Digital Advertising for 2023.

Customers

The customer is at the core of everything we do in marketing - we know that. But as the power is increasingly shifting into the hands of customers, it’s time to think in different ways to ensure you maximise engagement.

Privacy is a prime example. It’s moving up the agenda for many people. Even younger people are now beginning to question their privacy online and take note. It’s not good enough just to send out messages anymore. In our modern world, you need your customers to want to listen. There has to be a value exchange. You need to give back to your customers in return for them to willingly share their data. Giving them a freebie on their birthday is one of the oldest tricks, but it works.

That value exchange doesn’t work on its own, however. It has to be packaged up in a trusting environment. Your customers need to understand and trust in you. Why would they give up their data if they know nothing about you? Brand loyalty is a real thing. Customers will get up close and personal to brands that mean something to them. That means part of your marketing activity in 2023 has to go beyond just the basics. It has to be about optimising the whole customer experience.

Clever

In a changing landscape, it’s not wise to keep doing what you’ve always done. If you don’t change with it, you’ll inevitably get left behind. However, in 2023, we think you need to go one step further. It needs to be about more than just using fresh tactics. You need to think more cleverly about how you use them as well.

There are numerous industries that we work with who are struggling in the present climate. From charities to retailers to estate agents, the cost of living crisis is having an impact. These organisations need to be attracting attention to survive, but the old tactics won’t work as they used to. However, by thinking in a more sophisticated way, digital advertising can make a massive impact here. It can actually prop up a challenging market. Digital advertising has a potential that would not be possible with traditional marketing.

The more sophisticated you are in layering up your tactics and mixing in the right elements, the better your results will be. No argument. Through the work we’ve done with clients, we’ve found that we’ve managed to increase the CTR by 89% by layering tactics on top of each other. This isn’t about changing your campaign message. It’s all about a rethink in how you deliver it.

It might seem obvious, but there isn’t always a correlation between ease and success. Experience is vital. You need to be strategic in your thought process, ensure you keep measuring results, and not be afraid to use the data to make necessary tweaks.Ultimately, a wider mix of tactics will render greater results down the line. Whatever you do in 2023, don’t think small. The bigger your ideas, the better the overall outcome could be.

Collaborate

We’ve heard multiple times people tell us: “We’ve tried that and it didn’t work.” Digital advertising can be so easy to set up, but it can be very difficult to master. At the very start point, you need to understand exactly what you want to get out of it.

Before the internet, advertising was never seen as a lead generation tactic. Advertising was viewed as brand awareness. Just because digital advertising is more measurable, it doesn’t mean the nature of it is any different. It’s still advertising, and many people miscalculate how it needs to work as part of the marketing mix. If you don’t understand why you’re doing it and what it can do for you, then you’ll never be able to get the best out of it.

The digital marketing skills gap has been a much talked about topic for a few years. So we think, for 2023, rather than trying to fill the gap in your knowledge, instead collaborate with someone who already has that knowledge. Find a trusted partner. Use their knowledge and experience to ensure you get the results you want.

There are a multitude of platforms out there and numerous ways to utilise them. It could take hours to analyse them all, and months of trial and error (potentially wasting budgets) trying to decipher what works for you. The right trusted partner could offer an unbiased approach: independently recommending what could work, and offering education, advice and insight that would take years for you to develop on your own.

Tap into our expertise

With Google and social media platforms increasing their advertising prices, we’re finding more people are searching for alternatives. Budgets need to stretch further and you need results. Have you considered an ad tech specialist? If you’d like to explore how we could optimise your digital advertising, why not book a free consultation and see for yourself?