Digital marketing is changing at the speed of light. This rate of change is driven by both technology and the consumers. As consumers become increasingly tech-savvy, some marketing practices simply don’t cut it anymore.
9 Marketing Practices That Need to Die in 2023
To break through the clutter, these are the things marketers absolutely must stop doing in 2023:
Not using data. Imagine you are trying to persuade your family to go on a weekend trip to the local art museum. Of course, you wouldn’t pitch it to your spouse the same way you would to your 16-year-old or four-year-old. For each of them, you’d want to highlight a bonus that will make them tick. And you’re able to do that because you have their data – you are keenly aware of their wants and needs. Not using your customer data is the equivalent of neglecting this kind of knowledge. Try pitching that museum outing to your family without any data about them – it’s a long shot. The same goes for your marketing efforts.
Spraying and Praying/Batching and Blasting. Spray and Pray is the polite way of saying “you are shouting into the void, and nobody’s listening to what you have to say.” Although similar to the “not using data” practice, Spray and Pray is often practiced by brands who do utilize their data, which is almost a double sin. These companies are sending batch messages that go straight to trash. Consumers automatically assume that brands have no idea what they are interested in, so they won’t read their messages.
Working with different marketing channels as silos. As consumers continue to buy new devices (averaging at 4.5 devices per person), messaging needs to be streamlined among channels. From a customer’s point of view, segregated and disharmonious communications are annoying and ineffective. Marketers need to learn how to manage channels and unify messages across all channels.
Treating acquisition as king. The cost of acquiring new customers is steadily increasing, so brands need to focus on marketing to existing customers and building customer loyalty. Did you know that it costs five times as much to attract a new customer, than to keep an existing one? That being said, we know that brand advocates serve as the strongest marketing strategy and CRM will keep growing in 2023.
Thinking product centricity. Regardless of how divine your products are, it’s the consumer that buys them. To sell your product or service, ticking features off of a list isn’t going to cut it anymore. In order to close a deal, marketers must focus on individual customers and their specific needs and desires. It’s time to put the consumer at the center, and adapt your business accordingly.
Using static customer journeys. In 2023, marketers must focus on dynamic customer journey management. There are too many variables to juggle when it comes to hundreds of thousands, or millions of consumers. Moreover, time is running out for the static customer journey, as it is a source of lost revenue. In 2023, you need to shift towards dynamic systems of intervention to cater to the infinite amount of customer journeys.
Relying on rule-based, arbitrary segmentation. The jury is still out on whether this is even worse than a static-customer journey. Rule-based segmentation is so “ten years ago”, and consumers can tell the difference by the absurdity of the content they’re getting (“I’ve just purchased tickets to Paris on your site. Why are you sending me offers on tickets to Paris?”). Consider that your customers are dynamic, unpredictable and constantly evolving, so your segmentation needs to mirror that.
Depending on the “Big Campaign”. A campaign can no longer be something marketers plan and work on for weeks or months. In order to accommodate both the speed of change and consumer expectations, marketing must be agile and quickly adaptable, just like customers are. Marketing teams should be able to launch and orchestrate many campaigns simultaneously. You snooze you lose. The only way up is to be quick and lethal.
Sending LAST Chance emails. Stop it. It isn’t the last chance. We know.
Even though the end of the year can be a great time to take stock, change needs to be implemented throughout the year. 2023 will continue to be an exciting and action-filled year for marketing- just make sure that you are well prepared to take part in the fun.
Pini co-founded Optimove in 2012 and has led the company, as its CEO, since its inception. With two decades of experience in analytics-driven customer marketing, business consulting and sales, he is the driving force behind Optimove. His passion for innovative and empowering technologies is what keeps Optimove ahead of the curve. He holds an MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management from Tel Aviv University.
