The year was 2017.
The Warriors were NBA champs, Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” was completely overplayed, and I was in the early stages of forming my Amazon business.
Product research and sourcing complete, I was well on my way to launching my first Amazon FBA product.
But then I hit a brick wall in the marketing department and was quickly reminded that I didn’t (and still don’t) have a creative bone in my body.
Brand awareness? Graphic design? Textures? Photoshop? I guess there’s a reason marketing degrees exist; and why I never got one.
That said, it’s been a long journey to figure it all out.
Sure, it’s entirely possible to outsource your Amazon marketing but for the DIYers’, here’s a list of E-commerce and Amazon FBA trends to look out for in 2023.
Storytelling
Why do folk stories and tall tales exist in nearly every culture around the world?
It’s because everybody loves a good story.
Well-told stories are remembered. They’re compelling. They are passed down through generations, teaching us life lessons along the way. We re-tell them around meals, to our children, at weddings, and even funerals. Stories make us laugh, cry,
Stories are also powerful elements of persuasion.
So the next time you’re tempted to bust-out Chat GPT for a few rapid-fire Buzzfeed-style listicles, consider how your brand or product is unique, and tell that story.
Otherwise, your marketing efforts come out sounding generic, and easily skippable.
Use of Gradients
Look no further than your favorite YouTube channel, Instagram post, or company logo to see that gradients are in style.
Gradients make images and videos pop and add a unique element of realism to your content. Together with eye-popping colors, animations, and copy, gradients will make your marketing material stand out against others.
Polished Content with High Production Value
The events of the past few years have had a strange impact on the marketing world.
As remote work and digital meetings have become normalized, so has the rise of low-quality Powerpoint presentations, Zoom sessions turned ‘podcasts’, and tacky video call backgrounds.
And as an increasing portion of business is done entirely online, there’s a greater need for your content to stand out amongst all of the low-quality noise.
Settling for cheap, generic AI-generated content, or cutting corners on your content strategy might cost you in the long run in 2023. Businesses and entrepreneurs that understand this early on will fair better in the long run.
Sharktank host and entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary summed up what’s happening in a recent interview.
“the economy has done such a remarkable change in the last 24 months that people who used to be considered ‘starving artists’ for example, let’s talk about videographers, photographers, animators….are now the most sought-after individuals as the entire economy’s gone digital. Everybody wants to sell direct to the consumer.”
That said, high-quality content will carry a lot of weight in your marketing efforts.
Despite the rise of video content, email remains a powerful marketing ally in 2023.
According to surveys performed by Hubspot:
- 50% of people purchase something from marketing emails at least once a month.
- Email tops the list on ways consumers discover promotions
- Nearly 20% of email campaigns are not optimized for smartphones
- The most impactful subject lines that spark curiosity are personalized with the recipient’s name.
But how do you get a hold of email addresses?
Offering a free download or newsletter is a great way of starting your list of emails.
It’ll be a continuous process, but don’t ignore the importance of a robust email list.
Ethical Marketing
Don’t hastily throw together marketing material in 2023 without considering the ethics behind it.
Why?
Besides just being good practice, there’s an overwhelming sense that people are becoming fed-up with clickbaity titles, influencers flaunting wealth, misinformation, and being provoked by marketing material that’s designed to be provocative and controversial.
I’ll spare you the details, but you get the point.
Accountability and transparency go a long way no matter what type of business you run.
And if my hunch is right, ethics will play a massive role in the success of businesses in the years to come.
My advice? Don’t give your audience a reason to distrust you; especially when there’s a digital of everything.
Video Content
The next time you log onto Instagram, take note of the number of videos versus photos on your feed.
I bet you’ll be surprised at the number of videos OR the amount of posts that have some kind of engaging motion elements.
Consumers are thirsty for video content.
According to recent surveys, consumer demand for video is at an all-time high, and marketers claim video investments are contributing to increases in sales and traffic, and are leading to decreased support inquiries.
Podcasts
Think of a podcast as a content factory.
If you’re hosting one, it’s less work for you (assuming your guests are interesting), and content can be recycled and used for highlights, short-form content, tweets, quote graphics, etc.
They’re raw, often uncut, conversational, and human. After all, can ChatGPT spit out a 45-minute podcast script?
Ok, probably. But who’s going to listen to that?
It’s a great chance for your audience to hear real in-depth stories of success and failures; the exact opposite of a 30-second TikTok or your 10-minute YouTube video. Podcasts help you cover all the bases, and can help breathe new light into your content strategy.
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