Content marketing examples include media like newsletters, podcasts, social media posts, and videos. All of these forms of content are meant to provide valuable and relevant information that delights users and attracts them to your brand.
The basics of content are that it should always inform your audience and help solve a problem. Analysis tools such as Google Analytics and Facebook Insights will allow you to review bounce rates. The longer a person stays on a post, the more chance there is they enjoyed the content.
Content Marketing Trends for 2023
Increased Competition
This past year has been anything but ordinary for businesses and digital marketers. And there's no sign that the coming year will be any different. One thing that has changed is the way people discover and relate to brands. It is more digitally based than ever.
If you continue evolving your digital marketing strategy, it must revolve around quality content. But what will the coming year look like for content marketers, and what are some of the best practices you can incorporate for digital SEO?
Content as Part of the Buyer's Journey
With more people working from home and continuing to shelter in place as much as possible, a more significant part of discovering brands and making purchase decisions has moved online. The biggest driver of this is content, which attracts buyers by answering questions and letting them know how a particular product or service can meet their needs.
Google states that a majority (90%) of users turn to digital devices for inspiration and help while engaged in a task. It has also coined the term "micro-moments" to describe how consumers expect an immediate answer, whether they want to do, buy, or know something.
Building Content Communities
Another content marketing trend also relates to COVID-19, so its emergence is no surprise. Brands are forming online communities using platforms like Slack that focus on content creation and personalization.
These communities allow digital marketing teams to streamline their processes, even from a physical distance. They can communicate ideas and give feedback about what is working (or not) faster to produce better results.
Increased Use of AI in Marketing
Experts have been saying for years that artificial intelligence (AI) will take over more human jobs. This is slowly beginning to ring true.
AI is still in its infancy, but digital marketers are frequently using it. For example, brands use machine learning and AI to analyze and test content. Creating high-quality content with AI is still a few years down the road.
Best Practices for Content Marketing in 2023
Put Your Audience First
It might be tempting to lead with how great your product is, but your audience is more interested in their own pressing needs. Find out what problem they are most likely trying to solve and use your content to offer solutions. Your product or service will come up at some point, but it shouldn't be the only thing you focus on in effective content marketing.
Leverage Data to Understand Your Audience
Data is a vital tool that can help you understand your audience better. It gives you deeper insight into your target audience's demographics as well as their wants and needs.
Use the data you collect to analyze your target audience and even segment it when necessary. Create content that you believe will best appeal to that audience. Then, leverage data again to gauge how they react to your content and make any necessary adjustments.
Consider Live Streaming
You can get plenty of traction with well-edited pre-recorded video, but have you considered live streaming to boost your visual content marketing strategy? It's all the rage for brands, and it's effective.
Going "live" might initially seem intimidating, but consumers love live videos. From the audience's perspective, a live video is darn close to having a personal video chat with your brand, and this is an excellent way to make strong connections with consumers.
You can live stream to make product announcements, talk about an upcoming promotion, give a product demonstration, or even host a Q&A session to make it more interactive.
Share Outside Value
It might seem counterintuitive to share anyone else's content or solutions, but consumers will appreciate your willingness to add value through your content. You can start by sharing content and links from trusted sources.
Doing this will further position your brand as a leader in its space and can generate valuable backlinks if any of those resources reciprocate.
Focus on Values
If the past year tells us anything, it's that too many people are suffering. No matter what your business sells, it should be as sensitive as possible to the current environment and the needs of consumers.
Some of the ways that brands are focusing on values in their content are:
- Communicating low-risk through free trials or guarantees
- Showing consumers how to save money
- Illustrating how they are giving back to the community
Use Multi-Channel Marketing for Content
Being on just one channel is no longer an effective strategy for brands. Consumers are exploring more channels than ever, and you should, too. When you do this, you can reach a broader audience base and access more data.
Instead of logging in to many different channels daily to post your content, explore different solutions that allow you to publish to multiple platforms simultaneously. A few examples include Agorapulse and Cyfe.
Social Commerce & Shoppable Posts
Explanation of Social Commerce
No digital marketing best practices post would be complete without mention of social commerce.
You already know that a solid social media marketing strategy is essential for driving traffic to your site, building brand recognition, building community, and building brand loyalty.
But did you know that social media is also becoming a popular place to make purchases?
In fact, 72% of Instagram users have purchased a product on the app. That's massive.
Other platforms are being used, too. A survey of more than 4,000 Pinterest users found that 70% use Pinterest to discover new and interesting products.
Examples of Social Commerce Platforms
TrustPulse is a great tool that makes it easy to start with social proof.
With TrustPulse, you can show off real purchases, signups, and more as they happen on your site.
Here's how to set up your TrustPulse notifications.
That's it! These digital marketing best practices will give your digital marketing a huge boost but don't get overwhelmed by thinking you have to implement them all at once.
Conclusion
Content marketing is a powerful tool to help you reach your target audience and build your brand. By understanding what content works best for your particular audience, you can create content that will engage them and provide them with value.
With the right analysis tools, you can measure the success of your content and adjust it accordingly. Start using content marketing today to attract new customers and grow your business.
