Content comes at you fast, to paraphrase that old ad campaign from Nationwide. So, you likely missed (or forgot) some helpful and thought-provoking articles from this year.
Sure, we surface pieces through the in-case-you-missed-it entries in the CMI newsletters. But we’re a realistic crew (that produces a lot of content).
I pulled together this list of the 10 most popular articles published in 2023 to highlight things you might have missed. I assessed popularity based on a mix of data, including page views, email responses, unique linking domains, and some editorial discretion.
All these articles include a ton of knowledge you can use right away on emerging topics and evergreen fundamentals. I hope you find them as helpful as other readers did.
1. 5 Essential Elements for a Great Newsletter
Author: Jodi Harris
Why read this: Remember that ear-splitting BEEP followed by the robotic chant, “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System – this is only a test?” That thing shook ’80s kids from even the deepest Saturday cartoon-induced haze. Blaring a loud noise isn’t an option for getting attention in a noisy inbox (thank goodness).
But you can break through a noisy inbox. This article analyzes the successful designs, tactics, and content choices from newsletters that are easy to admire.
Notable excerpt
Offer flexible subscription terms: Give subscribers the option to self-select the content they receive – for example, a daily newsletter or a weekly digest. You can also segment content by topics or geographic region. It makes the newsletter more personally resonant – and helps you gather more data on your subscribers’ interests.
2. B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2024 [Research]
Author: Stephanie Stahl
Why read this: CMI’s annual research is one of the most read (and linked) pieces every year. The 14th edition rose up the charts more quickly than most. Maybe because we held nothing back, packing every finding into a single article instead of sending people to a PDF report.
Or maybe the details on everything from generative AI use to social media changes, how content work gets done, and where marketers plan to invest proved to be what everyone needed to figure out their plans for 2024.
Notable excerpt
AI in content remains mostly ungoverned. Asked if their organizations have guidelines for using generative AI tools, 31% of marketers say yes, 61% say no, and 8% are unsure.
We asked Ann Handley, chief content officer of MarketingProfs, for her perspective. “It feels crazy … 61% have no guidelines? But is it actually shocking and crazy? No. It is not. Most of us are just getting going with generative AI. That means there is a clear and rich opportunity to lead from where you sit,” she says.
“Ignite the conversation internally. Press upon your colleagues and leadership that this isn’t a technology opportunity. It’s also a people and operational challenge in need of thoughtful and intelligent response. You can be the AI leader your organization needs,” Ann says.
3. How To Optimize Your Content for Google’s Search Generative Experience
Author: Jim Yu
Why read this: People got a look at Google’s Search Generative Experience, an experimental generative AI-driven search interface, this year. And, as you can see in this article, it looks cool from the searcher’s perspective. (You can also sign up to test the feature through Search Labs.)
But, it raised many questions for content producers about what kind of content will surface and whether SGE will be another blow to site traffic as other zero-click search results have been.
Jim Yu, founder of SEO platform BrightEdge, explained how to prep your content for this new search environment.
Notable excerpt
If you refined your blog content based on Google Search’s helpful content system, you have a head start on building a strategy for Search Generative Experience. Google prioritizes useful, high-quality content and increasingly bumps out thin, generic content that doesn’t seem written by humans for humans.
With SGE, think about the natural flow of conversation between the searcher and Google’s AI. How can you better meet searchers’ needs and make it clear to Google that your blog or article is the best choice for relevant queries?
4. How To Explain Content Marketing to Anyone [Examples]
Author: Ann Gynn
Why read this: Somebody somewhere once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it.” Yet, how many of us struggle to explain content marketing to friends and acquaintances? I know I do. But you won’t have to struggle anymore, thanks to the examples Ann chose tailored to a variety of social and professional situations and the clear explanations she gathered from content and marketing experts.
Notable excerpt
“Content marketing is what you really wish all marketing was – where the people who are trying to get you to buy something just help you and provide you with answers to your questions. (They) try genuinely to be collaborative support to you during the buying process instead of jumping straight to the click-this-button buy-now.” – Andrea Fryrear, CEO and co-founder, AgileSherpas
5. 23+ Content Marketing Skills You Need for Today and the Next Five Years
Author: Jodi Harris
Why read this: What will the content marketing profession look like in 2028? The plot twists of the past five years have humbled many prognosticators. Content Marketing World presenters give advice on how to future-proof your career when the future’s less than clear.
Notable excerpt
Too many marketers are reluctant to get in the heads of their customers, opting to make assumptions instead. To get this critical information, you need to talk to customers. If you can’t speak to them directly, work closely with customer-facing roles such as sales, customer success, or community to discover their pain points. Sit in on calls and demos to learn. If that’s not an option, do social listening and scan review sites.
Words from the customer make some of the most compelling marketing copy. With the rise of AI, there will be an explosion of content, but most of it won’t be great. Marketers who can speak to their customers will win. – Adrienne Sheares, owner, ViviMae Labs….Read More