2023 is officially here! We hope that you had a joyous, well-rested winter holiday and are looking forward to everything that the New Year has in store–we know we are.
This month marked the peak of Canadian winter…and you know what that means. Puffy jackets and oversized scarves, TTC disruptions, heavy traffic, and dark, gloomy days. As depressing as it all sounds, we know there was still some fun people got out of this season. Whether that be through skating across ice rinks, enjoying cozy movie marathons, or indulging in countless mugs of hot chocolate.
The biting cold and exciting winter activities were not the only thing happening this January. In the world of marketing, there were many interesting trends and updates worth putting on people’s radars.
We compiled five highlights so that you can stay in the loop and know what to expect. From post-holiday sales strategies to ChatGPT updates, here’s what happened this month in marketing.
12 TikTok Trends to Guide You in 2023
In recent years, TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular apps within the social media sphere–but this is just the beginning. As of right now, it’s the sixth most popular social network app in the world and we know for a fact that it won’t be long until it joins the top five.
Formerly known as Musical.ly, TikTok started as a platform where online users created fun, light-hearted lip-synching videos. Ever since the pandemic took place, however, the app experienced an upgrade and it has become so much more.
TikTok created a space for people across the globe to make short 60-second videos (without the pressure of having a fancy setup or camera crew), some of which would become viral internet trends. From dance challenges and Dalgona coffee to glow-up videos and AI filters–and the list goes on.
Marketers have noticed the rise of TikTok influencers and their impact on online audiences (especially GenZ), and are quickly implementing the social network into their marketing strategies. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you, too, should learn about the latest TikTok trends to scale past your competitors.
Here are five TikTok trends to look out for this year:
- More brands will partner with TikTok influencers.
- Certain songs will become exceptionally popular and used to back multiple TikTok videos.
- Hashtags will remain popular.
- User-generated content will become increasingly important to marketers.
- Honesty will be the best policy.
- Brands will use duets and stitch more to interact with their fans.
If you want to learn more about the influence TikTok holds in the marketing realm, click the link above.
McDonald’s ‘tech-forward’ Lunar New Year push features AI-powered ad
If you think AI is only good for facilitating day-to-day business operations, and can’t possibly create poignant, digital cultural experiences, think again.
As we’re living in the age of digital innovation, big brand names are using AI to connect with a larger audience. Let’s take a look at McDonald’s Lunar Year ad, for instance.
In honour of Lunar New Year, the billion-dollar fast food company partnered with digital content creator Karen X Cheng to create a 30-second ad, showcasing a colourful display of 12 Chinese zodiac animals in 3D.
Elizabeth Campbell, McDonald’s senior director of cultural engagement strategy, shares, “We know our fans live at the intersection of innovation and culture and that’s where McDonald’s needs to meet them.”
The brand plans to host special events in the digital space and has also introduced an AR filter on Instagram that transitions from the Year of the Tiger to the Year of the Rabbit.
For more information about how McDonald's is making the most of the Lunar New Year, click the link above.
7 strategies to beat the post-holiday sales slump
Now that the holiday season has abruptly come to an end, you might be experiencing the post-holiday blues–the case is no different for retail store owners.
With the holiday shopping craze being long gone, you will likely see very little sales activity during the first month of the year. Since inflation and an impending recession are on everyone’s minds, buyers are re-evaluating their purchasing decisions.
Although, if there is one thing you should know, it’s this: all hope is not lost.
People are not ready to indulge in another spending spree–so what? That doesn’t mean you have to take the backseat and let your sales remain stagnant. Instead, you need to make your business stand out and convince shoppers that your products/services are worth the investment.
There are many effective tactics that you can implement to boost your post-holiday sales. In their blog, Whiplash shares some insightful strategies that you can use to overcome this bump in the road, and bounce back better than before. Take a look at some of them below:
- Increase cross-selling suggestions
- Sell off excess inventory
- Bring in some fresh inventory
- Launch new loyalty promotions
- Host a flash sale to encourage impulse purchases
To learn more about how to steer clear of the post-holiday sales slump, check out the link above.
5 Steps To Mind Map Your Content and Increase Its Reach
Have you ever tapped away on your keyboard, putting all your effort into creating the perfect piece of online content and stepped away, feeling satisfied with the end product? This is a very relatable feeling that many people working in digital marketing can understand all too well.
However, the harsh truth to content creation is this: you can spend hours sitting behind your screen and crafting informative content, but none of it matters in the end if it isn’t getting any reach.
When it comes to writing content, you need to create material that leaves behind a strong, indelible impact. That’s where mind mapping comes in handy. This is a strategy that helps to map out your ideas in a clear and concise way, so that you get high-quality content every time.
If you need help visualizing this concept, think of your main topic as a tree and the branches as the different subtopics and other important details.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, the five steps you should implement while mapping your content include:
- Select your core content
- Divide into five subtopics
- Create four perspectives for each subtopic
- Specify the content types and channels
- Schedule your posts over a longer period
Click the link above to learn more about these five crucial steps and optimize your online content.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Update Brings Improved Accuracy
If you’re a digital marketer, business owner, or just a regular Internet browser, chances are that you have seen “ChatGPT” across headlines.
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that recently introduced the AI model, ChatGPT. ChatGPT is more than just any other chatbot that responds to messages. It can do anything, from writing emails and composing poetry to answering questions and generating code!
Recently, OpenAI claims to have made some improvements to the AI tool…but were they successful?
In their blog, Search Engine Journal goes over the updates that OpenAI made and whether they were effective or not. After conducting some test runs, it became evident that its knowledge of data is limited to 2021, and it isn’t one hundred percent reliable for providing factual answers.
To learn more details about ChatGPT’s latest update, click the link above.
Wrap Up
This blog went over Influencer Marketing Hub’s 12 TikTok trends that can guide you in 2023. If you have been thinking about using TikTok to promote your brand or bolster your marketing strategy, this is your sign!
Then, we went over how McDonald’s used AI in their latest and greatest Lunar New Year ad. This goes to show that AI is more than capable of creating digitized, culturally rich experiences that reverberate with others.
Next, we learned about the different ways retail store owners can beat the post-holiday sales slump. Even though slow sales are expected at the beginning of the year, there are still many strategies that can increase your bottom line.
After that, we discussed the importance of creating content that has reach. Content mapping is a great technique that improves the efficacy of your online content and delivers the results you’re looking for.
Finally, we went over the latest ChatGPT updates and whether they showed any actual improvements. In a nutshell, the AI tool is not completely factually accurate, and neither is it reliable enough to replace Google.
Any questions, comments, or concerns? We’d love to hear your feedback!
We’ll be back next month with five new articles for you. In the meantime, if you’re looking to learn more, please check out our existing blogs that cover various digital marketing topics!
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Tiktok marketing strategy is improving day by day. It will become a big platform for marketing in near future.