Does content marketing still work in 2023?
The marketing world has changed drastically in the past few years. Believe me… I know!
When I first started out in my marketing career, believe it or not, I was working with print. Everything from flyers, pull-up banners, Aboards to your box standard business cards. Yes, social was around (I’m only 30!) but it was used as an ‘add-on’, not the business’s key strategy. So when social ads became all of the hype I trained myself up… ASAP!
Now we live in an era where six out of ten users on Instagram login daily and TikTok has over one billion users. These stats are crazy, so it's no wonder that brands are upping their spending on ads.
But a question that I get asked ALOT in this game is “Does content marketing still work?”
My answer is always ABSOLUTELY YES!
Let me ask you a question …. When you need to find a solution to a problem such as ‘How do I add a shop to my Facebook page’, what do you do?
A - Call your parents
B - Sit and wait for the answer to come to you
C - Google the question
I’m guessing the majority of you answered C and this answers the question of whether or not content marketing still works! If your audience is going to Google and other site engines for their answers then content marketing still plays a huge role in 2023. By creating interesting and engaging content for users to find and read will not only boost that yummy organic SEO, but will also make you a trusted leader in your market, making your audience wanting and needing to come back for more.
Now let’s dive into the different kinds of content marketing you can utilise to build and grow your brand.
Blogging
At the end of last year, I predicted that blogging would make a major comeback and guess what… it’s doing just that! Blogging is personally one of my favourite types of content to create. You can get your tone of voice and personality across to your audience in a much more personal way whilst establishing your voice in your market. When you are producing valuable and engaging content, your audience will respect you, and the more you HELP them, the more they will come back to you. Then, when they are ready to purchase they are more likely to come back to the thought leader that they trust, over the random ad they spotted on social.
Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t like ads. I do. In fact, I use them for my business. They’re great for getting seen and noticed to people who might not know you, but the problem with ads and any social content really is that one minute you see it and then the next it’s lost in Meta-verse. If you can nail those juicy keywords and create content that pops up on Google again and again when your audience is searching for it then you really are bossing your marketing strategy.
My pro tip: create a marketing strategy that works for you. You can’t be a pro at everything, but by picking 3 marketing activities and becoming a leader in those areas will boost sales and grow your business.
Tell me something. How many days and hours have you spent stressing over building your social media following? Let me guess, a lot.
and do you want to know who owns your followers? Newsflash it’s not you.
So many of my fellow business friends have either had their accounts disabled or hacked and then lost their audience forever. This would be devasting for any business.
The great thing about email is that YOU own your data and you know your subscribers will always be there (unless they unsubscribe) and as long as you are creating engaging content, then why would they want to?
There are different ways in which you can use email to your advantage.
Create an engaging email sequence to welcome your members
Segment your members into different funnels to create content specific for each phase
Send interesting monthly newsletters to keep your audience wanting to come back for more. Pro tip: in this area be you, I mean authentically you. Don’t copy another business and don’t try and mute your voice. Your audience wants to buy from you for a reason and the more authentic you are, the more your audience will appreciate it.
Whitepaper
So this type of content is brilliant for growing your audience. Here what we can do is create a juicy piece of work that you can share with your audience.
If you work in the travel industry you could create a travel guide in Europe including all of the best resorts and locations. For your audience to download their copy, you ask them to sign up for your newsletter. The great thing about this kind of content is you will build an audience that is genuinely interested in what you do and what you have to say.
If they want to download your work then they’re going to be interested in what you have to say!
(If you’re sitting thinking “wow this is a great idea, but I’ve got no idea where to start”… worry not. This is where I come in. I can create engaging and thoughtful whitepaper pieces for your business so that you can grow your audience and grow your business.
Book a free consultation call today and let’s see how we can help!
Webinars
Webinars are a great way to connect with your audience and establish yourself in your field.
A lot like blogging you can build trust and become a thought leader.
Use webinars to bring in new leads and offer freebies to your audience.
Infographics
Infographics are a great way to combine data, images and text to tell a story to your audience.
You can educate your customers on a topic that is within the industry, whilst creating content that can be repurposed on email, blogs and social. Win-win!
Social Media
As we mentioned earlier, social media has grown at a phenomenal rate. Therefore, you would be silly to not want to utilise this platform.
With the rise of TikTok and other newbies, it can be difficult to find your niche… your go-to platform. I always tell my clients that you can not be good at everything. Find 2 or 3 platforms that work well for your business and become an expert in this field.
Diversify your reach by sharing images, reels, videos, infographics, links, shopping, blogs and podcasts.
Use your feed to connect with your audience and give them interesting content that they WANT to read. Never post for the sake of posting.
Use ads to target and reach NEW people. People who didn’t know about you before. Bring them into your world and nurture them using all the content ideas above.
Need more help with social media? We can set up and manage your platforms for you so that you can get back to what you do best.
Book a free consultation call and find out how we can build a community and transform your business into a leader in your niche.
Podcasts
Podcasts are such a good way to build a community and share your knowledge with your audience.
If you are an expert in your field e.g. fitness, you could record an audio or even video podcast on the topic and publish them on Spotify. This then makes it easier for your audience and others who enjoy your content to find you.
Top tip: bring in a guest speaker from time to time and connect with other businesses who also have a podcast and return the favour. By partnering up you are doubling your potential audience and will be able to reach people who didn’t know about you and your biz.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level?
Book your free consultation call and let’s see if we’re a good fit!