By Swati Nathani
The calendar will change in a couple of days but content will continue to rule the roost as far as digital marketing is concerned. The power of the written word will reign supreme although the medium may change to move with the changing times. No brand or digital marketer can afford to ignore content marketing if they want to enhance brand visibility and build a connection with the target audience.
Some of the most visible trends in content marketing that would define 2023 include –
Short-form video will be a game changer
Everyone knows that video posts are more engaging than text posts and the statistics just confirm the same. According to Statista, the global average for video consumption is 84 minutes a day which is huge by any standard. Another important piece of information according to Statista is that 90% of viewers watch videos on their mobiles. This is sufficient for content marketers to sit up and acknowledge the edge that short-form video has over other types. There are several platforms to explore if a brand wishes to post short-form videos. They can take their pick from Instagram Stories, Reels, YouTube Shorts and even Pinterest. All these mediums offer their own editing tools and add-on effects which can change your videos into creative masterpieces that can wow the audience. Short-form videos are exactly what they say – really short less than a minute within which the brand can convey the point crisp and concisely while retaining the wow element. This is probably going to be the big trend in 2023 and given the decreasing attention span of viewers, it is likely that it is going to be the most effective too.
Relevant, helpful content in the long form will remain a key weapon
It is a fact that people lay more credibility on authoritative content and long-form content is the best medium to build a brand image as one that people can rely on for a product or service.
Long-form content offers the flexibility to capture more information, keywords and backlinks. It can reflect the expertise of a brand that cares and offers an aura of dependability that readers can bank on. Long-form content of good quality attracts more time as people read through and understand the offerings in detail. Although views have a limited attention span, long-form content can bring in more viewers simply because of the multitude of keywords used that can cover more search queries. Long-form content is invaluable and definitely needs to form a part of your digital marketing arsenal.
Engaging with the audience will be key
No matter what the nature of the content is or the platform you use, engaging with the audience is essential to build visibility for the brand. In today’s connected world, the audience doesn’t admire brands that sound formal and standoffish. They would rather warm up to brands that sound warm, empathetic and have a human touch. This helps them build real connections with their target audience which can lead to long-standing relationships. Nobody likes direct sales pitches or cheesy content. They prefer brands that are transparent and genuine and have a human connection with the viewer. Engagement with the audience gives brands an opportunity to understand their needs better and enhance their offerings. 2023 will see more brands using social media platforms to have live interactions with their audience.
Automation will be used for the efficient marketing of content
Automation of repetitive tasks is a sensible way of improving efficiencies in content production and new technologies are coming up on a daily basis to make life easier. Take the example of Zapier or IFTTT or VEED.io which can create video captions automatically or move around content tasks in your project management software or manage your workflows. There are several automation tools available to set up the relevance and target group of the content and the metrics for measuring the outcome. This provides a regular status update to track the progress of content or make mid-course corrections. In 2023, the mundane tasks will be delegated to tools leaving the resources free to let their creative juices flow and create mindblowing content.
AI, AR and VR will be used to enhance the user experience
The end purpose of digital marketing is to provide the user with an unforgettable experience that will make him or her come back for more. It is more about pulling the customer to the brand than pushing the brand to a customer. In 2023, content marketing backed by Artificial Intelligence will remain an important trend. AI can assist in the personalisation of content, identifying repeat viewers, tailoring email campaigns and more. 2023 could even be the year when machine-generated content is used to complement the content creation team. It is expected that Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality will continue to be used by brands to provide prospective customers with an immersive experience via their mobiles before they make a purchase decision. This could be a real game changer in 2023 where users can try on products virtually, share their preferences, discuss with friends and create user-generated content. To take users through AR and VR experiences would require a lot of clear calls to action via crisp copy along with visual and brand storytelling to provide the user with a simulated experience that mirrors reality.
Social media and Influencers will continue to play an important role
There is no doubt that social media platforms will continue to play a stellar role in the marketing of businesses and brands. It is up to the brands to identify the right platform for their target audience and use appropriate content that can engage the audience. It is not only celebrity influencers but micro-influencers too who will play a major role in 2023. Unlike celebrity influencers who may have a huge following but little personal engagement, micro-influencers have a band of loyal followers who respect their opinions. This is a force that is being recognised as potent by brands and could continue to wield influence in 2023.
Emphasis on voice search optimisation
As the dependence on mobile devices for surfing the internet grows, the need for optimising content for voice searches increases. This has led to an additional focus on optimising content for voice searches to make them easily visible and this trend is likely to continue in 2023.
Growth of the Metaverse
The Metaverse is expected to grow to a staggering $5 trillion by 2030 so there is simply no way that brands and digital marketers can afford to ignore this medium. Currently, it is being used only by the top brands but it is expected that more will follow suit in 2023 to create a presence in the Metaverse. The possibilities are endless for brands to be a part of the Metaverse and promote offerings to the target audience in a virtual world that would have real-life implications as well.
In conclusion, we can say that most of the strong trends in 2022 are expected to continue in the new year. The basics of digital marketing would continue to remain the same with the focus being on crisp, powerful communication that can resonate with the target audience and leave an. Impact. The mantras of SEO-optimised content, backlinks and mobile optimisation will remain valid year after year as they are the basic foundations of content marketing and will always need to be borne in mind.
The author is the co-founder and chief business officer of Team Pumpkin