Content marketing, defined by Hubspot as “the process of planning, creating, and sharing content with your target audience” has seen significant growth in recent years with many attributing the growth to the rise in the number of users on social media, and the way that these users prefer to consume their content.
There are many different forms of Content Marketing which include Blogs, Social Media, Digital magazines and Video Content, and with new trends emerging each year it can be difficult to know where exactly businesses should increase budgets and focus their resources. So we will dive into these trends that are being seen in the content marketing world and look at what is in store for 2023.
Content Marketing to continue impressive growth rate
The global Content Marketing market size is estimated to be worth USD $407,300 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD $877,660 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 13.7% during the review period states a report of the market. This expected growth rate is further backed up by a recent report from the Content Marketing Institute that found just 4% of B2B organizations rated content marketing less important than the previous year. This type of exponential growth means the importance of content marketing is just going to keep increasing and businesses will continue to invest marketing dollars into this channel.
Immersive Experiences will lead the way
A recent survey found that the use of video will grow significantly in 2023, with 24% of marketers planning to invest more in video than any other media format. Podcasts will see the 2nd highest investment, with 10% of marketers investing more in audio content than any other media format.
This is likely due to consumers wanting to experience and be engaged in the content they consume, with the rise of social media, interactivity has become a need in content consumption, they want to see, hear and be immersed in their content which is no surprise that this sector of marketing will continue to increase.
The Importance of acquiring the right technology
The Content Marketing Institute report also discovered that whilst budgets and activity in Content Marketing is increasing, 61% of marketers said their organization either hasn’t acquired the right technology – or has the technology but isn’t using it to its potential. This is something we are hearing from many businesses during their hunt for a content creation platform. Many platforms are simply too clunky to use, require some level of coding experience or have no onboarding support.
So as businesses are now investing in their content marketing and immersive experiences of this content, this is a big area where we would expect to see an increase in investment in order to meet consumers where they are, and this investment will likely be needed to keep in line with the new trends.
Mobile First Strategy and Responsive Design
According to Statista, global mobile data traffic in 2022 is seven times larger than it was in 2017. Mobile device usage is increasing astronomically, and it’s in every content marketer’s best interest to keep pace with that trend. Mobile content needs to be at the forefront of the content strategy, it is no longer accepted by the vast majority of readers to pan and zoom to read on these preferred devices.
Responsiveness has also been on many a radar for the last few years, however, it is now an absolute must. According to StatCounter, over 50% of internet traffic now comes from mobile devices and as trends move towards mobile first strategy, the question now comes is it enough to be mobile first, or should this traffic be able to experience content in the same fluid way as desktop viewers.
More businesses are now moving towards creating content one time, vs content for desktop and content for mobile, and this is done by creating responsive content, which is building content one time that auto-reshapes to any device. This doesn’t have to be a complex and time-consuming process, there are now many platforms and solutions available like Experios, that allows you to build content one time, and ensures your content will always meet consumers equally and seamlessly on any device they view on. And by using a responsive content platform, it ensures your content performs as best as it can and is accessible to everyone.
Strategies and documenting performance
As Content Marketing increases in its importance within the marketing mix, having a formal process for content marketing was a tactic that the most successful content marketers shared. SEMrush foundthat “The next priority involves the continual improvement of the quality of your content. Focus on improving personalization and humanizing your content, while making sure it’s backed by solid research and an understanding of who your customers are. Don’t be afraid to show the personality and voice of your brand, all the while giving your audience a reason to engage with you.”
And as business work to increase performance, it is equally important to have strategies in place to understand how that content is performing, and then optimizing based on these results to be constantly improving and keeping up with the current trends.
Key Takeaways
Content marketing is set to continue to be a key priority for businesses to engage new and existing clients throughout 2023. The experience of accessing content on mobile devices needs to be a fundamental part of the 2023 marketing strategy, this includes the use of short form videos, relevant content and being accessible to all. So it is important when building a content strategy for 2023 and beyond that mobile first, responsive content takes a key role, and investing time and resources into the technologies needed to meet consumers where they are and engage with them in a truly interactive way is a must.
About Experios
Experios is 3D Issue’s all new Content Experience platform that allows you to build both internal communications and external content easily, while implementing your company branding. You can create annual reports, newsletters and brochures for your employees as well as your customers.. You can get started with Experios for free today, schedule a demo or start your free trial.
