Almost half of 2022 is over with 4 more months to go, and some of us are snug as a bug in a rug because we have all the content ready and set to cover 2022. Don’t get too comfortable just yet. Because as everyone knows: even if we sleep, digital is wide awake. 

So, for those who are actively researching and keeping an eye on the latest trends in content marketing here is our take for the year 2023. 

But before that, for those of you who are new to the ground, let us break it down for you. 

Each Year, content marketing doesn’t remain the same and as a content creator, it’s important to be in the loop. But only a handful of these adaptations become major changes to your strategy. Most of the trends include minor improvements to the existing digital marketing strategies. However, one thing is clear: owning a clear content strategy is a necessity.

Here is why,

Owning a content strategy helps you to streamline your efforts to create content that matters to your audience which ultimately helps you to reach your goals.

So the first trend is,

1. User intent-centered content

Image source: Marcommnews

We often talk about how important it is to consider consumer buying habits when creating content, we even have a separate blog that explores the topic. However, experts reveal consumer intent will drive content in the year 2023 more than ever.

Simply, consumer intent is the why behind consumer actions. For instance, It could be someone looking up something on google. The terms someone enters on google give us an indication of where the buyer is at and where he is heading. 

For example, a search query like “Do I need to wear cycling glasses when cycling ?“ shows the searcher is in the early researching phases of shopping and he or she is just looking up for information, so a content piece in the form of a quiz or checklist might be effective. However, when someone types “buy cycling glasses near me” those are high commercial intent keywords and are more likely to convert.

Having this microscopic lens on your customers is bound to make you stand out from your competitor’s content strategy because you are digging deeper and deeper into the real intent behind every action a consumer takes. While your direct competitor is making shallow content based on known surface-level facts, you get to create content that will have a real impact on the same audience. This way you lead prospective buyers through the entire funnel to convert them into loyal customers. 

This doesn’t mean that the same piece of content is targeted to every tom dick and harry because your content will be solely centered around different user intent. Therefore, your content mix will vary in different content formats across different channels. Hot leads will be targeted with PPC ads right at the top of search results while less-intent leads will be targeted with many other formats of content. After seeing your content and building a lasting impression, the low-intent lead may come back as a hot lead later. 

On the other side, this level of understanding might even reveal surprisingly real intent that no one in the industry has been able to uncover. 

For example, 

see this comment posted by our readers on our recent blog article.

Besides, when you dig deeper the more data you gain the more you will build a massive pool of content ideas over time that you can refer to from time to time 😍.

So a little bit of overthinking will not hurt, right? 

2. Storytelling – Emotions backed with Numbers

Great brands have stories to tell, stories that move people greatly.  Though the term “the art and science” seems like an overused buzzword, with respect to impactful storytelling it does have a meaning. While powerful storytelling is an art that appeals to the emotional side of humans, it also happens to be a science supported by numbers which make stories more convincing.

How convincing and believable a story is, depends on the details. When you go on about a fairy tale, purely talking about how your customer had a problem, how your product helped him solve a specific problem, and how the customer lived happily ever after may sound merely fictional. 

Data will differentiate your story  

 Instead, how about you take a quantitative approach saying in what percentage the problem was affecting the user, creating more depth into the situation and on what level your solution has made a positive impact on the customer’s life. This way, your story sounds credible and will provide a sense of direction towards a decision in the consumer’s mind.

3. Gamification through Videos and interactive elements 

To this date, video content has been in the spotlight and keeps ever-growing. Video content has so much power in visualizing to keep audiences on the hook which makes them inherently easier to consume. People enjoy consuming immersive and highly engaging videos. 

Besides videos, immersive formats that visually appeal to consumers are the most sought content formats by Brands.  These processes add game-like elements to videos that make people participate in them. This is why famous brands like Coca-Cola, Heinz, and Redbull to name a few invest heavily in new and immersive mini-games and interactive infographics.

Especially, professionals in the IT industry obsessively hunt to create these state-of-the-art channels given how fast the technologies like Virtual and augmented Reality and Artificial intelligence keep evolving.

How Kenzo took Gamifying to the next level

While gamification builds active engagement, The french luxury brand, Kenzo took it to the next level proving that a brand experience can be activated in real-time in the digital space. To promote the launch of its premium sneaker range, Kenzo gamified its eCommerce experience by limiting entry to only a handful of players, speaking to the exclusivity of the product. The game was a thrilling fierce battle of blood where the players had to virtually defeat other opponents even to be eligible to make it to the purchasing round to grab one of the hundred exclusive pairs of sneakers.

Watch this video to see how Kenzo gamified its online buying experience.