content marketing

Stay Ahead of the Game: Social Media Trends for 2023

MOMENTUM Business Support Business Support, Digital Marketing, Social Media
A woman sitting at a desk using her mobile phone

Social media continues to play a central role in shaping how we communicate, consume and make decisions. With every year, comes new advancements, trends, and technologies in the social media sphere. For small businesses looking to maximise their social media presence, the key is to stay ahead of the game by keeping up with these trends. Here are some social media trends that your small business needs to know to succeed in 2023.

Repurposing content: In 2023, repurposing of content will continue to be a significant trend in social media. This is where businesses recycle old content into new forms of content. For example, turning blog posts into infographics, using Instagram stories highlights, and reposting top tweets. Repurposing allows businesses to bump up their content’s online exposure and reach a wider audience. This is particularly important for small businesses because it means that they can sustain their social media presence without continually generating new content.

Video Content: With the rise of the short-form video platform Tik Tok, video content will continue to be a trend in social media for small businesses in 2023. By creating videos for social media, businesses can exhibit their creativity and connect with their audience. Small businesses can use various formats such as live-streaming, video testimonials from clients, and explainer videos to create engaging video content. Video content has been shown to increase engagement and build customer trust.

Personalised content: In 2023, personalised content will be more crucial than ever. With algorithms continuously modifying users’ timelines, businesses must focus on making their content tailored, relevant, and personalised. Personalised content includes targeting different audiences, segmenting email lists, and customising social media ads based on audience predispositions. For small businesses, personalisation is essential because it increases customer loyalty and brand loyalty.

Customised Influencer Marketing: Influencer marketing has been a crucial trend in social media for a while now. In 2023, it will become more personalised, focusing on specific influencers in niche markets. Small businesses can take advantage of this trend by identifying social media influencers that fit their industry, and partnering with them to create content. Content created this way has been shown to increase sales leads and build stronger customer relations.

Ephemeral Content: Ephemeral Content defined as digital content, is short-lived and designed to showcase more authenticity with limited time for capturing the moment. Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook stories commonly exhibit this trend in social media. Video content in social media manifests as live streams or disappearing videos, images or texts. Small businesses can use ephemeral content to share behind the scene moments, teasers for product launches, and provide exclusive looks into their businesses. Ephemeral content appeals to audiences that crave authenticity and transparency.

Small businesses that can anticipate and adapt to social media trends early will have a significant advantage in 2023. Repurposing, Video Content, Personalised content, Customised influencer marketing, and Ephemeral content are top social media trends for small businesses to consider.  Developing and improving social media strategies with these trends can help small businesses establish an immersive online presence, boost their brand reputation and connect with a wider audience. The social media landscape continues to evolve, so embracing innovative approaches is critical to staying relevant and successful in 2023.

If you’d like to discuss our Social Media Management services or require any other business support, our team would love to help! Get in touch:

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789

Top 5 Ways To Optimise Your Content Marketing Strategy

MOMENTUM Business Support Business Support, Digital Marketing, Social Media
Woman sitting at a desk working on a digital tablet device.

As a business owner or marketing manager, you know that creating high-quality content is essential for driving results. But with so many demands on your time, it can be difficult to know where to start or how to make the most of your efforts.

What if we told you that there are some simple – yet highly effective – ways to optimise your content marketing strategy and see growth? In this blog, we’ll share the top 5 ways to optimise your content marketing strategy so that you can start seeing better results in no time.

Plan your content strategy using buyer personas

One of the best ways to optimise your content marketing strategy is to start by planning your content using buyer personas. Buyer personas are fictional, idealised representations of your target customers. They take into account your customer’s demographics, behaviours, motivations and goals. Developing buyer personas for your business will help you create more targeted and effective content. When you know who you are talking to, it is much easier to create content that speaks to their specific needs and preferences. As a result, your content is more likely to resonate with your audience and convert them into customers or leads.

Utilise more photos and visuals

Another great way to optimise your content marketing strategy is to utilise photos and visuals. Recent studies have shown that articles with images get 94% more views than those without. And tweets with images get 150% more retweets than those without. Including photos and visuals in your content will not only help you to get more views and engagement, but it will also make your content more memorable. When you include visuals, you are giving your readers another way to engage with your content and understand your message.

Make sure your website is optimised for search

If you want your content to be seen by as many people as possible, then you need to make sure your website is optimised for search. This means including relevant keywords in your titles and meta descriptions and making sure your website is easy to navigate and mobile-friendly. By improving your SEO, you will make it easier for people to find your content when they are searching for keywords related to your product or service. As a result, you will see an increase in website traffic and engagement.

Use social media to amplify your reach

Another tactic for boosting your content marketing strategy is to use social media to amplify your reach. When you share your content on social media, you are increasing the chances that it will be seen by more people. Not only that, but social media is a great way to start a conversation about your content and get people talking. When you can get people talking about your content, you are more likely to see interaction and improved sales.

Experiment and analyse your results

Finally, one of the best ways to optimise your content marketing strategy is to experiment and analyse your results. Try different things and see what works best for your business. Then, track your results so that you can see what is working and what is not. By experimenting and tracking your results, you will be able to fine-tune your content marketing strategy and focus on the tactics that are producing the best results. It will also allow you to look back upon your progress and better track your business growth.

We hope you find this blog, insightful. If you’ve enjoyed the read, why not share it on your socials? Be sure to tag us and let us know what you think! If you’d like to find out more about optimising your content strategy or require any other support, we’ve got the team to help. Get in touch:

T: 01903 688789 E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com

6 Ways To Elevate Your Business Blog

MOMENTUM Business Support Business Support
A Man typing out a blog on a laptop on a desk

Having a business blog for your company is important beyond reasons you might expect. Apart from becoming an informative source for your audience, studies show that websites housing regular blogs get more than twice the amount of traffic than those without. They boost your SEO, provide additional social media exposure, and can be incredibly useful for building an email database on customers which can be used for bulking up mailing lists. Moreover, they present your brand as an authoritative voice – showcasing you as an expert in your field and thus gaining more audience trust and recognition.

While writing blogs undoubtedly brings significant benefits, it can be time consuming and requires a level of consistency and execution. But what is the key to doing it well?

Create a strong heading

Create a heading that will immediately grab the attention and tell the audience that you have something worth saying. Try and capture the essence of your content while making the title snappy and easily readable. Distil the entire idea of your blog into the title. Highlight what new information you’re bringing, and don’t be afraid to add a bit of drama – a cliff-hanger to make the audience curious e.g., “5 Shocking Benefits Of Social Media” or some brackets e.g., “How To Be Productive (The Smart Way)”. Be sure not to be overly generous with the word count, it’s good practice to make the title of your blog less than ten words long.

Cater towards your audience

Always tailor content to your target audience. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the target audience of your whole business, but rather who you are aiming the blog at. This could be a different demographic than your normal audience if you have a new and different product or service being released soon. If your blog has a comment section, then it’s a great idea to interact with any queries or comments your readers may have.

Keep it short and frequent

With short form content dominating the internet, media consumers have shorter attention spans than ever – so keep it brief and easy to digest. Short blogs that are released more frequently have been proven to be more effective than longer blogs released every couple of weeks. Blogging a couple times a week is ideal to increase traction however, if you have fewer resources or personnel available to your company, then a weekly post is generally recommended.

Select the right tone

Remember that business blogs are different than personal or lifestyle blogs as their primary function is to promote your business. Depending on the nature of your company, choose the most appropriate tone. E.g., if you work in the legal sector you might want to opt for a more formal voice, but if you work in a field such as retail or media, you may like to select a more relaxed approach. If you’re usure of what would suit your business best, stick to a semi casual tone but keep it informative and professional.

Attach an appropriate blog image

It’s no surprise that content which contains visuals tends to perform better, but that doesn’t mean that attaching any image will do. Always use high-quality, relevant visuals with your blogs, making sure that the subject of your image is in clear focus. Use pictures or graphics which offer the best representation of your writing and don’t be afraid to edit your visuals for some additional artistic flare. Don’t forget to use alt tags and optimise them for search visibility and be sure to adhere to copyright laws. If you’re on a budget check out some of our favourite sources such as Pexels, Canva, and Pixabay which all contain good selections of free imagery.

Master your SEO keywords

Make the most of your SEO keywords and conduct some research prior to writing your article. If you want to appear at the top of those search results, you’ll need to find out what kind of words are being actively searched for by your audience. Once you have done so, utilise them to your advantage, use them as topics and include them in your blogs. However, it’s best not to go overboard, as “keyword stuffing” can sometimes make your content appear lower in quality. To combat this, make use of long-tail keywords, related keywords and synonyms. Include one main keyword/keyphrase alongside two or three keyword variations per page.

We hope you have found this read insightful. If you’d like to find out more about elevating your blog writing or require any other business support, we have the team to help! Get in touch:

T: 01903 688789 E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com