3 surprising marketing tips for 2023

Business will get pretty boring and growth will be stagnant if you plan on doing things the same as everyone else. SongBird wasn’t launched in 2013 because we wanted to be the same as every other agency. We started because we wanted to work a bit differently. I am using the “royal we” because even thought I am not working alone now, when I started it was just me (... and my dog). 

The same can be said for your marketing. If everyone is doing it a certain way, it doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Here are 3 surprising marketing tips to help you stand out in 2023. 

Focus on people instead of algorithms 

Unless you work for the social media platform, chances are you likely won’t know the inner workings of each social media platform you’re on. Plus, you could spend hours on end stressing about whether your content is going to “beat” the algorithm, but then you’re likely forgetting the most important part – how do your customers feel about it? 

“But I want this to go viral!” 

Well, it could go viral and you may get a lot of sales, but it could also just go viral and you might just get a lot of views without sales. Which would you prefer? Views without sales means nothing if you run a business. Focus on creating engaging content for your audience and the rest will fall into place. Remember, it’s not about how many followers you have. It’s about how many followers are highly engaged. 

Content creator Sarah Nicole Landry (@thebirdspapaya) recently did a poll in her Instagram Stories about what kind of content people wanted to see from her. Despite Instagram’s algorithms pushing video, her followers mostly said they wanted images or a mix of images and videos. In fact, she said she found that images were actually performing better for her lately! 

Always listen to your audience. Also, KEEP SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL. 

Want to know more about creating content for algorithms and your audience? Check out this blog. 

Don’t sacrifice your brand values for a trend 

“We need to get on that. IT’S TRENDING RIGHT NOW.” 

OK. But does it fit within your brand strategy? Would it make sense for you to dance around the screen for a social media post? Does it make sense for you to add your voice to THIS conversation? If you answered no to either of those questions… just walk away. 

Trends will come and go, but your brand values and character is something you need to work on and build up over time. Each time you make a hasty decision to participate in a trend it affects your brand – either positively or negatively. This isn’t to say you CAN’T do trends in your marketing, but you just need to take a beat and think strategically about them. How will that content affect how your customers see you? Also, consider what happens AFTER you post that trending post. Are you going to start doing more TikTok dances? Will you add humour into your content regularly? Will you continue to do social media challenges?  

Part of building a great marketing strategy is being consistent with how you present your brand to your target audience. 

Just like you should buy clothes to fit your body not change your body for the clothes, you shouldn’t alter your brand and content strategies just to fit into a certain trend. 

You don’t need to do it all 

OK. This one isn’t new advice. I say it a lot. However, every time I say it I feel like I hear at least one business owner sigh a huge sigh of relief. We are so conditioned to subscribe to this hustle culture where we push ourselves to the brink of burnout (or hit rock bottom) and it’s not healthy for anyone. Marketing can be extremely overwhelming when you don’t break it down into a strategy. Make your list. Prioritize your tactics. Pick the high priority ones and get started with those. You can always add to your marketing later on! 

So here are a few quick reminders: 

• You don’t have to be on every new social media platform to have a successful social media strategy. 

• You don’t have to be on every social media platform. PERIOD. 

• Consider time as part of your budget and allot a weekly time budget for marketing. Don't do more than fills those hours. Key thing here is that it needs to be realistic based on your goals. 

• You don’t ONLY need video content. 

• It’s virtually impossible to be all things to all people. Pick your niche and make a deeper connection. 

• It’s OK to ask for help. In fact, it might free up more of your time budget so you can focus on using it to do other things to make more money. 

• Scheduling platforms exist for a reason. Use them. Take the break. 

Want some more great reminders for if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed? Check out this blog. 

The past few years have been a wild ride and I am sure 2023 is going to provide us with more spills and thrills. The key is taking it in stride so you can continue working towards your goals.