Content marketing is an industry which is constantly changing and evolving, with new and innovative strategies popping up almost every day that can completely change the direction of a business and how they speak to their customers. There have been huge changes in global markets recently which have had a knock-on effect in how businesses choose to market themselves and their products, meaning it's even more important than ever to stay on top of industry trends and understand different technologies and concepts which could help you get ahead of the competition in 2023.
In 2022, we’ve seen lots of different content marketing trends that have started to change the way businesses market themselves and their products, with a huge focus on brand personalisation and tailoring content to different audiences, as well as a massive rise in video marketing.
As we head towards 2023, we’re already starting to see these trends on the move again. Here are some of the key areas that we think you should be keeping an eye on to help you reach your business goals over the next year.
Technology has had an great impact on the world of marketing and how people do business. Since the internet was first introduced, we’ve seen several waves of advancement, with the ability to interact and communicate through different platforms such as social media, blogging, video and live events.
The current buzzwords in this space are the introduction of Web3 and the Metaverse. Web 3.0 is all about the decentralisation of the internet, with focus on semantic web technologies and artificial intelligence. This iteration is all about creating a virtual, immersive world within the internet, allowing users to interact in virtual situations, such as a shopping mall or consumer event, and purchase products.
This ‘metaverse’ creates a wealth of opportunities for marketers who can deliver more targeted messages to their audience and take advantage of a whole new world of innovation when it comes to advertising.
Although, this is still very much a new concept, it’s definitely one marketers must start taking interest in now so that they don’t get left behind.
We know, we know, this isn’t a new concept. Far from it in fact, businesses large and small have been putting their attention on how to create a following of advocates for years now, realising the potential and scope of customer-led marketing and understanding the impact this can have on their bottom line.
But, while it’s not new, these advocate and ambassador programmes are set to explode over the next year, with brands focusing on empathetic, nurturing and supportive campaigns to attract their audience and stay connected with them during what is set to be a pretty rough one for a lot of people financially.
Google updates throughout 2022 have continued to drive home the message that they want to see content creation that benefits the reader, rather than generic SEO bots. They don’t want repetitive and clunky copy, they want information that actually benefits people and helps them understand a topic.
It’s absolutely crucial that marketers in 2023 understand their audience’s needs. And we mean really understand them. What problems does your product or service solve? How do you do it better than anyone else? How do you want them to interact with you? How do you want them to perceive you? How does this perception change the way you approach your conversations?
The three types of content that you need to consider in your strategy are:
Relative to the trend in customer advocacy and ambassadors, B2B marketers are also turning towards user-generated content to drive trust and authenticity with their audiences. At the moment, 86% of companies use user-generated content as part of their digital marketing strategy, driven by 31% of consumers believing that this type of advertisement is more memorable than branded content ads.
If this is a strategy that you want to tackle, make sure you set goals for what you want to achieve, as well as building a strategy for collecting consumer-generated content and if and how you aim to reward people for using their content.
It’s no secret that video marketing has been on the rise for a long time, with social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram bringing that point home even more, but what does the future look like for video content? Well, we think it’s safe to say it’s showing no signs of slowing.
Video has now surpassed blogs and infographics as the most popular forms of online content, with businesses able to showcase their expertise and authority in short, memorable videos that hold the attention of their audience.
It should be remembered that video isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to content marketing. Without a strong message behind your video, it can fall flat.
People love stories. We’re all the main characters in our own lives, looking for ways to solve our problems and improve our lifestyles. This is why people are driven to brands that do this for them - that speak to their issues and offer solutions.
One of the best ways of doing this is with case study based content. Talk about your real clients, their issues and how you solved them. Prove it with REAL numbers. Place the reader in their shoes and show them how life could be better with you.
Let’s be honest, the less we have to think, the better our experiences tend to be. Shoppable content improves the buyer’s experience by creating a completely seamless journey from looking at content through to making a purchase, just with the tap of their finger. Although this form of marketing lends itself more to the B2C space at the moment, this is something that will become more and more common for B2B brands - definitely one to keep an eye on.
Influencer and personal brand marketing is a proven strategy that can help to drive traffic for your B2B business, and again, this shows absolutely no signs of changing in 2023. This form of marketing allows you to lean on the trust that influencers have already built with their audience and leverage their content creation skills to promote the benefits of your brand - benefits that you know already align with your ideal customer. This can be done by employing external influencers and/or by building personal brands of your senior team.
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