Knowing how to up your marketing game in 2023 relies on staying abreast of the latest tactics. But who has time to do that?!
Even though it may seem like we’re adding one more task to your to-do list, it’s important. Without high-quality content, social media and PPC marketing campaigns become difficult, your site won’t rank well on Google, and you’ll quickly fall behind your competitors. So if you want to lead the curve rather than stay behind it, you’ll need to upgrade your content marketing strategy.
But no sweat, we’ve done the hard work for you! In this month’s blog article, we unravel eight top content marketing trends to include in your 2023 strategy.
Copywriting skills for 2023
#1) STRATEGIC SEO
SEO is not a new copywriting skill, but it remains more important than ever. Google prioritizes people-first content that offers significant value over other content, so partnering a solid SEO strategy with your content marketing strategy can generate success. When SEO’s not a priority, your content doesn’t have a great chance of ranking on SERPs and will only accumulate dust on your website.
Google considers more than 200 ranking variables when displaying search results. And not all of them are even known to SEO experts!
The best way to have a chance at ranking high? Target problems in your niche and provide solutions to them using your content.
#2) Long-Form Content
We lead busy lives and move at a fast pace. But when it comes to making decisions, we still take the time to stop and think.
Long-form content (or content that’s a minimum of 1,000 words) is a great way to provide helpful information to the reader. The longer it takes to read the article, the more opportunity you have to build trust and credibility. Having the extra length also provides the chance to include more information, keywords, and backlinks – all ways to build authority in your industry.
It may take you longer to create, but it’s time well spent in the end – as long as it’s relevant, engaging, and properly edited. Writing long-form content typically creates more:
- Engagement with readers versus short-form content
- Interest on social media channels
- Opportunities at ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs)
- Conversions
#3) Visual Content
Sixty-five percent of people are visual learners, meaning your content is missing out if it’s text only. Visual content packs much more information in an easy format, which people respond better to than plain text.
Visual content also produces a faster and stronger reaction than any other type of content. It triggers an emotional response and user and social media engagement, influencing buyer behaviour.
Incorporating visual content can look like this:
- Including images in your content, such as having featured images at the beginning of your blog posts
- Creating short videos to partner with your content (a true game changer in 2023)
- Making interactive content like quizzes, polls, games, and webinars to encourage audience engagement
- Embracing live video to share brand news in an unscripted way
Choosing to jump on the visual content bandwagon can bring big results, including a longer lifespan for your content online.
#4) The Written Word
Visual content is important, but the written word is still king in content marketing. However, your written content needs to be exceptional to make an impact in a sea of words.
This coming year may be when more recognition is given to professional copywriting experts who offer copywriting services. Not everyone is a writer, and every writer isn’t an expert on every topic. If 2023 is the year you start working with a freelance copywriter, hiring a specialist copywriter (someone who’s familiar with your sector) should be a priority.
#5) Evergreen Content
Including evergreen content – or content that will always be relevant, no matter the date – will continue to be important.
From case studies and how-to guides to eBooks and whitepapers, including evergreen content in your content marketing strategy is a great way to bring qualified leads to your site.
#6) Voice Search
According to a 2023 report, more than a quarter of the world’s online population is now using voice search on mobile. And it’s no wonder why! Voice search offers convenience and accuracy and has a no typing requirement. That’s hard to beat when looking for quick answers to common inquiries!
But for marketers, voice search presents extra challenges. Since voice searches aren’t specific in nature, 2023 content needs to have long-tail keywords and questions that match users’ requests on Google. To optimize your content for voice search, you should:
- Research your target audience’s questions, and answer them in your content
- Include relevant keywords and questions in headings and subheadings
- Use an easy-to-read, conversational format when answering questions in your content
- Incorporate bullet points and lists since they make up half of the answers to voice searches
- Improve page speed since it plays a crucial role in voice search SEO
#7) Content Experience
With our attention spans alarmingly short, nobody’s sticking around to read boring content.
But you need more than just exciting content in 2023. Now, 71 percent of consumers prefer personalization when forming long-term brand relationships.
Personalization is all about using data to create more meaningful messaging. Using names, email addresses, and content topics, create campaigns that partner content with a relevant audience. The amount of personalization available will depend on how much your audience interacts with your brand.
And as for the payoff of personalization? It can be huge! The same study showed that incorporating personalization in your content marketing strategy increases income by 40 percent.
Like their preference for personalization, consumers also want content that’s convenient for them. Forget about including pop-up ads or a slow-loading video on your site. Poor user experiences will drive traffic away as quickly as it brought it.
From start to finish, the content experience you offer needs to be perfect. Doing so will increase engagement, customer loyalty, and conversions.
#8) AI-Powered Content Marketing Awareness
AI-driven content marketing is predicted to be one of the biggest game changers in 2023. Many organizations are already experimenting with it due to its efficiency and affordability.
However, it’s not yet sophisticated enough (and likely never will be) to replace copywriters, who can understand context. The content AI tools produce is often riddled with gibberish-like text and spelling errors. It also lacks emotion, which, as discussed in #3, drives buying decisions.
But in some situations, AI is an investment worth looking into. AI copywriting tools can be helpful for content that doesn’t need to be emotionally powered or for companies with small marketing budgets. However, it’s not as simple as you may think – a lot of work is still necessary by an actual human after using the tool.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, offering the best user experience should be your ultimate content marketing goal. And by incorporating modern trends into your high-value content, it won’t take long to see results.
Want help getting a solid content marketing strategy together for 2023? Reach out to our Toronto copywriters today for a free consult.