It's no secret that content marketing is one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. To stay ahead of the competition, you need to produce high-quality content that engages your audience and provides value. But what will content marketing look like in 2023 and beyond?
In this blog post, we’ll show you how to create a winning content marketing strategy, and tap into some of the latest trends and tactics.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Why is content marketing important?
Content marketing is important because it helps you build relationships with your customers and create a brand that people trust. In a world where there are so many creators and brands fighting for attention, you need to stand out from the crowd. And the best way to do that is by creating content that is valuable, relevant, and consistent.
Content marketing is also a crucial element of SEO, since Google rewards websites that produce high-quality content consistently. Creating regular blog posts, lead magnets, case studies, and more can help show search engines that your brand is fresh and consistent.
No matter what form your content takes, it should always be created with the customer in mind. What problems are they trying to solve? What information do they need? And how can you help them?
Answering these questions will help you create content that not only ranks well in search engines but also provides value for your audience.
Source: SEMRush
Content marketing vs. social media marketing
The main difference between content marketing and social media marketing is the intent.
With content marketing, businesses create content to attract and nurture customers through the entire buyer’s journey—from awareness to purchase, and even post-purchase.
On the other hand, social media marketing is used to build relationships and interact with potential and current customers on a more personal level.
It’s also worth noting that content marketing can be used on social media. For example, you might post a blog article on Twitter or LinkedIn, or share an infographic on Pinterest.
Building your content marketing strategy
Now that we’ve established what content marketing is, let’s take a look at how to create a content marketing strategy that will help you win in 2023 and beyond.
There are four steps in the process:
- Set your goals: What do you want to achieve with your content marketing?
- Find content topics: What type of content will help you achieve your goals?
- Create a content calendar: Make a plan for building and publishing your content.
- Promote your content: Get people to see and read your content.
Let's break these down further.
1. Setting content marketing goals
Before you start creating any content, you need to know what your goals are. What do you want to achieve with your content marketing?
Some common content marketing goals include:
- Generating leads
- Increasing brand awareness
- Driving website traffic
- Engaging customers and prospects
- Boosting sales
When setting goals, make sure they are SMART goals. This means they should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
For example, a SMART goal for content marketing could be:
"To generate 100 leads from our website by the end of Q12019 through blog posts and ebooks."
Or
"To increase brand awareness of our startup in Vancouver, BC by 50% by creating and promoting blog content about local events."
Be sure to match your content marketing goals with distinct customer personas to ensure you are speaking to the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
2. Finding the right content topics
Now that you've established your goals, it's time to start thinking about what kinds of content will help you achieve them.
This is where understanding your buyer persona(s) comes in handy. Consider what kinds of information your customers are looking for at each stage of their journey, and match your content accordingly.
For example, someone who is just beginning their research on a topic is going to be looking for different content than someone who is ready to make a purchase.
Think about what kinds of questions they might have, and create content that answers those questions. Leveraging social listening tools like Hootsuite or SEMRush can also help you understand what people are saying about certain topics online, and give you ideas for content that would be helpful to them.
As well, consider doing some keyword research on your biggest competitors to see what terms they are ranking for, and create content around those topics. Not only will this help you rank in search engines, but it will also allow you to position yourself as an authority on the subject.
3. Creating a content calendar
Content calendars help you plan out what you will be publishing and when. This ensures that your content is timely and relevant, and helps to keep you on track to meet your set goals.
There are several different ways to create a content calendar. You can use a spreadsheet like Google Sheets or Excel, but even a simple Google Document will do.
When building out your content calendar, pay attention to the following:
- Publication date
- Content type (e.g. blog post, video, infographic)
- Title
- Topic/keyword
- Target audience
- Call to action
We recommend building out your content calendars quarterly. This will help you stay on top of holidays, seasonal trends, and any other time-sensitive content.
Be sure to leave space for ad-hoc content as needed. This could be anything from breaking news to a hot new product launch.
4. Promoting your content
The work doesn't stop once your content is created. Remember, content doesn't exist inside a vacuum. For it to be successful, you need to promote the hell out of it.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Share your content on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram)
- Submit your blog post to relevant forums and online communities
- Include a link to your latest article in your email signature
- Reach out to influencers and ask them to share your content
- Guest post on other blogs in your industry
- Leverage paid promotions (Facebook Ads, Google AdWords)
There are a million different ways to promote your content, so get creative and experiment until you find what works best for you and your business.
Digital marketing content ideas for 2023
Content marketing is forever changing. Every year, the way people consume content and the way businesses create it are both evolving at a rapid pace.
As we move into the new year, there are a few key things to keep in mind if you want to win at content marketing in 2023 and beyond:
Interactive content marketing
As the world embraces the metaverse and other digital realities, it's more important than ever to make your content interactive. This means creating content that can be experienced in multiple ways and on multiple devices.
For example, consider using interactive content in eBooks, reports, or how-to guides by including clickable and extensible parts or animations. Or, try using interactive infographics to provide easily understandable information and guidelines for potential and existing customers.
Video content
There's no doubt that video content is on the rise. Frankly, if you're not already using video content in your marketing strategy, you're behind the curve.
Not only is video content more engaging than traditional written content, but it's also easier to consume. In fact, studies show that people are far more likely to watch a video all the way through than they are to read an entire article.
Try adding more video content to your marketing strategy, whether that be in the form of product demonstrations, how-tos, or humorous content.
You can also use video content to give prospects and customers a behind-the-scenes look at your company. This is a great way to build trust and show that you're nothing but transparent.
Get physical
Hey, digital isn't always the answer. There are a ton of benefits that come along with using physical content, such as the fact that it can be touched, felt, and even smelled.
Leveraging tried and true marketing techniques like direct mail campaigns, business cards, and flyers can make a big impact, especially if you personalize your content.
In 2023, consider adding physical campaigns to your digital stack. This could come in the form of a postcard campaign that promotes a new product or service, or a holiday appreciation campaign to thank your best customers.
Content marketing in 2023 and beyond
The most important thing to remember about content marketing in 2023? Do it. Seriously, content marketing is one of the most important things you can do for your business, no matter what industry you’re in.
If you haven't started mapping out your content marketing strategy, give us a call. Brandcamp Digital can help you get started with content marketing, social media marketing, and more.
