How to read a trend list
Trend lists are opinions about what might matter. The title of this article points to 2023, and the themes below are ones that were widely discussed around that time. Some have grown, some have changed shape and some have faded. We cannot give reliable figures for how far any of them spread, so none are given here.
Treat every item as a question for your own business: does this fit my audience and my resources? If you cannot answer yes, you can safely wait.
The ten themes
1. Artificial intelligence tools
Tools that help draft text, summarise information and sort data attracted heavy attention. The enduring point is that they can speed up routine work but still need human review for accuracy and tone.
2. Privacy and consent
Rules on data collection kept tightening in many places, and people became more aware of how their information is used. Marketing consent and clear privacy notices matter whichever way the rules move. Rules differ by country and change, so check the ones that apply to you; this is not legal advice.
3. Life after third-party cookies
Browsers and regulators pushed the industry away from relying on third-party cookies, and the timelines shifted more than once. The lasting lesson is to build first-party data, meaning information people give you directly, such as email sign-ups and purchase history.
4. Short-form video
Short videos became a common format across social platforms. The durable idea is that video content can explain a product quickly. Whether it suits you depends on your audience and whether you can produce it consistently.
5. Personalization
Showing relevant messages to different people continued to attract interest. Done well, personalization feels helpful; done badly, it feels intrusive. Start with simple, consented signals rather than detailed tracking.
6. Marketing automation
Automated sequences, such as a welcome series after sign-up, let small teams follow up without constant manual work. The caution is that automation cannot fix a weak offer, and it needs regular review.
7. Conversational tools
Chatbots and messaging channels gained attention as a way to answer common questions quickly. Their value depends on how well they hand people to a human when needed.
8. Influencer and creator partnerships
Working with creators remained a popular route to reach niche audiences. Any such partnership should be honest, with clear disclosure of paid relationships, which many regions require.
9. Search that answers questions directly
Search engines increasingly present direct answers and new formats. The stable advice for search engine optimization is to publish clear, accurate content that actually helps readers, and to check the platform’s current documentation for changes.
10. Accessibility and user experience
More attention went to making sites and messages usable by everyone, including people using assistive tools. Accessible marketing and a smooth user experience tend to help all visitors, not only those with specific needs.
How to check whether a trend still holds
Before changing your plan because of a trend, run through a short check:
- Is my audience actually using this? Look at your own analytics and customer feedback rather than industry headlines.
- Can I do it well with my time and budget?
- Can I try it in a small way and measure the result?
If a trend passes those tests, try a small experiment. A short pilot with a clear goal and a fixed budget limits the downside. Record what you learn and drop the idea without regret if it does not help.
What does not change
Most lasting marketing questions look much the same year to year: who is the customer, what problem do you solve, and can people find and trust you? Trends are changing ways to answer those questions. A business with a clear offer, a basic tracking setup and a list of people who want to hear from it is usually better placed to adopt a new idea than one chasing every novelty.
Predictions are uncertain by nature. Reading several sources, noting when each was written, and testing on a small scale before committing is a sensible habit.