As we draw to the end of the year and pen our last blog of 2023, we are looking to the future. What does 2023 hold for business? What will be trending in tech and marketing? We take a look at some items that have caught our interest for the New Year ahead…

Flexible/Hybrid working to fix the digital skills shortage
What better way to attract top talent to your business than by offering a flexible working policy that means you can hire staff members that live anywhere in the world rather than just isolating your talent pool to the UK or local to your business premises.
Some companies are exploring flexible work options, including four-day work weeks. This is a big shift for traditional companies that expect their employees to commit to 40 hours or five days per week.
Forbes

Mixed Reality
We predict a mix of AR and VR applications to be implemented across various industries, including business, healthcare, aerospace and defence. This will be used to bridge the physical and digital worlds and provide a unique user experience that can’t be found elsewhere.
Whether we realize it or not, mixed reality is becoming on the other hand increasingly present in various aspects of our lives. AR allows you to superimpose digital objects onto real-world surroundings, while VR places you in an alternate environment where objects and backgrounds are entirely simulated
500.co

Content Marketing
Google has led the conversation and increased the emphasis on the importance of content marketing strategies as the best way to rank. In order to be a thought leader in your industry and to rank highly, you need to be creating fresh, relevant and quality content – continuously.
The first is the resurgence of Content Marketing as the first thing businesses are doing in marketing.
Marketing Insider Group

An emphasis on protecting privacy
It’s important to be a brand that your customers can trust, and this comes in many forms. From authentic and real experiences through to respecting your customer base and their privacy, companies will want to invest in ensuring they have a trustworthy and respected reputation.
Last year, we surveyed over 7,000 Europeans and we found that when brands respect privacy, their ads perform better. This year, we dug even deeper: we asked 20,000 people about the consequences of good and bad privacy experiences.
Think with Google

Employee Advocacy
If your employees don’t rate or support your brand, why on earth should your target audience? Starting with a healthy approach to company culture, increasing employee advocacy by encouraging staff to post about your company and the great things you do, across different platforms, is a great way to boost your employee advocacy rating.
Employee advocacy is the key to getting your employees to spread your brand message in their unique voices. It’s no surprise that nearly half of CMOs polled last year stated that employee advocacy was their best-performing initiative
Ok to post.com
So what do you think? Have you any predictions for 2023? We’ll check back in the New Year and see whether our crystal ball was right. Until then, have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year from all of us at the Collective Team.