Top 5 Content Marketing Trends That You Must Watch Out For

Content marketing is constantly evolving. As attention spans keep shrinking and the cycle of demand for something new and exciting becomes shorter, content marketing is evolving too. As content is the heart of branding, generating leads, and even for sales conversion (SEO and PPC), it’s imperative to follow the latest trends that help boost marketing.

What worked in 2022 may not work in 2023. Heck, what worked two months ago may not work now. With so much importance on virality, marketers cannot just sit on top of one trend that works. They need to continuously create newer ways to keep their consumers engaged.

Considering these factors, let’s explore what new ideas content marketers are putting out there and what new trends are sure to emerge in the coming year. After all, adopting them could mean you get more traffic on your website… and in turn, more lead generation.

Chapters

1.  A Shift Toward Premium and Personalized Content

Mass-produced content has had its moment. Every single brand is making content. There is so much of it that mediocre content simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Users are savvier to different types of content now and have started to naturally gravitate towards content that speaks to them in a personalized way.. And that is because expectations have changed; being relevant to what a buyer wants to know is really the gateway. Customers want substance, they want quality, and they want it now.

So, what’s the trend that is bound to emerge this year? Personalization.

People want to read content that feels tailor-made for them. This means brands need to go beyond generic blogs and create premium, highly targeted content based on preferences and data insights, such as infographics that are visually attractive and can explain complex ideas in simple illustrations.

Let’s consider two companies that have tailored their content for individuals in the right way.

Netflix

Netflix’s content personalization strategies have transformed the way we consume entertainment. Here are some things they’re doing right:

• Gathering extensive viewer data to inform decision-making and content creation.
• Always evolving measurement metrics to accurately assess audience engagement.
• Emphasizing the importance of data and measurement in B2B marketing and sales.
• Personalization tactics in B2B marketing include aligning efforts, customization, and concierge selling.

Netflix is zeroing in on data-driven personalization in the entertainment realm. But nearly all B2B marketing and content marketers can learn something here.

2. Accepting that AI Content is Here to Stay

If there’s one thing that ChatGPT has taught us, it is that there is no hiding away from AI content anymore. AI content is only going to multiply as time goes on; marketers just need to know how to leverage it to help their human content creators.

How is AI helping content creation? Once again, data is at the epicenter of this trend. The ability to collect extensive data empowers hyper-personalization and better content outcomes. However, there is one point to consider. While AI can supplement content creation and help generate more material in less time, it is not yet a complete replacement for human-generated content. Because in many cases, Google is still penalizing AI-only content… which hurts your website’s rankings.

Here are examples of how two companies are making the right use of AI in their content marketing.

IBM

IBM Research has developed an AI-powered system called Project Debater that can engage in complex debates with humans. Using natural language processing and deep learning techniques, the system analyzes millions of articles to gather relevant arguments and build a compelling narrative.

Now, it is still not at the level of human debaters, but Project Debater has shown the ability to change the stance of participants in debates and enrich their knowledge. The system aims to recognize bias in data sources and is being explored for potential applications in social media and interactive dialogue systems.
Both companies agree on one aspect—AI cannot replace humans. AI can supplement human abilities. And that’s what makes this trend.

3. A Change in Influencer Marketing

“De-influencing” seemed to be the buzzword at the beginning of the year. However, when that shift started to happen, brands soon started to realize that they could not simply do away with influences this soon.

In 2023, influencers and social media returned to becoming vital components of content marketing strategies. After all, each platform, from Instagram to TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter, offers unique tools to effectively distribute content… and these had to be made use of. This is why integrating influencers and social media once again began to significantly boost website traffic. It helped tailor content to resonate with platform users.
Here are two companies that are leading the influencer marketing trend just right:

Gymshark

Gymshark is a brand that makes clothes for people who love fitness, the gym, and fashion, specifically targeting young adults between 18 and 25 years old. They have become very successful by working with influencers who wear and promote Gymshark clothes in their workouts and videos.
Gymshark collaborates with influencers like @leanadeebb on Instagram and others in their community who mention or speak positively about the brand on social media. When followers of these influencers see them wearing and using Gymshark products, they are more likely to buy from Gymshark because they trust their favorite influencers.

These companies are examples that the influencer marketing trend is re-emerging. We are not “de-influencing” any time soon.

4. More Focus on Short-Form Content

Short-form content is going to get even more legitimized in 2023.

Videos are really popular nowadays. This is pretty evident with how much time people are spending watching them. Marketers have become pretty aware of this, and the B2B world is also catching up. Short-form videos truly are the rising stars of this year. There is a greater content push toward TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. They’re popular because people now have short attention spans. This sort of content is now making up a big chunk of mobile data usage—nearly 80% of all mobile data traffic.

Short-form videos are pretty efficient and cost-saving for brands. They can make more content in less time, and people are more likely to watch and engage with shorter videos. So, in 2023, you’ll see a lot of push towards videos under 10 minutes. And of course, TikTok-style content, which is less than a minute, will run supreme.

Here are some companies that are using short-form content as the new trend:

Fenty Beauty

Fenty Beauty really took TikTok tutorials by storm. Tutorials had always been popular on this app, and Fenty used TikTok and Instagram reels to show makeup tips and product launches.

Fenty Beauty has focused on TikTok because it wants to make content that Gen-Z could relate to. On TikTok, the hashtag #fentybeauty has gained over 44 million views, and the hashtag #fentybeautyhouse got 10 million views in just three weeks.

They really grabbed short form by the horns and took over when the time was right.

5. SEO Will Change Altogether

Our final trend links many of the above trends together.

New search engine guidelines are changing the way marketers create content. Instead of focusing solely on ranking high in search results, they now need to think about what readers actually want.

So, is SEO truly dead? Not really. The advent of SEO and short form won’t kill it. If anything, some more guidelines could come forth to regulate them. What brands should really aim for are zero-click searches. These could be in the form of informative snippets, instant answers or knowledge panels.

Conclusion

In the fierce battleground of content marketing, mediocrity won’t cut it anymore. The web is about to explode with content, and only those who dare to be unique, helpful, and stand out will emerge victorious.

While embracing AI is essential, it must be used wisely in harmony with human expertise. Beware of sensationalized headlines claiming that AI will replace everything in marketing. Such fluff won’t lead to real progress.

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