As technology advances, so does the way we use it. When it comes to marketing, content is still king—but will this hold true in 2023? The short answer is a resounding YES. Over the last decade, content marketing has grown exponentially as a method to build relationships with customers and create an online presence. While its methods have evolved, the importance of content marketing for businesses remains the same: cultivating meaningful, mutually beneficial connections with audiences and creating brand awareness. Let's break down some of the reasons why content marketing is still as important as ever in 2023.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a form of digital marketing that focuses on creating and distributing valuable content via different channels (i.e. social media, blog posts, videos, podcasts, e-books, infographics, etc.) to attract and retain customers. The goal of content marketing is to build impactful relationships with your prospects and customers wherein you increase brand awareness, boost conversions and engagement, foster loyalty, and ultimately drive more sales.
The content you produce can also be used to promote products or services by highlighting their features or advantages over competitors’ offerings. By providing helpful information on topics related to your industry or products and services you offer, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and build credibility with your audience. The end goal here is to position your products and services as a solution to your audience's needs and/or challenges. Great content will leave your audience wanting more and serve a purpose—not just fill a page with words.
Why Is Content Marketing Important?
You know the what; now let's dive into the why. Content marketing has been growing in importance over the past few years because it allows businesses to reach potential customers where they already spend a great deal of their time—online! People are increasingly turning to online sources for information about products or services before making purchase decisions. In fact, 81% of people conduct online research before making a purchase online or in-store. That is a staggering statistic to consider.
With content marketing, you have the power to educate potential customers about your offerings while also giving them a reason to trust in your brand. They're going to dig either way, so you might as well give them something to make their search worthwhile. Additionally, when done correctly, content marketing drives organic traffic from search engines like Google or Bing which can help increase website rankings and visibility, and of course, lead to more sales.
The key is to approach content marketing from an inbound perspective, meaning you want your content to reach your audience in a natural way and not appear too sales-y. HubSpot recommends creating a narrative for your content to follow. By telling a story, you depart from a cookie-cutter, prepackaged sales pitch to something that feels more authentic. The inbound marketing strategy is about thoughtfully tailoring your content to your target audience and their needs, rather than interrupting them (the outbound way). You appear naturally during their search for information.
For example, if the used car market is making a comeback, then people might be researching auto financing. If you're a financial institution that wants to position itself as a viable resource for potential car buyers, then you could write a blog post with advice for financing a used car. Based on keyword research, said blog post would appear in search engine results pages, bringing your target audience right to your site naturally.
How Content Marketing Will Evolve in the Coming Years
As 2023 gets underway, content marketing is evolving as we speak. We will likely see more interactive elements being added into content strategies such as podcasts, webinars, live streaming events, and virtual reality experiences. Audiences now expect more dynamic forms of communication that deliver meaningful interactions. Companies will also have to pay more attention to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok and incorporate significantly more short-form video content into their strategies, as these platforms have become increasingly popular with younger generations who are often overlooked in traditional forms of advertising.
Perhaps most importantly, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has exciting possibilities for the future of content marketing.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Content Marketing
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in the way companies approach content creation and distribution in 2023. AI-driven automation tools can help identify key topics that are trending on social media platforms or capture user data from search engines so that businesses can tailor their content strategies accordingly. AI-based chat bots can also give customers 24/7 access to helpful information so they don't have to wait for answers during business hours or navigate through a long customer service phone menu.
In terms of copywriting, AI can help bridge the gap between productivity and writer's block, alleviating some of the stress of content marketers. There are several AI solutions on the market that can help content marketers and copywriters with blog posts, email headlines, social media captions, and a plethora of other kinds of content. For example, Jasper is an AI copywriting assistant that can help generate everything from blog posts to Instagram captions; it also includes a chat feature similar to ChatGPT, where the user can interact conversationally with the AI to produce copy. The content these AI systems produce is highly accurate and optimized for SEO. The marketer can even specify a tone or voice the copy should read as, meaning your content will be more conversational and not overladen with keywords and jargon.
The possibilities for AI copywriting are endless and will only rapidly improve. However, it’s important to note that AI is not a replacement for marketers. For now, these systems are a great way of getting the creative juices flowing and providing a foundational block of content for the marketer to then come in and fine-tune. The AI systems still require a learning curve where the marketer must figure out how to talk to them and provide specific prompts to get the best outputs. Marketers are learning just as much from AI as the technology is from them.
The future of AI copywriting will require less quality assurance and editing, but for now, the human element a copywriter brings to the technology itself is the perfect marriage of skill and technology.
Conclusion
Content marketing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon—in fact, it will only become increasingly important over the next few years as technology continues to evolve at such a rapid pace. By leveraging AI-driven automation tools and adapting existing tactics for new platforms like Instagram and TikTok, companies of all sizes can remain competitive in this ever-changing digital landscape while engaging with their target audiences more effectively than ever before.