We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Drody a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rachel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

One of the most significant parts of my day is staying on top of trends that are happening globally and locally that deal with the digital presence of companies.

In Social Media, we see mass layoffs from Meta, Twitter, and Google. Those are translating into less support for agencies. Automation and improvements will come, but the first part of the wave of change is challenging to become accustomed to the new normal. The tide is turning back to the consumer and desire for authentic content.

What’s on the way out for 2023:
Social Media ease for businesses – you’ll need to be social and less commercial. Platforms are changing to make it more about the consumer than the business.
Curated content that creates high-end graphics and copy-and-paste trends that feel that the communication is one-sided.

Here’s what I am expecting for 2023:
More boundaries -We have become accustomed to reaching almost anyone at any time and expecting instant gratification with a response; the focus should be for businesses to create positive, healthy boundaries for the teams and owners that do not feel like a disruption in service for the consumer. Instagram just rolled out a new feature, Quiet Mode, to help users set focus time without notifications which will be great for teens and those who just need help not being sucked in with app notifications.
Video dominates all aspects of social media; we crave authenticity yet still want filters. It’s a fun and challenging time to run a social media agency. We have a lot of business owners still adapting to the video aspect. A huge challenge is vanity – no one wants videos published of them in their usual looks or at their homes in fear of judgment. We are constantly making lists of ideas for our clients to make videos – who need to be in their videos as small business owners to connect with their audiences. With growth expected for YouTube Shorts, Meta push for Creators, and push against TikTok – brands have to get onboard or be left behind.
Brands and the relationships with Creators will become more transparent – the mistrust of the media has shown us that when pay and deals are not out in the open for the public to understand, trust issues take center stage, and the audience becomes disenchanted and disengaged.
The Rise of AI – I still think the technology has a bit to go, as most AI copywriting still feels like the human “X” factor is missing. Where is it is succeeding – it the grammar and technical writing that seem to be more and more of a challenge daily. While many are turning to services like Grammarly – it’s hard to spend two minutes on social media without seeing grammatical errors.
Keyword searches and SEO will rise – small businesses need to drive clients to their websites where they control the audience’s experience and are not distracted. Creating regular content for their sites and improving their Search Engine Optimization will become a critical part of their marketing strategies.
LinkedIn will become more social with the rise of LinkedIn Creators. This platform needs more of a social aspect. Most turn to it when searching for a job but seem to turn away when bombarded with sales calls and pushy tactics. While all eyes are on the economy, this platform will see an upturn in activity, and keeping them there with desired content will be huge.
It’s no secret that brands must have a robust digital presence and be social and socially minded. Creating a solid marketing strategy that takes in your brand’s personality and understanding your resources, time available, and consumer needs will be critical. Small businesses must be ready to invest in their digital marketing and have fun yet be strategic in 2023.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Harper Grayson Communications is a Digital Marketing and Business Advising agency specializing in social media marketing, graphic design, website design, branding, and strategic business planning. Our strategic planning, engagement, strategy, and design skills set us apart. We support Women, Minorities, and Veterans and strive to give back to the local community while supporting other locally owned and operated small businesses. We deliver measurable results to our clients, employees, and vendors.

Our mission is to be the leading industry expert in digital marketing & advertising through sales alignment, social media engagement, website design & SEO, business continuity, and strategy planning by being the masters of the message. Our goal is to ensure our clients, vendors, and even employees’ brand and names are seen and heard in a powerful way. We provide digital marketing & advertising with integrity and honor.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I believe the consistency and authenticity – You must engage, enchant, educate, empower, and embrace your audience. Remember you are speaking with your audience to at them. I also highly recommend contacting a marketing agency to help you navigate your strategy. We offer training and evaluations/audits for clients who are not ready to bring on an agency financially. Results are rarely immediate, so do your homework before taking on paid media relationships or organic strategies.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I have had 25 years of marketing strategy for a multi-billion dollar agency and federally funded projects like Homeland Security. I regularly present to small business owners about tips and techniques they can use and am humbled to be tapped by many organizations as a Subject Matter Expert for their teams, networks, and programs to help small businesses gain knowledge and tactics on how to succeed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allofthemarketing.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allofthemarketing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allofthemarketing
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/harper-grayson

Image Credits
Sara Massey, Inspired Photography by Sara Merge Photography