If there’s one thing marketers have learned in recent years, it’s to prepare for anything. We’re dealing with an ever-changing digital landscape, paradigm-shifting tools (like ChatGPT), and more. So how can you prepare your content marketing strategy to help your business grow organically this year? To find out, we asked experts what they see as trends in the near future. Follow along and find out what they said!

1. A greater focus on the audience

While AI and automation continue to impact the world of content production, 2023 will be a year of getting back to basics. In other words, creating content that puts the needs of the target audience first.

When asked, 47% of marketers said that audience research was the main factor that led to their content marketing success. And 44% said improving the quality and value of their content was also important.

Need more evidence?

Just take a look at Google’s recent updates. Updating useful content alone shows how crucial it is for industry professionals to know and understand their audience.

Google looks for content that:

Provide users with a satisfactory experience;

Fulfill what you promised.

In other words, Google — like your audience — values ​​content that is designed to help, answering real and relevant questions in a way that makes sense.

2. Improving content quality is a priority

As mentioned above, 44% of marketers said that improving the quality and value of content was an important factor in their success.

In 2023, this will be even more important. And it’s something that is within the reach of companies of all sizes, says Marketing Content Lead at Semrush,  Margarita Loktionova.

That’s why this tactic is quickly becoming the number one success factor for driving traffic, engagement, and conversions. A whopping 53% of our survey respondents say that improving content quality helped them rank higher in search.

So how do you improve the quality of your content? It depends. In short, be authentic.

There are other ways to benefit from this format — for example, creating Virtual Tours:

3. Prove that the ROI will be positive

The year 2023 has arrived and brought with it the economic uncertainties of the past. For marketers, this means our budgets will be evaluated even more closely.

To do this, we will need to spend the year proving the ROI (return on investment) of our work. How do we do it? Marketing Insider Group CEO Michael Brenner says the answer is SEO-driven planning, generating organic search and referral traffic.

4. Human content will be a priority despite the trend towards AI-generated content

ChatGPT is big news in the world of content marketing, and for good reason: with AI-generated content at our fingertips, anyone can create more content, faster.

But does this mean you should hang up your boots and go all-in on AI? Not quite, says Vinícius Gambeta , Head of Content at Agência de Bolso:

5. Ranking will be less relevant, but click-through rate will be important

Search engines strive to answer user questions as efficiently as possible — think featured snippets, related questions, and knowledge panels in SERPS.

As a result, users may not have the necessary incentive to click on pages. Because of this, content marketers need to adjust their strategies to compensate.

Which page was most successful?

If you’re just measuring ranking, the answer would be page A. But how do these results align with your business goals?

That’s why Orbit Media CMO Andy Crestodina says SEO agencies will start focusing less on ranking reports and more on other metrics like click-through rates.

6. Buy growth, not just build it

As content marketers, we often approach growth incrementally. Our goal is to generate an audience over time, attracting the public to our website.

However, according to Joe Pulizzi, co-founder of CEX: Creator Economy Expo, 2023 will change this scenario.

In other words, think like a media company and consider making acquisitions as part of your strategy. This can help you reach your goals faster so you can focus your content marketing efforts elsewhere.