2023 Predictions - Digital and Search Marketing

Forced migration to GA4 increasing complexity in the reporting/analysis space

A big thing for digital marketers everywhere will be the looming migration we'll need to make from Universal Analytics to GA4. And if you rely on reports from Analytics, it'll cause some consternation particularly when the deadline nears. It's a new platform to learn, and as I stress to my clients, it's a different measurement tool. It means visitor and conversion numbers will be different from Universal Analytics.

To get ahead: Nothing fancy here, we all need to start working in GA4 early and often. We need to spot any issues in tracking that come up so we can get the reports right from the start. The real work starts after the migration, and we need to make sure:

1. The right events and actions on our sites are being tracked
2. The data is structured so that we can generate the reports we want
3. We get the training and support we need to use the new Analytics
4. We take a hard look at the new features and see how we can leverage them to improve our campaigns.

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Short form video continuing to rise as the major media format

We're seeing a lot of change with the big players, particulary Meta/Facebook and Twitter. Short form video will continue its rise as the most consumed type of media,

but we should note the context. It's not just because it's a short video that it's doing well. TV commercials are generally 30s and 60s, the format isn't new.

But the artificial intelligence powering the algorithms, the mass accessibility and organic reach across social media are. And they are really good at getting us to watch just one more video. As a marketer, we need to consider the format and respective channels where so much attention is going.

To get ahead: Just start. Do a few trial campaigns, talk to us, talk to other marketers. Some businesses lend themselves more easily to this medium than others. However, in NZ, businesses still lag behind in producing video content. Right now, the cost of distributing that content is very low and organic reach is extremely high. There's a huge opportunity here (and I'm talking to myself as much as you), we just need to grab it.

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Increasing sophistication in how we use consumer data for our campaigns

This year, I've noticed an increase in how sophisticated we are when it comes to consumer data and how we're using it in our campaigns. I believe this will only grow. There's no doubt that our budgets will come under scrutiny next year, and we will need to prove value more than ever. As a result, I'm seeing campaign planning and data usage get more sophisticated from the outset.

To get ahead: A few examples:

• Increasing use of customer data platforms to bring together all the databases that store information about your customers
• Movement of valuable audiences between channels e.g. We've found a valuable audience on Facebook, let's move it to Search, YouTube, LinkedIn
• More iterative campaign planning based on pre-approved data points e.g. we think audience X is interested in these two messages, if they like A, we'll do this. If B, we'll pivot this way.
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It will be a challenging time for us as marketers next year, but also a time of huge opportunity. I'm excited to see the direction we go and what we'll all do!