The Top 6 Must-Know Content Marketing Trends for 2023

We are now firmly in 2023, and content marketing continues to evolve rapidly. For content marketers and business owners, it’s essential to understand the biggest trends and shifts that will impact your strategy this year.

After examining research and insights from industry leaders, we’ve identified the top 6 content marketing trends you need to know for 2023. Master these trends to maximize your success.

#1: Obsess Over Audience Needs and Intent

In 2023, creating content that offers true value to your readers is critically important. Google’s helpful content update has reinforced this, rewarding pages that provide satisfying experiences.

To create valuable content, you must obsess over your audience and what they need or want from your content. Here are some tips:

Analyze search intent behind keywords to understand user goals and questions. Create content that answers these needs.
Dive deep into social conversations within your niche audiences. Identify pain points you can address.
Survey existing audience members or conduct interviews to learn what challenges they face.
Optimize content for E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness). Become a trusted source on topics your audience cares about.
Avoid generic, low-value content. Differentiate with practical advice based on deep audience insights.

#2: Level Up Your Content Quality and Experience

With the rise of AI content creation, high-quality human-produced content is more important than ever. To stand out in 2023, level up your content quality and the overall experience you deliver.

Focus on creating practical, useful content based on your expertise and experience. Avoid vague or generic posts that offer little value.
Ensure your brand voice and story are consistent across content assets. This strengthens engagement by building connection and trust.
Optimize content for high click-through rates, not just rankings. Use compelling titles, intros, and formatting.
Obsess over page experience including site speed, UX design, visuals, and interactivity. Apply conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategies.
Promote high-performing content across social channels and paid ads. Amplify reach and impact.

#3: Sharpen Your Focus on Content ROI

With economic uncertainty, marketers need to prove content marketing ROI. Set clear objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) for your content that align to business goals.

Here are some ways to demonstrate ROI:

Set targets for organic traffic and leads as the primary KPIs for content. Monitor rankings and click-through rates.
Connect content to revenue by tracking site conversions and attributed sales.
Calculate content efficiency by comparing output to performance and costs. Identify your highest and lowest ROI content types and topics.
Tie content engagement metrics like social shares, links, comments, and downloads to brand awareness goals.
Analyze the impact on customer retention and loyalty. Connect content engagement to LTV and repeat purchase rates.

#4: Owned Platforms Are Your Safe Haven

In 2023, constantly shifting social media algorithms have made owned platforms like blogs more appealing. While you should have an omnichannel content presence, own and master your website blog.

Funnel investment into high-quality, long-form articles and recurring content like email newsletters.
Produce long-term evergreen content like guides and tutorials that will accumulate traffic over time.
Use your blog content to fuel social distribution but don’t depend on social platforms alone.
Optimize blog content for organic search and traffic. Target keywords aligned with your products or services.

#5: Optimize for Qualified Clicks, Not Just Rankings

With Google’s evolving search results page, ranking #1 doesn’t guarantee clicks and traffic. In 2023, obsess over optimizing content for high click-through rates and qualified traffic.

Research trends around featured snippets, knowledge panels, and video carousels that may prevent clicks.
Analyze your top landing pages to identify ones with poor click-through rates. Diagnose the issue and improve content quality.
Test different title formulas, intro copy styles, image placements, and calls to action.
Promote your best-performing pages outside of just search results, like through social and email distribution.

#6: Assess Purchasing Established Sites or Creators

Building an audience from scratch via content marketing takes significant time and resources. In 2023, consider “renting” existing audiences by acquiring established sites or creators.

Identify sites with engaged niche audiences closely aligned to your customers. Negotiate a strategic acquisition.
Strike content partnerships, syndication deals, and guest posting opportunities with authorities in your space.
Sponsor rising social media influencers or pay to collaborate on joint content projects.
Acquire existing content assets like popular blogs, newsletters, podcasts, or communities. Migrate them to your ecosystem.

Content marketing success in 2023 depends on understanding these major trends and shifts. Evaluate if there are gaps in your existing strategy or execution across these areas. Brainstorm and test new approaches to address any areas you need to optimize or improve.

With the right strategy adaptations, your content will connect with audiences authentically and drive measurable business value this year and beyond.

Stay Ahead of Major Content Marketing Shifts

Evolving search algorithms, emerging technologies, and changing consumption habits require constant adaptation. But with overworked marketing teams, stagnation can creep in.

Partnering with Humming Studios ensures your content strategy stays ahead of the latest trends. Our proven methodology is designed to help brands:

Analyze audiences and intent to create relevant, valuable content
Level-up content and experiences based on performance data
Connect content efforts to overarching business goals
Build omnichannel strategies focused on owned channels
Optimize for qualified traffic and conversions from all sources
Identify and capitalize on audience acquisition opportunities

Let our content marketing experts assess your current efforts and identify areas to optimize. We’ll conduct in-depth audits, provide actionable recommendations, and handle implementation.

Get started now by booking a free consultation. Let’s ensure 2023 is a year of content marketing success.

The Top 6 Must-Know Content Marketing Trends for 2023

#1: Obsess Over Audience Needs and Intent

#2: Level Up Your Content Quality and Experience

#3: Sharpen Your Focus on Content ROI

#4: Owned Platforms Are Your Safe Haven

#5: Optimize for Qualified Clicks, Not Just Rankings

#6: Assess Purchasing Established Sites or Creators

Stay Ahead of Major Content Marketing Shifts

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