If there’s one statement that rings true for marketers, it’s that “change is the only constant.”
The marketing landscape can be unpredictable, particularly with the challenges and uncertainty of the past few years.
According to CallRail’s agency growth surveys, 94% of small businesses were seeking help from a marketing agency after the 2020 shutdowns. And this year’s report reveals that 95% of U.S. marketing professionals met their revenue goals last year.
So, what’s next for small business marketers looking to get ahead in 2023?
Are you equipped with the necessary tools, skills, and knowledge to succeed in this ever-evolving landscape?
How should your agency adapt its strategy to accommodate frequent market shifts and prepare for the future?
With agency professionals predicting even more changes for the upcoming year, now’s the perfect time to get on the right track.
In CallRail’s latest report, 2023 Agency Predictions: Marketing is becoming more complex – and agencies must adapt, you’ll find all the insights you need to give your marketing strategy the boost it needs.
1. Outperform Your Competition With Must-Have Automated Marketing Tools
If you’re looking to set your agency apart from the competition, you’ll want to find ways to make your workflow more efficient – and in this case, automation is a must.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a major player in small business marketing next year, with many top agencies already starting to embrace the technology.
AI is a term that’s commonly tossed around, but what exactly does it mean?
Artificial Intelligence is basically an umbrella term that describes a set of unique but related technologies that can simulate human capabilities.
CallRail’s Conversation Intelligence is an essential marketing tool that uses AI to automatically analyze calls and provide insights into the words and ideas your customers are using. Agencies can then utilize this information to adjust their keyword and marketing strategies.
Andrew R. Mimault, Founder of Mantic Media Group, shared the following about how automated tools have impacted his business:
“Using call transcription, we’re able to listen to the calls, find the specific keywords that people are using and even the vocabulary that we might not have thought to build out – and then add them to our search programs.”
Read the full report for more details on how this technology could work for your agency.
2. The Evolution Of SEO: How To Adjust Your Digital Marketing Strategy
There was a time when SEO seemed to be all about optimizing your site to rank on Google, and that was pretty much the end of it.
Although search engine optimization (SEO) is still a huge factor in digital marketing strategy, its nature of it has certainly changed.
Today, digital marketers are branching out to include a variety of alternative search engines in their SEO strategy, including Bing. Not to mention, it’s also becoming more common to optimize content specifically for social media platforms.
These changes present a range of new opportunities for marketers of small and mid-sized businesses.
As SEO continues to evolve, you should try implementing the following to create a successful strategy:
- Testing new search terms.
- Optimizing for different search engines.
- Creating different kinds of content for different channels.
- Assessing your results to see which practices work best.
Start expanding your digital marketing campaigns today with these SEO insights.
3. How Thought Leadership Can Take Your Agency To The Next Level
Every brand wants to be a thought leader. When you’re the one who others within your industry look to for insights, you know you’re doing something right!
Most businesses value brand authority when they’re considering working with a marketing agency, and quality thought leadership content helps lend credibility to your organization.
“Agencies tend to rely on relationships and referrals for growth,” said Kristaps Brencans, CEO at On the Map Marketing. “Having a brand and being a trusted authority can help. It can establish your reputation as a top service provider in a specific niche – even if people haven’t heard of you.”
Per CallRail’s recent report, here are some key thought leadership steps your agency should follow:
- Determine your area of expertise.
- Implement a call analysis tool, such as Conversation Intelligence, to hear what customers need from your business and refine your marketing approach.
- Establish your position as an expert within your field by sharing your unique insights and creating thought leadership content to promote online.
- Use a tool, like CallRail’s Lead Center, to centralize your inbound customer communications and understand how clients respond to your content along the customer journey.
4. Why You Need Detailed Data For PPC Services In 2023
If you’re not tracking your traffic and engagement across platforms, you’re missing a massive growth opportunity.
For most agencies, lead conversion tracking is essential to optimizing their paid ad spend. After all, you want to make sure you’re spending wisely and reaping the maximum benefit from your budget, right?
“To gain more detailed data insights, agencies should be using features like CallRail’s Automatic Conversion Import, which allows agencies to report uniquely on the calls that became an open opportunity for their clients — as opposed to bounces or poor-quality leads. ”
Learn more about how to use data to your advantage in 2023.
5. How To Prepare Your Agency For The Shift To Google Analytics 4
Next summer, Universal Analytics (UA) will be no more. This means that marketers will become fully reliant on Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
Of course, there will be somewhat of a learning curve before agency marketers can fully take advantage of the switch and understand how Google will be processing and presenting the data.
Here’s what CallRail recommends to get ready for the changes ahead:
- Run both UA and GA4 at the same time, to let your data flow into both systems, while you get acclimated.
- Set up the tracking pixel for GA4 immediately so that by the time UA sunsets, you’ll have several months of historical data.
- Download the Guide to Google Analytics 4 to learn more.
6. Best Ways To Generate Customer Loyalty
According to Bryan Karas, CEO and co-founder of Playbook Media:
“Increasing customer lifetime value from the usual surge of Q4 revenue will depend on providing a great user experience to foster loyalty.”
Karas recommends implementing the following to turn your clients’ seasonal, one-time customers into loyal, repeat customers:
- Freebies.
- Loyalty discounts.
- Referral discounts
- Over-communication of fulfillment expectations.
CallRail notes that consumers especially appreciate promotions during periods of economic uncertainty – and with the looming recession, now is the best time for your clients to show their customers how much they value them.
It’s also important to track your repeat customers, so you can set new goals as you grow.
7. Why Third-Party Cookies Are A Thing Of The Past
With third-party tracking set to phase out in late 2024, it’s time for businesses to learn how to advertise without cookies.
“Digital teams must start thinking now about collecting first-party data,” said Care Gerland of Savage Brands, “because data extrapolated from ad performance and market research will become even more valuable. Teams also will be looking at how to partner with large publishers, who carry a treasure trove of data based on content consumption. Contextual ad targeting also will become more relevant.”
Get a leg up on the competition by utilizing tools that only collect first-party data, such as CallRail.
8. Beyond Client Acquisition: Using Data To Retain Your Clients
As an agency, how do you know what’s working for your clients and what’s not?
How do you lower the cost of customer acquisition and find ways to perform better for your clients?
Without data, it’s impossible to prove ROI and gauge how effective your marketing efforts are.
“Clients want to scale their business. You want to hold them accountable and you have to hold yourselves accountable. That’s what CallRail does for us: it provides the right data. The business owner always has a feeling about their business, but we want to prove all those feelings right or wrong – the data will tell us.”
– Erin Wilder, Director of Strategy, EightyOne & Sunny
By investing in marketing analytics tools, you can keep track of important data and strengthen your campaign strategies.
Learn more about how data can help you and your clients meet your goals in CallRail’s report.
Start Planning For The Future Of Small Business Marketing
Change is coming, and it’s time to take action and start refining your 2023 digital marketing strategy.
Change is coming, and it’s time to take action
and start refining your 2023 digital marketing strategy.
The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor's own.