Technology has moved at a faster pace in the last 50 years than it has in the previous 500. The speed at which new trends and technologies are developed is mind-blowing, and it is easy to become lost in a sea of ‘new shiny things’.
For marketers and digital business owners, it is not only important to know which new technologies they should keep an eye out for, but also which ones will best benefit their business.
For those interested in what Google specifically might be up to in 2023, check out our article on our expected algorithm updates of 2023
The Digital Audience of 2023
Baby Boomers, Gen Z, Gen X, Millennials, and now Generation Alpha. Anyone born after 2010 has been given this title; a nod to the ‘me-first’ habits of this digital generation.
Because of their near constant exposure to digital media from an early age, this generation expects participation, as well as consumption, in their media. TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Reels – these are all geared towards attracting an audience with a short attention span and a need to be involved in the media they consume.
Live streaming in particular resonates with Generation Alpha as it allows them to engage in the moment with brands, influencers, and their peers.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed in the digital marketing world either. Predictions are set for spending on digital marketing to reach $146b in 2023, with personalisation and targeted marketing high on the list of priorities.
AI Technology
You’ll likely already have heard about ChatGPT, and now Google’s own offering, Bard, has made an appearance – showing that accessible AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology is now on the rise.
Currently making waves across the desks of creators everywhere, ChatGPT is being touted as both the saviour and destroyer of content.
Some believe that AI software like ChatGPT and Bard will force human writers out of work and lead to robotic, stylised content becoming the norm.
However, many proponents of AI technology believe that by taking away some of the legwork of content and asset creation, such as research, sourcing, and format structure, it allows for more freedom, and time to be more creative.
Google’s Helpful Content Update has been, in part, a response to these fears, with the digital giant showing that bot-generated content will be highly scrutinised with regards to rankings.
CX
Customer Experience, often abbreviated to CX, comes from today’s customers expecting more personalisation, more targeting, more intimacy when interacting online.
As spending has reduced and customers are becoming more picky about who they spend their cash with, balancing the right price with quality and accessibility has become just as important as sustainability, corporate responsibility and public image.
Predictions are that AI technology could help marketers map out the behaviour of potential customers to a much greater degree than ever before.
With Google phasing out 3rd party cookies, online businesses will need to look elsewhere for the necessary insights into their audiences. Generic strategies aimed at capturing the broadest audiences with the aim of converting a chosen few will make way for more targeted and streamlined strategies.
Text to Video Tools
Initially ridiculed and feared in equal measure due to deep fake videos doing the rounds on social media, text-to-video content is one of the most recent AI video tools to emerge in the last year.
Designed to make quick work of instructional and educational videos, these tools could easily fulfill your video marketing quota for 2023 even if you have little to no budget.
Generation Alpha is primed for video consumption, and, despite the belief that only short videos will do the job, this audience is showing their appetite for all forms of video content.
Short form content is designed for those looking to kill time (Reels, Shorts, etc…) while long form is aimed at education (How to videos, tutorials) Agencies that understand how to target different types of video content at different audiences.
No-Code technology
In its simplest form, no-code technology allows non-programmers to create, develop and fix software without needing to understand code.
Similar to content writers and ChatGPT, there has been some discussion within the community in regards to how well this technology works and its impact on established professionals, but many of these concerns have been dismissed.
As with content creation software, no-code is seen as a way of freeing up developers time, allowing them more freedom to build new, more complex creations.
MTPE
MTPE, which stands for machine translation post-editing, is the next step from automatic translation. It bridges the gap between fully automated translation tools, like Google Translate, and completely human translations by linguists.
The translation is initially made by the software, and then run past a specialised linguist to ensure it meets expectations.
This combination allows for a quicker process, with the bulk of the translation made by the AI machine, which is then proofread by the human specialist for a final review.
As with most of the technology on this list, this is all about time-saving and getting more output for less effort.
Summary
New technology can appeal to many businesses as a shot in the arm to their marketing strategy, but caution is advised
Running headlong into the latest shiny thing means nothing if your basic marketing principles are not strong enough.
As we have guided our clients in the past not to just join every social media platform available just because they can; you must use technology only if it is the right fit for your business.
The nature of digital marketing means that it is ever-evolving, and you must be prepared to adapt and change as the landscape changes.