We continue with our review of digital marketing trends and it is the turn of a discipline that never goes out of style: inbound marketing.
Inbound or attraction marketing is based on attracting users to our brand by offering them value. This basic premise has evolved over the years, as technological possibilities increase to attract new customers, accompany them throughout the conversion funnel and retain them. So that you are up to date, we are going to see what are the most promising inbound marketing trends for 2023 .
The trends in inbound marketing that will dominate the landscape in 2023
1) Short video content
Short videos are one of the digital marketing trends that have had the most weight in recent years. According to Hubspot’s Marketing Industry Trends study, more than half of short-form video marketers plan to increase their investment by 2023. Plus, short-form video has the best ROI of all social media strategies.
Originally, short videos became popular with a younger audience through platforms like Vine and TikTok. But today this format reaches all age groups and demographics through platforms like Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. All kinds of brands have jumped on the bandwagon, from dental clinics to air conditioning installation companies.
We now have several years of data, analysis and optimization of the results of short videos, so the time has come to refine our strategies and combine organic and paid short videos on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, Tumblr, YouTube and Pinterest.
2) Podcasts and audiobooks for an inbound strategy
Video is not the only content format available to marketers. Audio, through podcasts and even audiobooks, is a viable way to drive inbound traffic and nurture leads further down the conversion funnel.
Traditional advertising frequently resorted to this format through the classic ads and sponsored content on the radio. It was a channel widely used to increase brand awareness in a wide audience at a relatively low cost.
Podcasts can be a very powerful inbound marketing channel for brands that are focused on educating consumers, want to reach a slightly larger audience, and are looking to encourage audience engagement.
In addition, this format is booming and the figures show it:
- 66% of people prefer podcasts to television.
- 58% prefer podcasts to social networks.
- 96% like podcasts more than newspapers.
- 74% of people listen to podcasts to learn new things.
3) The timeless inbound content strategy
Content marketing has been one of the key trends in inbound marketing for 25 years and will continue to be so for a long time. But to achieve the best results and make the investment in content marketing profitable in 2023, we are going to focus on timeless or “evergreen” content .
Timeless content is content that continues to provide value to users over time, with few or no updates. Typically, these are pieces of content that explain a topic in detail. Although they may require a certain amount of time and resources to create, their great advantage is that they continue to provide benefits for many years, so the return on investment is excellent.
We believe that continuing to bet on content creation as a pillar of inbound marketing in 2023 can bring many advantages to brands:
- Payment methods, email marketing and sales teams represent a high cost for brands, which also increases over time. Instead, content marketing, especially through evergreen content, can be much more profitable.
- New AI tools help us identify valuable search terms and create targeted content for them to generate more leads.
- The content increases both the reach and the interaction achieved with social networks. To get the most out of this channel, you need to post new content regularly.
4) Ungated content vs. gated content
When planning your content strategy for 2023, there is an important question you will need to answer: gated or ungated content?
The gated content or closed content is that which is “hidden” behind a form, that is, the user must leave us their data in order to access. It is a strategy that allows us to take advantage of our content to generate leads, but it offers less benefits in terms of search engine optimization and could also deter some of our potential customers.
Instead, the ungated content or open content is publicly accessible. This type of content helps us improve SEO and brand awareness and build trust with our audience.
Of course, both types of content are not mutually exclusive. In many cases, the optimal strategy is to leave a lot of the content open, but create a few pieces of high-value content to use as gated content to get leads. For this strategy to be effective, we have to focus on creating very attractive landing pages for our target audience.
5) Social-first content to attract leads
For a growing percentage of consumers, the go-to site for answering questions is no longer Google but TikTok . Users seek advice from people they perceive to be close to them, rather than from corporate websites. And this trend spans everything from current news to skincare products.
Now, the lead research process spans different platforms, formats, and creators. They search for exceptional educational and entertaining videos and check the comments to learn what other people think.
For marketers, this means that it is time to focus on social-first content , that is, content that is consumed directly on social networks and encourages the user to leave a comment. A Twitter thread, a 200-word LinkedIn post, or a TikTok video are examples of this trend.
For best results, go for a unique tone and style for each network, try to create native content for each platform instead of reposting, and include calls-to-action that are focused on interactivity rather than traffic.
6) The use of video through the customer journey
Video is an extremely versatile format, which we can use throughout the customer journey to increase conversions:
- In the acquisition phase, video can help us convert visitors into leads and leads into customers. For example, you can include a company
- introduction video on your home page, create video tutorials of your products, or use videos to communicate the latest news.
- In the adoption phase, videos are used to show the value of your product, for example through expert reviews, webinars, or case studies.
- In the loyalty phase, branding videos can help you turn your customers into brand ambassadors with content like trailers, tips, company culture videos, and behind-the-scenes footage.
- Video can also be a format to create timeless content and get results for a long time, combining two inbound marketing trends in one.
7) Webinars: from learning to experience
The coronavirus pandemic was the ultimate boost for webinars . Now that this format has caught on with a wide variety of brands, we need to think about how to run webinars that stand out and achieve their goals.
The biggest challenges of this format are getting attendees to stay until the end and converting webinar attendees into leads or customers. Write down these tips to get them:
- If you have already organized a webinar before, analyze the results and identify the main changes that you need to introduce. Was the length adequate to the expectations of your audience? Did the topic add value?
- Think about how to engage with users throughout the webinar to deliver a memorable experience. It can be as simple as running a poll with questions at regular intervals and asking the audience to participate.
- Use the live chat feature to receive and answer questions from the audience and encourage interaction.
- Offer rewards to users who stay connected throughout the webinar, for example, the chance to enter a raffle.
8) The growth of B2B brands on TikTok as part of their inbound strategy
Although TikTok may not be the first channel we think of when talking about B2B marketing, the truth is that B2B brands get more interaction and ROI on this social network than B2C brands. According to Hubspot data, 58% of B2B marketers planned to increase their investment in TikTok, compared to 49% of B2C marketers.
Therefore, we believe that we will see more and more B2B and technology companies on TikTok. This channel will be used to target brand personas through how-to tips in an easy-to-consume format.
Another interesting trend in B2B marketing on TikTok is the use of influencers to create co-branded or sponsored content, since third-party content generates more trust than content that comes directly from brands. This is not only a great opportunity for brands, but also for agencies that can offer the necessary tools, services and training to work with TikTok.
9) Automation and growth of investment in revenue operations
The recent Hubspot State of Media & Content Planning Report showed that 78% of media planners use automation . Thanks to tools from Hubspot itself and other companies in the sector, marketers can automate key aspects of their work and use the time saved to improve the customer experience and brand results.
We believe that marketers will continue to find new and creative ways to use automation in their daily work and for the benefit of their marketing organization. There will also be a continued need for Revenue Operations (RevOps) as we face a hectic market where companies will need to be able to pivot quickly and work with few resources.
10) Which inbound actions will work best for B2B and B2C companies
Finally, we are going to conclude this review of the inbound marketing trends in 2023 by seeing what will be the most effective actions according to the type of company.
For B2B companies , Hubspot highlights the following:
- The combination of inbound marketing and SEO is more effective in B2B than in B2C.
- B2B brands get better ROI from inbound marketing and SEO in general.
- These types of brands are more likely to use blogs, case studies, white papers, and interviews in their content.
- LinkedIn is much more effective for B2B brands.
- B2B brands are more likely to prioritize SEO over brand collaborations.
For their part, B2C companies should take note of these actions:
- For B2C brands, voice search optimization, virtual and augmented reality, influencer marketing, podcasts, and short-form content are most effective.
- B2C brands get better ROI with short forms and native advertising.
- B2C brands’ marketing budget is more likely to increase next year.
- Physical advertisements, such as billboards, are more effective in B2C.
- B2C brands are more likely to use podcasts and checklists.
- B2C brands are increasing their investment in Twitch.
- B2C marketers are more likely to prioritize brand collaborations over SEO.
Lastly, among the strategies that work for both B2B and B2C brands, we highlight social networks, content marketing, segmented social ads, influencer marketing, and TikTok.