Marketing

5 Content Marketing Lessons to Follow in 2023

By Constant Contact Lead Gen and CRM

Published on 31 January 2023

Three years after the pandemic ended in 2023, we like to think that the era of numerous changes in consumer and business behaviour is now a thing of the past. The public is now prepared to resume their pre-pandemic behaviours, however their routines have changed significantly.Here are a few examples of how consumer behaviour has changed.

Consumers now want to participate in hybrid experiences, such as online events and VR experiences within shopping.
They are used to experience advertisements through short videos i.e. Tik Tok and Instagram Reels.
Consumers want to engage with more information and content that brings emotional or practical value.

In this blogpost, we will outline 5 content marketing lessons to follow in 2023 while taking into account the adjustments and novel behaviours that have emerged since the pandemic years.

1. Value-Driven Content

In 2023 content marketing, engaging or educational content is valued more than generic contents online. Your updated content strategy should be more focused towards creating content that brings value to your consumers and aim at keeping them engaged with your content, rather than surfing through pages. Consumers today more than ever before tend to skip contents which they do not find useful or emotionally evolving.Allocating a specific budget for qualified videographers or content creators who can deliver engaging and high quality educational content would bring a higher return on investment as compared to aiming solely for clicks.

2. Plan interactive content

Make a point of using more content that is interactive and enlightens the audience to the point that they are drawn to learning more or comprehending your ideas or message. In this day and age, consumers are spoiled with so many options and choices in the world, that if something doesn’t spark our interest, we will move on fast, due to shorter attention spans. To grab the attention of the modern consumer, we need educational, engaging content that will convince consumers to continue reading or engaging to find the answer or knowledge they want.

Some ideas for more interactive content could be:

Short games
Polls
Quizzes
Assessments
Interactive webinars
Interactive eBooks
Cost or ROI calculators

3. Shift to Videos

The ASEAN region has set itself apart as a centre of 5G innovation, with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia helping lead the way in the global adoption of 5G.

Source: Exploding Topics, 2023

And we can only expect that number to increase significantly with the rise of TikTok and Instagram Reels in today’s consumer market. Companies need to start adopting videos in their content marketing if they want to stay relevant in today’s marketing landscape. In these short videos, consumers are able to grab information quickly while being entertained at the same time. This is a growing trend that the market simply cannot ignore.

4. SEO instead of Keywords

There is no marketing value in a well-executed content if consumers simply cannot find it online. In 2023, there will be less emphasis on keywords and page ranking but instead more focused towards trend hunting. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will still remain crucial to get important content and key pages indexed, but SEO teams will also need to watch for search trends to keep their team informed when there is a shift in the popularity of a certain phrase. Trend insights can also be used to plan editorial calendars where specific seasonal campaigns or yearly trends can be planned for in advance.

5. Empathetic content strategies

Consumers today place a high value on brands and businesses that show concern for social and environmental issues. More businesses are coming up with ways to give back or setting objectives to grow in more sustainable ways. This is important for marketing, as companies need not only make these goals, but also ensure that they keep their word as consumers are actively checking and keeping businesses to their promises. Modern consumers today are more likely to support businesses with long term social and environmentally friendly goals.

Did you know?

80% of Singaporean consumers care about environmental issues right now. Moreover, A third (32%) of consumers added that they would make most purchasing decisions based on product sustainability and environmental impact.

Source: Accenture, 2021

Consider how your business can convey your contribution to sustainability in your contents so that your customers will appreciate it. Conversely, if your company or product does not yet have this advantage, look into ways that it can implement the sustainability concept.

What's next for you?

Knowing major trends at the beginning of the year is always helpful because it gives you focus and helps you make the most of your limited resources. Read our blog post on 5 Trends to Look Out In 2023 and you will be up-to-date with general business and technology trends.

Meanwhile, working on content creation, it is good to experiment and try various hypotheses. Get familiar with A/B testing and utilise it in the right way. Learn it from our A/B Testing Guide for beginners.