Is there anything more energising than the start of a new year? The festive season has come and gone. Most of us had a chance to relax over the holidays and we’ve come back refreshed. We’re looking forward to kicking some serious business goals in 2023.

If you’re anything like the team at Hunt + Hawk, you’re wondering what those goals might be. Business goals are unique and marketing is a broad landscape. With trends taking off in the blink of an eye, it can be hard to decide where to devote your blood, sweat, and tears.

There are many ways to make a long-lasting impact, so here are five of the hottest trends for business and marketing enthusiasts this year.

Short video content leads the way.

If a picture conveys a thousand words, imagine the power of a video. Sure content may be king, but video is for the A-listers. In 2022, people around the globe spent almost seven hours EACH DAY staring at a digital screen – with around half of that time spent watching video content!

The surge of TikTok and popularity of YouTube means video now reigns supreme in the battle of content types. Short videos are also shrinking in size – on average they’ve gone from 10 minutes in length several years ago, to less than a minute today. The average length of a Facebook view is down to a mere 18 seconds, so the challenge is producing persuasive video content that works faster.

Still not convinced? A recent British survey revealed that 65 per cent of all young people aged 18-24 watched short videos every single day across a variety of social media platforms. So if you’re looking for a great way to engage with more people, it’s video for the win to make a serious impact in under 60 seconds.

Sustainability is what consumers want.

In 2020, IBM revealed that almost half of consumers considered sustainability when it came to their spending habits. And that number is expected to continue to rise in 2023.

Shoppers have long embraced an environmental mindset and made brand choices that align with a healthier planet. Socially conscious brands have become trendy. HubSpot revealed the preference extends beyond Millenials and Gen Z to include equal support from Boomers and Gen X.

Branding with purpose is contagious as consumers want to feel good with their buying power. Commit to doing good in the world and leaving it better than you found it. Start by being authentic, defining your stance on important social issues, and aligning with community causes.

LinkedIn is crushing borders and business.

How awesome is digital connection? LinkedIn is a brilliant platform to meet new people, strike up conversations, build your network, and share ideas. You’re even reading this article via LinkedIn. After almost 20 years, LinkedIn has earned its reputation as a great place to do business.

LinkedIn continues to grow, with almost 13 million Aussies signed up. Open networking has become the norm and people are filling their networks fast. Thanks to the pandemic, borderless business is easier than ever, so harnessing the power of this platform is key.

Traditional efforts can get a boost through paid advertising for those looking to double down. One eMarketer study suggests LinkedIn ad spending will reach $AU5.5 billion in 2023, so be sure to make your plan of attack to leverage the power of this B2B marketplace.

Authority is the new authenticity.

Collins Dictionary picked fake news as the word of the year in 2017 and nothing much has changed since. A range of global reports suggest that the number who trust news sources has hit rock bottom in 2022. Trust is a delicate concept and once broken, it’s even harder to repair.

With increased scepticism, people are fed-up with exaggerations, misleading ideas, and false statements. They’re craving content they can trust from brands and from marketing. From your website to articles just like this one, audiences want well-researched, data-driven content that makes sense.

Take the time to unpack your key messaging to ensure you’ve got clarity and brevity. Arm your content with more insights than clichés and make authority work in your favour.

Artificial intelligence is here to stay. 

Doing business in the metaverse is still some way into the future. But there’s no denying the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in business and in marketing. From document and process automation to graphic design, AI has been challenging the way we work – in many cases for the best. Websites have long embraced chat features to guide visitors, but they have limitations and are only as smart as the commands we humans provide.

The arrival of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 was a major move. It threw a spanner in the works for copywriters everywhere. Are the robots taking over and are content creators in jeopardy? Certainly not, when it comes to creating content to make human connections.

Experimenting with AI is a trend we expect to see more businesses adopting in 2023. And until the robots catch up, we anticipate that leading brands will focus on personal content and being more human. After all, the best way to stand out from the crowd and position yourself as an authority is to simply write better copy than any piece of software ever could.

Marketing trends are always on our minds here at Hunt & Hawk. We love seeing what’s new and blending proven methods with deep insights to build a brand so amazing it’s impossible to ignore. If you want to chat about your marketing plans in 2023, drop us a line at hello@huntandhawk.com. We can’t wait to talk shop!