The Year In Review And The Year Ahead: Insights from 5 Marketing Strategists
As we bid adieu to 2023, and kick off our plans for 2024, we reflect on events that shaped our decision-making and will likely continue as trends in 2024.
We sat down with five marketing strategists to hear their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities ahead. Meet the experts:
Jacqueline Sinex, Managing Director of WEBii, which offers web development, SEO, ecommerce development, and additional services to support businesses and non-profits.
Alexis Adauto Ferguson is an executive speaker and marketing consultant based in the Austin area, and boasts project work for the top Fortune 100 Tech companies.
Kathleen VanDervort, a brand and performance marketer, brings over 17 years of senior-level marketing experience to the table, including roles at Amazon, Google, and L'Oreal.
Nicole Kurtz, Owner of Aducate Digital, which offers brand strategy, marketing consulting, and digital advertising, and more to grow revenue for organizations.
Bethany Fiocchi Root, Founder of Epic Email Marketing, offers expertise in sales funnel optimization, conversion optimization, online marketing, and email marketing.
What challenges did you face in 2023 and how did you overcome them?
Jacqueline: Because we were blessed with an influx of new projects, our team was left with little time to nurture existing clients and communicate as frequently with them. We were lucky to still maintain a quality relationship with those clients, but the backlog impacted the timelines and our ability to respond to new opportunities they had. We are starting to shift some of our internal processes and tedious tasks, such as certain reports, to free up our time to do important customer relationship building.
Kathleen: AI was one of the biggest blessings, as well as one of the biggest curses. Those who got it saved lots of time. Those who didn't, couldn't find good tools or education on how to tactically use it for their specific roles. There was also sometimes a gap in people leaning too hard on it. For example, I got a Christmas card from a former coworker whose summary of the year read like a Jane Austin novel- very much not how she talks and so was very off-putting.
Nicole: 2023 was met with an acceptance of our new AI overlords. Even though my business is in a field that will be heavily disrupted by the new tech, I found it really inspiring! As a formally trained artist, I remember learning about the backlash to the first photographic camera. “Why would we need traditional artists anymore?!” 200 some years later, we can see how silly that question is. Some things never change.
AI forced me to evaluate our place in the industry. Rather than fight the unavoidable results of a new technology, we embraced it at Aducate Digital. I love to write, and still prefer my own to the formulaic style of AI. But, we found ways to incorporate AI into our workflows.
It proved to be an invaluable tool in brainstorming project ideas, outlining agendas for engaging workshops, and in data analysis. It can find patterns, trends, and connections in my clients’ data sets faster. Giving us more time to focus on what we do best: interpret the findings into a custom-tailored marketing strategy with clear ROI.
2. What are you excited about for 2024, particularly from a marketing perspective?
Jacqueline: I am excited about using both automated tools and our trusted partners to create more efficiencies in the business. If we can allow those resources to take on some of the most challenging problem-solving, we can be more productive doing the things we love in web development, and focusing more on the human-centric aspects.
Alexis: In 2024, my goal is to practice flow, reassess my biz (from offerings to website and everything in between) and get my crew together. Note: my crew will not be employees just yet - but found in a group where my talents will help people who need me.
Kathleen: I am hoping for a greater appreciation of breadth of experience. Beyond Marketing, society wants to peg and label people, and sees any straying from the niche as a detriment, rather than an asset. In a recent role, everyone else I worked with came from the same industry except for me. As a result, they repeated the exact same playbook. I'm proud to have brought in different ways of thinking, engaging, and optimizing.
Nicole: AI is a new tool in my toolbox. I love the instant iterative means to continual improvement. Understanding the strengths of the tech and the human is what will push my business forward in 2024.
3. What was a valuable lesson you took away from 2023?
Bethany: In 2023, small businesses were faced with an overwhelming amount of digital customer acquisition channels to choose from. Do I create videos for TikTok? Reels or image posts for Instagram? Ads on Facebook? Text-based LinkedIn posts? SO. MANY. OPTIONS.
My advice: pick one, and get really good at it. See success there first, then expand channels later.
And last, don't forget to pick a strong and enticing Call to Action to ensure you're driving your channel audience to your site (and capturing their email addresses so you can "wow" them with your emails). That's the secret to making all your acquisition channel efforts matter!
Jacqueline: Do not take anyone for granted during AND after their transactional relationship! You never know when a favorite long-time customer will move on. In the last year we witnessed some beloved customers sunset their business relationship due to retirement, career change, or acquisition. But, with continued care for them, we retained their subscription to our newsletter, their participation in our community, and they sent us new referrals.
Alexis: 2023 feels like it was the year I finally defrosted from the pandemic years. Truly, I have been in survival mode since mid 2020. The great pause had me reassess everything. So, here's what I learned last year.
Flow is better than hustle. I used to hard core chase after "it". I'm still learning this method, but if it's TOO hard to implement I take that as a sign to reassess rather than push through.
Get back to basics and find the spots you need support - then get it. For me this was taking a class to look at my business and the changes I want and need to make to be profitable.
Assemble a crew that helps you with your weak spots. Not good at the numbers, be sure you have that person on your team. Don't do it by yourself.
Kathleen: As a marketing leader, my biggest takeaway in 2023 was the importance of sometimes simply mandating a direction (with explanation). This is opposed to letting everyone have a say. By trying to be too inclusive, my team sometimes felt I was wishy-washy instead of decisive. I had learned that previous leadership had been "too harsh," so I was trying to build trust with more heart. As a woman I think it is especially difficult to come off as confident yet empathetic.
And what are our predictions at Fayre Marketing for how 2024 will pan out?
1. More organizations will recognize the need to prioritize customer retention over acquisition. Once they pivot to focus on repeat purchases among their existing customer base, businesses will experience a positive improvement in marketing ROI.
2. Customer marketing will be key for success. Building customer relationships, fostering loyalty, and creating community will set businesses apart from the competition.
3. More community & customer user-generated content. For those companies that can jumpstart community and customer UGC without a massive investment, the more authentic their brand will become.
What are you excited about for 2024? Drop us a line!