Content marketing is a cornerstone for online businesses to connect, attract, and engage with their target audience. However the strategies to get better at content marketing change with time. And as we are halfway through 2024, you might be looking for the latest strategies to succeed as a content marketer. That’s what we’ll be discussing here.
So, without prolonging this introduction, let’s discuss those ways.
1. Accept the Fact That Video Content Will Predominate
There is no doubt that video content appeals to people quickly. The biggest proof of this claim is the following numbers that demonstrate the popularity of video content over the years:
- According to recent research, up to 91% of customers want to watch more brand-produced internet videos.
- A 2021 study shows that 86% of marketing experts employ video content as a marketing medium.
- Another recent study shows that a record-high 92% of marketers who used videos as their primary content type in 2023 (so far) claimed a positive ROI. Five years ago, 78% of video marketers shared the same opinion about videos. So, there is a 14-percentage point change in just 5 years.
- According to a Wyzowl poll, eight out of ten customers have bought software or an app after watching the company’s promotional film.
- According to some estimates made in 2022, video streaming and downloads accounted for 82% of all internet traffic worldwide, which was 72.3% back in 2017.
These numbers suggest that video content has increased over the years and will continue to do so in 2023. So, one of the first content marketing strategies you and your business must embrace to be successful in 2023 is the dominance of video content. But what’s the reason for the popularity of video content?
Well, videos can quickly fascinate the audience, convey the entire story, and evoke their emotions, such as getting people to subscribe to the channel, follow the account, and like or share the video. So, how can you leverage this content type and increase the likelihood of your business dominance over your competitors?
You can get assistance from the current popular video streaming platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram (for Instagram Reels), and TikTok. The popularity of these platforms is powerful enough to connect a brand with its target audience as soon as possible.
Once you’ve selected one or multiple video content publishing, we recommend uploading different types of videos there. For instance, you can get assistance from BTS footage, tutorials, storytelling, and even product demonstrations. However, remember to optimize your video for mobile phones and make your video easy to share before uploading.
2. Learn to Employ the Power of Interactive Content Experiences
Audience participation is essential to an effective content marketing campaign because by allowing your audience to participate, you engage with them. So, this technique is another way of making your blogs, social media posts, and landing pages engaging, just like the video content. But the question is, how can one leverage audience participation in its main content type?
Well, the best way to leverage audience participation is to focus on interactive content experiences, which is the second content marketing strategy in this guide. That’s because a 2019 report shows that, like video content, interactive content experiences have also been popular in the content industry for leveraging audience participation. And this content type will continue to do so in 2023 as well. So, how can you leverage this content type?
Since interactive content includes things like quizzes, polls, and surveys, you can have these items in your main content. Doing so will encourage audience participation. This way, your audience will actively engage with your content and, eventually, provide valuable data.
3. Time to Optimize Your Content for Voice Search
Ever since virtual assistants and smart speakers came into the picture, voice search has experienced remarkable growth in recent years and its importance continues to rise. So, if you want to compete with your counterparts in the 2023 content marketing landscape, you will have to optimize your content for voice search. And this is the third effective content marketing strategy that will help you become successful in 2023.
But how can one optimize its content for voice search? Well, one should stick to the following rules to optimize its content for voice search:
- Since the queries in voice search are longer and more conversational than the traditional search queries, the best way to optimize your content for voice search is to focus on using natural language. But if, being a non-native English blogger with limited vocabulary, you have trouble using natural language, you can take assistance from an NLP-based paraphrase tool. Such a tool can convert the text from sounding unnatural into a natural tone. And the following picture proves this claim:
- Besides sounding natural, keeping the content structure easy to skimmable is essential for optimizing your content for voice search. That’s because doing so will help the voice-enabled devices quickly find the required section from your content.
Thus, optimizing your content for voice search will increase the likelihood of making your content more visible in voice search results. And this way, you can target a wider audience and stay ahead of the competition.
4. Learn to Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
When it comes to content marketing, trust, and authenticity play a crucial role. In fact, both these things are paramount in content marketing. Why? Well, these things assist in building strong and meaningful connections with the audience.
Trust is what distinguishes your business at a time when customers are inundated with unlimited content and advertising. So, when your audience trusts your content and believes it to be real, your audience will be more inclined to interact with, share, and eventually become devoted consumers. But how can one leverage both these factors in their content marketing strategy? That’s where the User Generated Content (UGC) will help.
As the name depicts, UGC refers to a form of content created and shared by the audience. So, you can ask your customers or followers to create and share UGC for your products and services. And that UGC will contain things like reviews, social media posts, testimonials, and unboxing.
Once you’ve started showcasing UGC on your platform, it will demonstrate social proof and real experience and make your brand more credible. And eventually, this credibility will help you form a sense of community and engagement with your audience.
5. Personalization and AI in Content Marketing
Personalization and AI are pivotal in the 2023 content marketing game. That’s because as artificial intelligence is optimizing the various aspects of every field, you need to learn to leverage it in content marketing; otherwise, you will be history. So, how can you employ AI and personalization in content marketing? Let’s find out.
You can use the assistance of artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze the data of your audience. Based on those analyses, you can perform customer segmentation that will eventually help you deliver personalized content recommendations. Doing so will help you provide your audience with a more relevant and engaging experience.
However, besides data analysis, you can also use artificial intelligence to integrate conversational AI chatbots into your platform. These things will assist your audience in real-time and personalize their recommendations based on their interactions.
Thus, you can stay ahead of the curve and maintain a more meaningful connection with your audience by leveraging AI and personalization.
Conclusion
As we are halfway through 2023, content marketing continues evolving, presenting new business opportunities and challenges. Your brand can succeed in the ever-changing digital landscape by embracing video content, interactive experiences, voice search optimization, user-generated content, and personalization powered by AI. However, remember, it is crucial to continuously adapt, experiment, and stay attuned to your audience’s preferences to create content that resonates and drives meaningful engagement.
Thus, implement these strategies and you’ll be well-equipped to make a significant impact with your content marketing efforts in 2024.
