Content marketing was a tactic actively used by 82% of digital marketers in 2021. And with the major growth of eCommerce, we can expect to see even more content produced in the coming year. Today we are going to talk about content marketing strategies to help you in 2023.
An increase in competition always calls for an improvement in the strategies you’re already deploying to attract the attention of your target audience. Let’s take a look at six content marketing strategies that can help you achieve breakthrough results in 2023.
Make Use Of Video And Animated Content
Content that is not engaging serves practically no purpose. Merely populating your blog with articles just so you can claim you run an active blog will be a waste of resources, as these posts will rarely rank well, attract the right audience, or convert your sparse readership.
On the other hand, engaging content is more likely to be read, shared, and appreciated.
A great tactic for boosting engagement on your blog posts is to use video or animated content. It can help you add another layer of meaning to your posts, making them much more actionable and interesting. As a result, you’ll boost the time a visitor spends on your page as well.
Embedding a YouTube video is a simple improvement to make, but it can prove to be highly beneficial. Take a look at this post from The Confused Nester. While it’s a product review post, the video on properly stacking a dishwasher provides a nice point of additional interest.
Animation is another great way to make posts more engaging, especially if you’re offering step-by-step instructions or demonstrating a process. They’re fantastic for showing a specific action.
Take a look at this Preset Love post on installing a preset. Without the animations, it would be nothing more than another boring post. But this way, it’s much more attractive and useful.
Publish Content On Social Media
Content marketing is not just about writing blog posts and promoting them. It can be about social media marketing as well. After all, there are so many content formats – from image to video and bite-sized text – that can attract a lot of engagement and interest on a channel that is not your blog.
Related: St. Louis SEO And Content Marketing
First of all, attracting a readership directly to your blog will be a time-consuming process. On the other hand, you can publish informative, useful content that targets the top or the middle of your sales funnel on a social media platform. This strategy can bring you instant traffic and a higher likelihood of a conversion.
All you have to do is select the information you choose and the appropriate platform. Take a look at Rain or Shine Golf’s strategy. They have a YouTube channel that speaks to customers in various stages of the buyer’s journey. This content will be found even by people who have never heard of the brand.
The same is true of all social media platforms – as long as you provide value, you’ll attract an interested audience. Having seen that you have something worthy to offer, they’ll be happy to click through to your website.
Focus On Your Audience’s Burning Questions
The best way to determine what your audience is interested in and what they want to learn more about is to ask them.
Reach out to your audience on social media or via email and find out what their interests are. You’ll then use these insights to create highly customer-centric content that is also of the highest quality.
You won’t have to worry about content research; plus, you’ll likely uncover plenty of content avenues you can also explore. Getting to know your audience better can also help you improve your overall marketing strategy, as well as your approach to your product or service.
Here’s a good example of this kind of content from Skillcrush. They have several Q&A blog posts that are of immense interest to their target audience. They also happen to be uniquely placed to answer these questions, making for an instantly valuable piece of content.
Publish A Podcast
Podcasting is also an amazing content marketing avenue you should consider. True, it can require more of an investment (especially in the realm of time) than writing a blog post. However, it also provides plenty of variety for your audience, especially when working with one of the top podcasting agencies on the market.
A major part of the appeal for audiences is that podcasts are easily accessible while on the go. You can introduce your brand to a whole new audience if you promote your podcast well on the largest platforms. A podcast can also help you inject more personality into your content, additionally humanizing your brand.
It’s also a fantastic chance to connect with others – industry leaders, audience members, customers, and clients. Being part of a community is another huge benefit you shouldn’t overlook.
A podcast you should certainly tune in to whether you want to take podcasting up or not is Basecamp’s The Distance. It’s a collection of stories from business owners who have been in business for over a quarter of a century, and it’s chock full of lessons to learn. While not a direct promotion of the brand’s product, it certainly attracts plenty of listeners who are also likely to click through to their website.
Tell Your Customer’s Stories
The best kind of content you can publish will promote your brand in a subtle but effective manner and be a valuable read. Case studies fit this bill perfectly.
They allow you to tell a story while at the same time pointing out your strongest suits. They offer a lot of valuable lessons without being dull or unimaginative. They don’t read like a sales pitch, but they will certainly inspire a conversion.
The key to writing a case study is selecting the right case to study. You’ll want a client or customer who has either achieved something specific or who is particularly appealing to your target audience.
Take a look at this Optimal Workshop case study. First of all, it details their process very well and clearly demonstrates the company’s expertise. Secondly, it studies a huge business, fueling yet more trust and appeal.
Get To The Point Quickly
Giving your readers extra information is all well and good. Long-form content is popular for a reason, after all. However, you should never force your readers to wade through 1000 words before you actually give them what they want.
While it may sound a bit counterintuitive (after all, you want your readers to read the entire thing), you should always give the reader the information they’re looking for as soon as possible.
Those who just needed an answer may leave immediately, true. But they will not pogo-stick back to Google, and the engine will believe your post is a great match for that specific query. Those who want to learn more will read further, so your post will not go to waste by any means.
This post from Dream Grow is a great example of this point. There are over 5500 words to read, but the answer you’re looking for is right there after the introduction. If you have the time and interest, you’ll keep scrolling or just jump to the sections that interest you. If not, you will still leave feeling satisfied.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes the simplest tweaks to your content marketing strategy can yield some surprising results. Consider these six tactics as we move into 2023, and take the time to level up your strategies for success.
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