Every year, new trends emerge in the way content marketing is done. You may be wondering how to define your content marketing strategy for this new year. To improve your content writing skills, you have to keep an eye on the key content marketing trends of 2023.
Content Marketing Trends 2023
1. Content remains unbeatable
Content is still king, but what kind of content should you produce? It’s not just about creating any content, but about creating quality, educational articles that provide concrete answers to internet users’ questions.
As the years go by, search engines are becoming more demanding in terms of content relevance. Produce authentic content to meet search engine requirements.
2. SEO remains an essential support
No content marketing strategy can be successful without natural referencing (SEO).
To obtain effective natural referencing, you must prioritize these three points:
- strategic keywords
- content localization
- optimization for mobile devices.
If you want to see your website ranked on the first page of Google search results, you must add SEO techniques to your content marketing strategy.
3. Rich and long content
Those who talk about SEO should not forget about long, rich content. The majority of SEO tools provide scores to be achieved in terms of content length.
In a world where long, rich content has become a very important factor in natural referencing, articles should be written with a minimum of 600 words to increase their chances of being ranked in the top 3 search results.
4. Featured Snippets and Position 0
Featured Snippets, what are they? They are answer excerpts that respond to internet users’ queries. They are placed above the source link. Also known as Quick Answers, featured snippets were introduced by Google in 2015.
Position 0 and featured snippets are closely related. When Google selects excerpts from your website content to respond to a given query, it is considered reliable and the search engine places it in position 0.
Position 0 is highly coveted by all websites, but to achieve it, you must meet Google’s criteria:
- User experience (main criterion)
- Implementation of essential web signals
- Improved interactivity
- Visual stability of pages.
5. AI serving content
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been transforming many industries in recent years, and content marketing is no exception. One of the most significant advancements in AI technology for content marketing is the emergence of language models like ChatGPT. The arrival of ChatGPT will give a new sensation to content marketing this year. Content creators can input a topic or keyword, and ChatGPT will provide them with a comprehensive, well-written article or blog post that they can publish or edit as necessary.
However, as much as AI can provide a great opportunity for content marketers, it also has its limitations. ChatGPT is still a machine and does not have the same creative abilities or instincts as a human writer. While it can generate content quickly and efficiently, it may lack the nuanced understanding of the target audience that a human content writer has.
As AI technology continues to develop, content marketers must stay informed of the latest advancements and how they can best use them to create valuable content for their audience.
6. Email marketing
As old as the internet, email marketing is still relevant in 2023. The novelty of this trend lies in optimization and personalization.
Email marketing content becomes highly personalized and authentic to meet the needs of customers or subscribers.
The main advantage of this trend is to generate ROI (Return on Investment).
However, remember to obtain the user’s agreement before sending them emails, hence the double opt-in when subscribing to newsletters.
7. Authentic and humanized content
Given recent global events, we are all looking for a little relief in our daily lives, including how we align with brands.
Creating digital content that offers a truly human personality complete with humor, vulnerability, honesty, and everything we look for in our interpersonal relationships is one of the best ways to retain customers in 2023. An effective way to create these connections is to feature characters or mascots throughout your digital marketing, whether it’s in videos, emails, or apps.
Of course, the personas must be relevant and authentic to your brand as a whole. A fun and friendly face that target customers can identify with is an excellent way to retain them through your digital marketing.
Ultimately, we are moving away from perfectly curated social media feeds towards a more realistic space. Consumers want to remember that the people behind the brands are experiencing the same things they are, in the same world. They want to align with brand personas on a more personal and meaningful level before buying their products or services. For once, society is prioritizing realism.
8. Social listening
Social media remains an essential channel for businesses that manage to attract several potential customers. In recent years, brands’ approach to their communities on social media has changed. They use a technique called social listening.
What does this method consist of? Indeed, the company recruits customer service representatives whose role is to navigate social platforms to create a closeness between the audience and the brand.
This trend aims to prioritize the community by giving it a prominent place in the company’s evolution.
9. Storytelling
Why should the customer choose your company over another? It is essential that your potential customers can identify with your values. Here, storytelling consists of conveying a message to your prospects to increase your chances of conversion.
However, offer coherent storytelling to create a link between consumers and your company.
10. Realistic Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing isn’t exactly new. But the way brands invest in influencers and work with them to reach their audience is constantly evolving. In 2023, expect to see a shift in this area.
TikTok has changed the way social media users perceive each other by giving anyone a platform to accumulate a considerable number of followers without the need for a perfectly curated Instagram feed or constantly creating long-form content like YouTube. Today, internet users no longer see the heavily paid advertisements by celebrities and highly visible influencers and turn to more legitimate and reliable sources: other users.
Brands from all industries are turning to micro-influencers to promote their products or services.
In 2023, we expect a decrease in the number of expensive sponsorships of celebrities and a rise in TikTok micro-influencers. Brands are learning that even users with the smallest number of followers can have the greatest impact. As long as their content is in perfect alignment with your brand, their followers will trust them and take action.
Fast and real-time content is the future, and brands working with influencers who have mastered the genre can reap the benefits of connected audiences who trust the people they follow on social media much more than brands or even their friends. Finding and connecting with the right influencer for your brand is still an important step in digital marketing. But in 2023, even more important will be the content you create together: from TikTok dances to live-stream shopping videos to TikTok account takeovers, there are many ways for brands to harness the power of micro-influencers to help them get noticed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the year 2023 is expected to bring new challenges and opportunities for content marketers. The top marketing trends for this year include the continued dominance of quality content, the importance of SEO, the focus on long and rich content, the significance of being featured in position 0, the emergence of AI in content creation, the optimization and personalization of email marketing, the emphasis on user-generated content, the use of social listening to build a strong community, the power of storytelling, and the growing popularity of podcasts. By staying up to date with these trends and implementing them effectively, businesses can stay ahead of the game and reach their marketing goals in 2023.
