The pandemic shifted the consumer landscape, creating a breed of adaptable and evolving buyers with new interests. Traditional persona marketing is no longer enough, as consumers are too unpredictable to be bracketed. It’s time to embrace the fluidity of the new consumer and adapt our strategies accordingly. And the million-dollar question is: are you ready to ride this wave of change?
In 2023, the landscape of branding is expected to undergo a significant transformation. Brands are moving away from older marketing tactics, including targeting personas, and are sharply focusing on building and engaging with broader brand communities. Therefore, to gain a deeper understanding of their consumer ecosystems, brands are investing heavily in data-driven research and analysis. These include monitoring and analysing consumer behaviours, social media trends, and many other relevant data points that help brands gain insights into who is driving and sharing brand-focused conversations.
As brands shift their focus towards building communities, one of the key strategies they utilise is influencer engagement—influencers of all sizes, employee advocates, and even average consumers—to generate consumer-led content and build authentic connections.
By tapping into the power of these influencers, brands create a sense of community and authenticity that resonates with their target audience. Here are a few ways brands are engaging influencers and employees to build authentic connections: Private social media platforms like Discord, Signal, and Geneva are enabling this with genuine connections instead of streams of content. 9.2% of Americans now use Discord at least once per week. This goes on to show that there is a demonstrated community demand.
Today, 66% of brand communities say that their community has led to increased brand loyalty. And it’s not surprising if more and more brands boost their closeness to their consumers at a time when spending power is becoming thinner.
