Analytics 4, Vertical Video & other trends to watch for in 2023

As we bid farewell to a year full of challenges and successes, we marked the end of 2022 with a wrap-up Zitec event for partners and friends that served as a preparatory session for the year ahead. Knowledge, expertise, and innovative ideas, it had it all.

November's event, the fifth and final one of the year, was held at the Zitec headquarters and delved into some of the hottest topics in digital marketing: the impact of vertical videos, visual & voice searches, AR technology, Google Analytics 4, and a top 5 of digital marketing trends that are here to stay.

Also, our special guest, Roxana Alecu, Client Solutions Manager CE at TikTok, joined in sharing some cool insights into user behavior, best practices for successful creatives, and key advertising solutions on TikTok. All in all, an enlightening and productive gathering that left us excited for what the future holds.

Here are some of our favorite highlights from the day:

The Top 5 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2023

Maria Ciumeti, Digital Marketing Strategist at Zitec dived into the Top 5 Digital Marketing Trends for 2023. She shared some of the top trends that we expect to dominate next year, covering a wide range of topics, from the rise of visual content and voice search to the growth of shoppable live streams and the increasing importance of augmented reality. She also shared a few tips on how to prepare for a cookieless future. Here are a few key points from Maria's presentation:

People are 85% more likely to buy your product after watching a video about it;
Instead of typing a description into Google, users can now upload an image and get information about an item just from a picture. When a user searches for a product, it returns similar products and where to buy them. Google Lens, Pinterest Lens, and related search tools turn a user’s camera into a search bar;
By 2023, early adopter brands that redesign their website to support visual and voice search will increase digital commerce revenue by 35%;
Having an image sitemap will increase the likelihood of your images being discovered by search engines;
Use descriptive file names for images before uploading them to your website;
Add alternative text to all images aka “Alt tags”;
According to B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2023 survey, VIDEO is the most popular area of investment for 2023;
To keep the audience entertained experiment with short-form videos. The most common short-form, vertical videos now include: TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, YouTube Shorts;
According to Google, 72% of people who own a voice-activated speaker say that their devices are often used as part of their daily routine;
With people craving convenience, it’s no surprise that voice search is on the rise. Over 27% of the total number of Google searches on mobile are now voice;
Voice search and assistants also allow immediate purchasing abilities. Over  52% of global consumers are now using voice assistants to shop online;
How to optimize for Voice Search: Focus on conversational keywords, provide context with schema markup, and build pages that answer FAQs;
Live streaming is growing in popularity due to the rise of social media platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, which feature live video content;
In 2022 so far, consumers spent 548 billion hours streaming content through mobile devices;
Influencer marketing becomes even more effective when combined with live streaming, allowing potential customers to engage directly with influencers who discuss and demonstrate products firsthand;
By 2025, Snapchat estimates that 75% of the world’s population and nearly all smartphone users will use AR frequently. Most consumers use AR because it’s fun and enjoy the technology’s gamification qualities — but 76% want to use AR as a “practical tool”;
Brands can see 94% higher conversion rates when consumers interact with products connected to AR experiences, according to Snapchat;
In July 2022, Google once again delayed the scheduled deprecation of third-party cookies from 2023 to the second half of 2024;
A cookie-less future will further increase the value of first-party data, SEO, SEM, and email marketing;
3 ways to prepare for a cookieless future: stay up-to-date on third-party cookie news and data privacy moves, leverage first-party cookies, and revitalize contextual advertising.

2. The Journey to Google Analytics 4

Andrei Oancea, Google Lead at Zitec discussed the challenges and advantages that come with transitioning from Google Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4. He emphasized the numerous advantages of GA4, including its flexibility, the ability to track both app and web data on one platform, improved debugging capabilities, and easier privacy controls. He also talked about the next steps for those looking to transition to GA4, including setting up platform access rights, configuring fundamental property settings, and linking to other services such as Google Ads and Search Console. He also emphasized the importance of setting up events, defining custom metrics and dimensions, and creating custom reports; Here are the most important remarks from Andrei’s presentation:

On July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics Properties will stop collecting data;
It is important to implement Google Analytics 4 (GA4) as soon as possible in order to begin collecting data and building a history for your website or business.
GA4 will start to collect data only after the properties have been implemented;
The data from Universal Analytics properties cannot be imported into GA4. Universal Analytics hit types include page hits, event hits, eCommerce hits, and social interaction hits. In contrast, Google Analytics 4 uses an event-based system, which means that any type of interaction can be captured and tracked as an event. It is important to understand the differences between these two approaches in order to effectively track and analyze user behavior on a website.
After July 1 you have 6 months to download your data from Universal Analytics Properties;
One of the challenges of transitioning to GA4 includes the lack of standard reports and the need to adapt to the new paradigm;

3. Win the Heart and the Cart on TikTok

We were thrilled to have Roxana Alecu, Client Solutions Manager CE at TikTok, as a featured speaker at our event. Roxana's presentation gave us a deep dive into the world of TikTok, including why it's such a powerful platform for businesses, the various ad solutions it offers, and how to successfully promote a new product on the platform. She also shared valuable insights on how to enhance your brand story through TikTok and provided some creative tips for creating engaging videos. Here are the points of Roxana’s presentation:

55% of TikTok users are in a positive state vs 32% for the other competitive platforms on average (feeling happy, playful, or energized);
36% of TikTok users are in a discovery state vs 34% for the other competitive platforms on average (feeling open-minded, curious or inspired);
Top View is TikTok’s most premium video ad format. It is the best to reach and capture attention. It appears like the first video in the app, is 100% full screen & sound on, and has targeting options;
TikTok users are 1.5x more likely to recall a brand from Top View than other ad types;
Enhance your brand story and achieve deeper engagement with the interactivity on TikTok. How? Use: various gestures as effect triggers in your videos, Trending Effects panel promotion, interactive add-ons, and Dedicated Branded Effect Page;
Video Shopping Ads offer several key benefits for businesses, including the ability to provide personalized recommendations to customers, utilize smart functionalities to enhance the shopping experience, optimize delivery strategies for increased efficiency, and target more sophisticated audiences. These features can help businesses improve the customer experience, drive sales, and achieve their marketing goals;
Dynamic Format allows businesses to create a more personalized and effective shopping experience by combining video creative, product cards, and landing pages into different variations that are tailored to a shopper's intention to purchase. By using this feature, businesses can increase conversions;
The best creative tips for TikTok videos: Leverage the power of sounds, shoot natively for TikTok, ride the latest trends, keep your story real & entertaining, overlay concise & informative text, and include a strong CTA or offer;
Trends begin from communities talking to each other and creating culture bottom-up as opposed to a top-down approach where celebrities and influencers used to be the trendsetters.

It was great to see so many people from different industries come together to learn and share ideas.

Keep an eye on more digital marketing insights from Zitec and our partners! If you want to learn more about how to delight your customers and target the right audiences across a multitude of channels and media, don't hesitate to contact us. Our team is ready to handle even the most complex or ambitious ideas and projects. Stay tuned for more information and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any inquiries.