1、5 content trends to watch in 2023We gathered a panel of industry experts from across the editorial,digital product and marketing spectrum to discuss how the digital content landscape evolved in 2022 and get their insights into what lies ahead for content publishers in 2023.White Paper2Contents03 Int

2、roduction04 Whats the new focus?05Publishingefficienciesareessential06Domorewithless07Aithreatornot?08Authenticcustomerexperiences10 Conclusion3IntroductionAs weve emerged from the COVID disruptions that defined 2020 and 2021 and adjusted to a“new normal”of hybrid work environments and ever-changing

3、 online behaviors in 2022,digital publishers and marketers recognize that,throughout these tumultuous times,content has remained critical.As such,in order to boost relevancy and bolster audience trust in 2023,content must be prioritized as the heart of the digital publishing business.During our rece

4、nt interview with several content experts,in thinking about predictions for the year ahead,thats precisely the theme they returned to time and again.Featuring independent marketing expert Julie Norquist Roy,executive director of product management at POLITICO Danielle Feldman,and Amazon Sciences in-

5、house editor Stephen Zorio,our discussion focused on insights gleaned from 2022 and the content-experience trends that our panelists have on their radars for ol 2023.The panel was moderated by Brightspot senior content manager Alistair Wearmouth.Running through the conversation was a sense that we m

6、ay have been a bit premature in thinking that the industry would seamlessly return to a post-pandemic normal.While that might have seemed the case in spring 2022,unexpected factors such as economic uncertainty,global conflicts,layoffs in the tech industry and other headwinds are now requiring a cert

7、ain degree of retrenchment.But that doesnt equate to less contentquite the contrary,in fact.These shifts instead demand that digital publishers create better and more relevant content.“Were now doubling down on what made us successful in the first place,”said POLITICOs Danielle Feldman.“I think the

8、theme for 2023 is doing more with less,and weve seen some success being able to repackage certain content on other platforms.”While conscious of ongoing developments in data analytics,privacy and personalization,content managers are also facing resource constraints.Looking ahead to 2023,our panelist

9、s anticipate less radical innovation and instead plan to strategically and frugally hone in on what they know consistently works:content that is relevant,trustworthy,extendable/reusable and of the highest quality.Were generalizing,of coursebut thats where our panel of content veterans all landed dur

10、ing our hour-long chat.Read on to discover where we think things are headed in the coming year.4“I think we kind of entered the year looking toward a bit more of a return to normalcy,and I think alongside that there was also excitement around having the opportunity to get back in a room with our cus

11、tomers,”noted Brightspots Alistair Wearmouth.“But as we close out the year,were looking at some economic headwinds such as rising energy costs and ongoing global crises like the war in Ukraine.I think its left us feeling more uncertain.”The panel concurred that,across the industry,the priority has s

12、hifted to how to best manage resources and embrace the challenges ahead.“Most of the organizations I work with right now are looking to ride it out,tighten the belt and focus on the things that work,”agreed Julie Norquist Roy.The focus now is on how to manage resourcesandplancontentaccordinglyWe thi

13、nk carefully about the content that we create and try not to produce pieces of content that are just essentially single-use.We want longer-term value.StephenZorioEditor,Amazon ScienceAnd whats interesting is that most people in the industry,from junior marketers to C-suite executives,acknowledge tha

14、t one of the things that does work is content.“In enterprise software sales,content is an investment that you can leverage and continue doing,”said Roy.The panel also noted that a critical component of effective content delivery is ensuring that the material meets readers where they are at precisely

15、 the moment they want it.For publishers,this requires pushing content to a variety of platforms and channels,often with a focus on content that can be easily extended or repurposed.For Amazon Sciences Stephen Zorio,the days of just throwing stuff up and hoping some of it sticks are gone.Instead,ther

16、es a growing insistence that good original coverage(of,say,NASAs Artemis Moon Mission)is developed and maintained for readersand for brandsin order to avoid the danger of what he calls“content debt.”“Theres a rising notion these days of something called content debtjust creating content to create it

17、.Amazon has many Leadership Principles,and one of them is around being frugal with what we do,so we think carefully about the content that we create and try not to produce pieces of content that are just essentially single-use,”explained Zorio.“We want longer-term value.”5Publishingefficiencies are

18、more than just good for the bottom linetheycanservethegreatergoodThe idea of content debt is one strand of a broader conversation into how publishers must contend with increasing demands on their time,but with fewer resources to manage it all.Todays digital experiences are more than the latest headl

19、ines on your websites homepage.Readers are discovering resources that may date back years,starting with an online search.Information that was published previously must remain accurate and valid,oftentimes requiring a concerted focus on updates and maintenance.Its what Wearmouth termed“active content

20、 management,”touching on a deeper theme of digital sustainability.This idea of digital sustainability is a trend that threads into growing environmental awareness.Any content organizations work is important,but it comes at a cost.Whether thats powering massive data centers or offering poor content e

21、xperiences driving up latency(especially in digitally underserved communities or countries),sustainability can start with content-management best practicesand the technology tools to drive efficient application of these best practices.Going further,an emerging trend as it relates to corporate Enviro

22、nmental,Social and Governance(ESG)outcomes is that business leaders are taking a more proactive approach toward the ways their technology thinking can solve bigger climate change challenges.Digital sustainability,which involves the use of technologies in everyday business applications to address cli

23、mate-related issues and improve outcomes,includes everything from optimizing supply chain management,to approaching digital transformation to improve processes,to focusing on the aforementioned active content management to deliver the best and fastest digital experiences.Its a trend that we expect t

24、o continue in 2023 in the face of climate change and the rising costs of energy.6Being asked to do more with less is nothing new for a publisher.But the demand for more content,faster and across more channels,is a perennial challenge.The year ahead will be no different.Our panelists are all well-ver

25、sed in the ways that editorial and marketing teams need to work togethersmarter and more strategicallyto deliver the best possible content outcomes.POLITICOs Feldman noted how,over the past five years,technology has augmented the processes for collaboration.The accessibility of workflow notification

26、s delivered to editors and reporters smartphones via Slack or text message,for example,removes the potential bottlenecks of getting a breaking news story out as fast as possible.“Domorewithless”is still the mantraI think the theme for 2023 is doing more with less,and weve seen some success being abl

27、e to repackage certain content on other platforms.DanielleFeldmanExecutive Director of Product ManagementPOLITICOIn-CMS workflow tools aid in ensuring the publishing pipeline moves as efficiently and smartly as possible.The same goes for other systems and integrations that streamline workflow connec

28、tivity across multiple platforms.This demand for streamlined solutions is a trend that stems from a very clear business pain point:Accessing content across multiple systems slows down the publishing process and negatively impacts the customer experience.To address this,content leaders need to move a

29、way from legacy technology platforms that are impeding digital transformations.A second part of this trend involves companies looking beyond their proprietary technology for outside editing and collaboration tools.And with all-inclusive solutions often not meeting the need,a mix of best-in-breed sol

30、utions must come into play.Todays content platforms,which sit at the heart of any publishing process,ultimately need to be extensible across other technologies to satisfy the CMS end users needs.7AI:“Neat,”but still not too much of a threatOngoing changes in the online environment,such as the downgr

31、ading of third-party cookies,are making organizations constantly reexamine the best ways to monitor how their audiences are engaging with content.“Something Im thinking about is the challenge with tracking and measuring our data in the wake of several privacy and technology changes,like the deprecat

32、ion of the third-party cookie and the changes with Apple Mail,”said Feldman.“Its making us really examine different ways we can figure out how our audience is engaging with our content,especially our newsletters.”Equally,debates continue around artificial intelligence(AI)and its impact on content.“I

33、 seem to read every week about some new AI chatbot,and everybodys thinking as a journalist or a content writer,Am I going to be out of a job in five years?”noted Roy.She said her teams experiments with AI blog-post writing ended up with a recommendation to stick with the human experts.But she probab

34、ly speaks to many content professionals when she also noted,“Certainly,AI is doing some very,very interesting things to transform the way we work,so Ill be keeping a close eye on the whole AI movement around content creation.”“Its a neat tool to have,but certainly not a replacement,”added Zorio.“The

35、 role of humans remains vital.”Its a neat tool to have,but certainly not a replacement.The role of humans remains vital.8Another theme that surfaced throughout the conversation was the importance of building trusted,authentic and often personalized relationships with the reader or end consumer.This

36、has been a hot topic within the digital space for years,as more and more people expect personalized content experiences that are tailored to their needs and are immediately available across various platforms.While the technology exists to make such personalization possible,many publishers feel they

37、still arent getting personalization right.Whats more,this challenge will only grow as new channels emerge that require differentiated approaches to content.Authentic,personalized experiences need to be created for your customer,not done to them“Most of the organizations I work with are now looking t

38、o tighten their belts and focus on the things that work,one of which is contentproviding trusted,authentic content to our buyers and leveraging our customers to tell their story.”JulieNorquistRoyIndependent marketing expertThe increasing need to gather first-party data to address the impact of the d

39、isappearance of third-party cookies(as well as consumer privacy concerns about what data people agree to share)will continue to push content personalization as a trend.And its one that builds into the idea of fostering better,more authentic relationships with the end user.“Most of the organizations

40、I work with are now looking to tighten their belts and focus on the things that work,”states Roy.”One of which is contentproviding trusted,authentic content to our buyers and leveraging our customers to tell their story.Can you deliver information thats going to be usable,consumable,authentic and tr

41、ustworthy to the buyer and do that in a way that isnt cost-prohibitive?”9In the year ahead,we will need to approach audiences with a greater sense of authenticity in order to build trust with the end consumer or end reader.Our panelists agree that is where the true value of personalization lies.“At

42、POLITICO,were looking at how we can really improve the experience for readers with the products we already have,”summarized Feldman.“People rely on us to do their jobs,so we really value the relationship with our readers and really care about establishing trust with them.One thing thats really impor

43、tant is to clearly label our content;for example,if theres an op-ed or an opinion piece,it clearly says that.”Across the board from a content perspective,we see that means doing more with less,but also continuing to build on the things that work for publishers.This includes:expanding multimedia with

44、 greater use of imagery and video;maximizing user data to ensure people get what they want,when they want it;and effectively and safely optimizing shareability.“I think weve never had such rich access to information and content,yet our attention spans are incredibly short,”said Roy.“Content has to b

45、e very engaging,ensuring our customers are sharing the contentthats going to be incredibly important.Along with authenticity,those are the kinds of things that were all going to be looking to develop.”In the year ahead,we will need to approach audiences with a greater sense of authenticity in order

46、to build trust with the end consumer or end reader.10ConclusionWhile our panelists dont have a crystal ball,their combined digital content creation toolbox is well-stocked with a variety of valuable,time-tested industry insights.Based on decades of experience and informed by the new,often unexpected

47、 lessons gleaned over the past couple of years,here are some key takeaways from our discussion,including reflections on 2022 and content prediction trends for 2023:While facing resource constraints,aim to do more with less by thoughtfully repackaging certain content across platforms.Attention spans

48、are short,so content must meet readers where they are at precisely the moment they want/need it.In the face of economic tightening across the industry,know where your readers arewhether thats LinkedIn,TikTok,your website or any other emerging channel.Avoid the pitfalls of“content debt;”in other word

49、s,dont create contentespecially single-use contentsimply for the sake of creating it.Instead,produce thoughtful content that has long-term value for your readers.Active content management requires a concerted focus on ongoing updates and maintenance.Consider a more proactive approach to implementing

50、 technology to help address larger climate change challenges and address rising energy costs.Especially within a new hybrid workplace model,its important to shift away from legacy technology platforms and embrace in-CMS workflow tools,best-in-breed solutions and other integrations to streamline publ

51、ishing.This can be a total“game-changer.”Keep an eye on AI as it relates to content creation,but remember the vital role of humans remains paramount.To create a personalized user experience that is built on trust and authenticity,its important to maximize user data,expand multimedia offerings and op

52、timize shareability.Experiment and take risks,but always listen to your audiences feedback through the study of metrics.Respond and tailor your approach accordingly.A rigorous,behind-the-scenes editorial process shows your readers they are valued.In 2023,hit pause on radical innovation and double do

53、wn on what you know consistently works:relevant,trustworthy,high-quality content.Above all,content must be prioritized as the heart of your digital publishing business.To learn more about how Brightspot is helping publishers prepare for new opportunities in 2023 and beyond,visit B and book your product demo today!