1. Meta Business Suite Will Help You Become a More Effective Marketer

If you’re a professional advertiser on the platform, this one should come as a no-brainer. The Meta Business Suite is a complex platform, but it has all you need to be an effective marketer.

Here’s some of what you can do with it:

• Post across platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger
• Create ads
• Track insights and trends
• Access tools like Commerce Manager and Ads Manager
• Manage your inbox

Don’t get overwhelmed by the depth of the platform. Consider taking free courses through Meta Blueprint to learn how to leverage and maximize everything available through the Meta Business Suite.

2. Create More Impactful Advantage+ Campaigns

People are consuming more video content, and there’s social media data to prove it. Meta’s internal data notes a 25 percent increase in daily watch times for Reels and videos across its apps. Reshares for Reels also reached a whopping 3.5 billion daily.

With this considered, Meta is bringing the power of video to its Advantage+ campaigns. These updates include:

• Advantage+ creative optimizations. This will automatically optimize your video ads for viewing on Reels on Facebook or Instagram mobile apps with a 9:16 ratio. It will also use multiple ad variations and personalize your ads based on what gets the best response.
• Videos in Advantage+ catalog ads. Instead of personalized product recommendations with only static images, you’ll now have the option to use branded videos or customer demonstration videos in your Advantage+ catalog ads.
• Advantage+ creative with Advantage+ catalog campaigns. You’ll be able to include a “hero” image at the center of your catalog ad. Meta’s AI will then dynamically display the best products from your catalog.

3. Drive More Sales Through Improved Shop Ads

Shop ads simplify the digital customer journey, allowing people to easily buy something after seeing an ad for it on Facebook or Instagram. Meta has expanded access to its integrations with Magento and Salesforce Commerce Cloud, so more advertisers can take advantage of Shop ads and drive increased sales.

4. Use Recurring Messenger Notifications to Get Repeat Customers

Just because your ad has ended (and you got the sale) doesn’t mean you want to lose that customer.

That’s why Meta released a recurring notification feature that lets you send personalized, automated Messenger notifications to alert customers of promotions, new product releases, sales, and major business updates.

Keep in mind that customers can opt out of recurring messages, but if they don’t, it can be a great way to improve your advertising ROI.

5. Get Enhanced Ad Insights to Inform Your Facebook Advertising Efforts

Facebook’s advertising analytics has drastically improved with Meta’s introduction of new attribution models and analytics integrations.

You have the option to choose an attribution setting to optimize for and report on conversions that wouldn’t have happened without the ad being shown (also known as incremental conversions). This allows you to assess the true impact of your ad and find ways to make improvements.

The buyer journey isn’t always linear, which means that buyers may see and interact with your ads across different platforms. Meta is now making it easier to track this cross-publisher performance and optimize your strategy accordingly. You’ll be able to connect your third-party analytics tools directly into the Meta ads system to get a holistic view of your advertising mix.

6. Adapt Your Targeting to Remove Detailed Targeting Exclusions

Previously, Meta advertisers had the option to restrict who saw their ads. With the latest updates to Meta’s advertising policies, you can no longer use detailed targeting exclusions in new ad sets.

The platform is still offering alternative ways to exclude a certain audience from your targeting, like audience exclusions. However, if you primarily used detailed targeting exclusions, you’ll need to adjust your 2025 Facebook advertising according to this new update.

Meta believes that this change will improve campaign performance. A recent test showed a 22.6 percent lower cost per conversion when an advertiser didn’t use detailed targeting exclusions compared with when they did use it.

7. Get More Out of Your Influencer Collaborations with Partnership Ad Improvements

According to Meta, 53 percent of survey respondents are likely to buy something that a creator is promoting on Reels. That explains why the latest Facebook advertising updates, such as improvements to Partnership Ads, focus on features that promote and enhance creator collaborations.

Now you can spotlight one partner in the ad’s header instead of showing both the advertiser and the partner. That means the ad will appear under the influencer’s username, letting you lean into their unique personal identity. You’ll be able to create ads that feel more human and more personal, which will resonate with the audience and contribute to better ad performance.

8. Find and Scale Creator-Led Content Seamlessly

Meta recently launched AI-enabled creator content recommendations for Instagram and will soon expand access to Facebook. This feature provides you with personalized suggestions for organic branded content that will perform best as an ad, taking the guesswork out of your content scaling efforts.

Use this as an A/B testing tool to find the most impactful creator-led content to use in your Partnership Ads.

9. Enhance Your Video Assets with Video Expansion on Facebook Reels

Facebook Reels ads are about to get better, with Meta offering AI video tools to effortlessly enhance your video assets. Video Expansion is one of the latest Facebook advertising updates that will help you unlock the true potential of your video assets.

This tool adjusts your video ad creative by using AI to generate unseen pixels in each video frame. It expands the aspect ratio and creates a more immersive experience for users engaging with your Facebook Reels ads.

10. Improve Your Video Ad Visibility with Reels Trending Ads (testing)

Meta is currently testing Reels trending ads, which will display your short-form video ad alongside popular Reels across Meta platforms. This means your ad will deliver seamlessly against organic creator-generated content without interrupting the viewing experience for users.

This is a great way to increase visibility and engage your audiences — and ultimately improve your ad performance. For this type of ad to work, consider using content that feels organic and fits naturally with the adjacent creator-generated Reels.

11. Drive Real-Time Engagement with Facebook Live Partnership Ads (testing)

In another bid to facilitate more seamless partnerships between brands and creators, Meta is also testing Facebook Live Partnership Ads. This allows advertisers to boost live videos in collaboration with creators. The boosted video will display to users as a Partnership Ad, helping you make the most of creator-generated content.

Leveraging live video content in your Facebook advertising will encourage real-time engagement. Plus, it adds a layer of authenticity and trust since the content comes from creators. This could help you improve lead generation on Facebook and attract high-quality leads.

Even with all these tools to power your Meta advertising campaigns, you still need impactful ad copy to engage your target audience. With a vetted network of freelance content experts, ClearVoice offers managed content solutions to take your Facebook ads to the next level.

Connect with a content specialist today to get started.

The post 11 Essential Meta Advertising Updates Every Marketer Should Know appeared first on ClearVoice.

Google doesn’t display just any random YouTube video in these search results. Videos must rank high on YouTube for that particular search term to appear in related Google searches. This makes a YouTube SEO strategy vital to your overall SEO strategy. Below is everything you need to know to leverage YouTube for SEO.

The Power of YouTube in Your SEO Strategy

Online video consumption is increasing, with people spending an average of 17 hours per week watching videos online. Most of this video-watching activity occurs on the largest online video-sharing site–YouTube, which boasts more than 2.5 billion active users. ClearVoice’s study on Millennials’ Social Habits found that YouTube is the second most preferred app for watching videos after Facebook.

This makes it a powerful platform for businesses to reach their target audience and drive website traffic. People regularly visit the site to find videos on how to fix things, learn something new, solve a problem, or simply be entertained.

If your videos are successful, it can greatly benefit your SEO.  YouTube videos rank in Google search results, just like regular web pages. As Google owns YouTube, the Google algorithm naturally prioritizes videos from YouTube in relevant search results. So when you create high-quality YouTube videos and optimize them for search, there’s a good chance they will appear prominently on the results page for related Google searches.

Steps to Incorporate YouTube into Your SEO Strategy

Let’s break down the vital steps to start using YouTube for SEO.

Step 1: Keyword Research for YouTube

Use keyword research tools, such as Google’s Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest. Keep in mind that there may be slight variations in the terms people use to search on Google and the terms they use within YouTube. So enrich your keyword research with data from dedicated YouTube SEO tools such as TubeBuddy.

Step 2: Optimizing Video Titles and Descriptions

Search engines look through your YouTube video titles and descriptions to make sense of the content and rank it in relevant searches. For example, using the keyword “fitness regime” would let the search engine know that the video is, in fact, related to fitness regimes. So an essential step is to incorporate your target keywords as naturally as possible, just as you would in a regular conversation. Ensure your titles and descriptions are clear and concise so users and search engines easily understand what the video is all about.

Step 3: Leveraging YouTube Video Tags

Another way to improve your SEO for YouTube is by adding relevant tags that would allow YouTube to get an even better idea of what your video is about. This would help the algorithm to understand when it should display your video to users looking for something similar.

You can use YouTube tags to add additional keywords to your videos, but make sure not to go overboard. Some experts recommend keeping the number of tags between 31 and 40. Of course, all the tags you use should be highly relevant to the content, which means you shouldn’t add them just for the sake of it.

Step 4: Encouraging User Engagement

User engagement is a key ranking factor in YouTube SEO. When people enjoy your content or find it valuable, they’re ideally going to like, comment, and share it. As such, this type of engagement serves as a signal to YouTube that your content is valuable to those viewers. This makes the algorithm is more likely to display your videos to people who are searching for something similar.

The more people watch, like, comment, and share your videos, the higher your videos will rank in search results. This makes it crucial to encourage viewers to engage with your videos by liking them, leaving comments, and sharing them with others.

Step 5: Measuring and Analyzing the Success of Your YouTube SEO Strategy

Keep track of how your YouTube contributes to your overall SEO strategy to see what works and what doesn’t to fine-tune your efforts. Looking at your video views and engagement rates is the first step to understanding the impact of your strategy. An increase in these numbers is a sign that you’re on the right track.

Another essential step is to look at your YouTube referral traffic or the traffic coming from YouTube to your website. An increase in this number indicates that your YouTube SEO strategy is paying off. This means that more people are discovering your videos in search and are eventually landing on your site from those videos.

Optimizing YouTube Content for Better SEO Results

In addition to optimizing your titles, descriptions, and tags, improve your YouTube SEO strategy by optimizing your content. This means creating relevant, high-quality videos, building an active YouTube channel, and incorporating CTAs in your videos.

Creating High-Quality Videos

Be honest—which would you enjoy more?

1. A mobile-recorded video that keeps shaking and going out of focus, and you can barely make out what they’re saying
2. A studio-recorded video that’s clear and precise, with crisp audio and coordinating captions to boot

If you’re like most people, you’re likely to stick around for the second video and possibly even engage with it. That’s the power of high-quality videos.

When creating your videos, use good lighting, sound, and editing. The same goes for videos that incorporate animation and graphics. The content of the videos should add value to your viewers’ lives by providing credible and helpful information or outstanding entertainment.

Building an Active Youtube Channel

The more active your YouTube channel, the more likely it ranks higher in search results. When you publish content regularly, you more effectively give your viewers what they want by pushing out videos that address their biggest needs and concerns while keeping up with the latest trends.

Consistency is vital, so create a content calendar and follow a set publishing schedule and upload new videos regularly. This shows Google that your channel is active and keeps your audience engaged with fresh content. Remember that it’s not enough to simply publish content. You have to interact with your viewers in the comments section and build an engaged community of viewers. 

Incorporating CTA in Your Videos

Sometimes, a gentle nudge is all you need to get more people to engage with your videos or even check out your other videos. So make sure to include a call to action (CTA) encouraging people to like your video, hit the subscribe button, and watch related videos from your channel. This effective strategy drives more engagements, which contributes to better SEO results overtime.

Case Studies: Successful YouTube SEO Strategies

Many marketers have used YouTube to achieve massive SEO wins. Here are two examples:

Case Study #1: Neil Patel

Neil Patel is a digital marketing expert who has used YouTube and blogging to build his brand and grow his business. He regularly uploads informative YouTube videos on topics related to digital marketing and provides valuable tips and tricks. His YouTube channel currently boasts 1.16 million subscribers and over 55 million views. As a result of his solid YouTube SEO strategy, his website sees the biggest social media traffic from YouTube (38.69%).

Case Study #2: KalariLab

KalariLab is an online martial arts school that was struggling with low conversion rates despite influencer marketing and paid ads. They began ramping up their YouTube SEO strategy with competitor keyword research. After a calculated video SEO approach combined with off-platform promotions, the channel went from 2,000 views a year to 2,400+ views a day in just over one month.

Leveraging YouTube for SEO Success

YouTube is a robust platform that can help businesses reach their target audience, drive traffic to their website, and improve their overall digital marketing performance. To maximize YouTube’s impact on your SEO strategy, you need to produce high-quality content at scale.

Scale your SEO efforts with managed content creation solutions from ClearVoice. Contact us to learn how ClearVoice works, or book your content strategy session today.

The post How to Incorporate YouTube into Your SEO Strategy appeared first on ClearVoice.

With almost 3 billion active users per month, Facebook is the most used social media platform around the world. Given its huge reach, no wonder marketers are increasingly using Facebook videos to tell their stories and connect with customers.

In this post, we’ll cover the different types of videos you can use on Facebook and some of the best practices for creating video content this 2023.

Facebook Live vs. Reels vs. Stories: What’s the difference?

Facebook offers various video content formats that marketers can use to engage with their target audiences. These include:

Facebook Live

Broadcast virtual events, Q&A sessions, or performances directly to your page, group, or profile in real time. Viewers can comment on and share the broadcast while it’s ongoing. The platform publishes a recording of the video to the profile, group, or page for later viewing.

Facebook Live videos are best for real-time engagement.

Facebook Reels

Short-term video content exploded with the release of TikTok in 2016. Then, Instagram featured Reels in 2020. More recently, Facebook Reels became globally available in 2022.

Facebook Reels are short vertical videos that can be up to 90 seconds long. They’re set to public by default and are available on or off Facebook. You can, however, change the settings as necessary.

Facebook Reels best suit video content you want a wider audience to discover.

Facebook Stories

Launched in 2017, Facebook Stories are collections of photos and videos designed to disappear after 24 hours. Much like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, they feature fun filters, text, and stickers. You can use Facebook Stories for a myriad of purposes. For example, sharing behind-the-scenes moments related to your business and short how-tos.

Facebook saves your Stories in a story archive that you can revisit later.

Since Meta owns both Facebook and Instagram, video marketers can use Facebook’s creator tools to cross-post Facebook videos to Instagram. Although this function is not yet universally available, it’s an exciting feature. One that will save you tons of time, as you no longer have to create a separate post for each platform.

Facebook video best practices: What experts are saying

To get the most value out of Facebook videos, Facebook provides creators with a video practices checklist. An optimized Facebook video is:

• An actual video.
• Within the recommended technical specifications.
• The appropriate length.
• Optimized for mobile.
• Not engagement bait. It’s authentic and doesn’t impersonate or mislead.
• Respectful of intellectual property.
• Playable/palatable with the sound on or off (features sound and captions).
• Discoverable with a fitting title, description, and thumbnail.

Aside from this basic checklist from Facebook, seasoned marketers also have video insights, tips, and strategies to share:

Shoot high-quality videos

High-quality videos will more likely stand out in users’ feeds.

They increase your chances of capturing viewers’ attention, them watching until the end, and even sharing your videos. Plus, high-quality videos convey professionalism, which is necessary for building trust and credibility.

This means investing in the best possible resources for your videos. However, that doesn’t mean buying an expensive camera. Nolan Molt of Think Media shares in this video how you can shoot high-quality videos with an iPhone.

Grab attention immediately

Brandi Zatorski from Lyfe Marketing emphasizes the importance of grabbing viewers’ attention right out of the gate. That’s because people’s attention spans are shrinking instead of growing. “Having a strong hook is important not just for your viewers but for the algorithm as well,” Brandi explains.

Facebook Reels’ algorithm works like this:

• When you post a video on Facebook, Facebook will initially show it to a handful of people to test the content’s performance.
• If those first few people engage with the video, Facebook will continuously show it to more people.
• Conversely, if engagement from the first few people is low, Facebook will not serve it to others.

Leverage Facebook Live tools

According to Facebook, videos that inspire person-to-person interactions tend to get more distribution.

To encourage a healthy dose of engagement, HubSpot recommends making use of Facebook’s live video marketing features, including:

• Polls
• Featured Links
• Sharing Live videos directly to Facebook Stories
• Comment Moderation
• Badges
• Donations
• Front Row to highlight top fans
• Live Shopping
• Inviting multiple guests (or even audience members) to join your Live broadcast

For more Facebook Live tips, check out this dedicated tips page.

Use high-converting headlines and descriptions

Your headlines and descriptions play a crucial role in getting people to watch your Facebook videos. Spiel Creative recommends timeless tips for making them compelling and effective:

• Your headline should let the viewer know what the video is about.
• The headline and description should make a targeted, unique promise, explaining the benefits people can derive from watching the video.
• Use numbers. Generally, odd numbers perform better than even numbers.
• Test different headlines and descriptions. Optimize as necessary.
• Add a call-to-action telling viewers what to do next, such as sharing the video or signing up for an upcoming webinar.

Repost high-performing content from the past

“Good content is good content,” says online entrepreneur Vanessa Lau. She reposted a Reel from 1.5 years ago with the same sound and video but a different caption, and it performed better than her typical posts. Although the post was not necessarily a Facebook Reel, the same is true about Facebook Reels.

She recommends doing a content audit every six months to see if you can repurpose your previously performing content.

Making the most of your Facebook videos

As more and more videos make their way into Facebook, it’s becoming increasingly necessary for video content marketers to up their game. Not only should your video be high-quality, but it should also captivate audiences early. Even your Facebook video copy should be enticing, considering the big role it plays in getting people to click the Play button.

When done right, your Facebook videos can do a whole lot of good for your brand. Elevate brand awareness, boost engagement, and increase sales, among other things. So, make sure you’re making the most of them by following the pointers above.

Need help with your video content strategy? Speak to a ClearVoice specialist today.

The post Top 5 Strategies for Facebook Video Creation appeared first on ClearVoice.

To help you keep up with the times, here is a compilation of the top 15 trends in content marketing that will shape the industry in 2025 and beyond.

Let’s get started.

Emerging content marketing trends

1. AI-assisted content

Artificial intelligence (AI) is far from being able to produce highly polished, full-length content without human input. However, the technology can assist with content ideation, outline creation, and proofreading. And it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

There is a trend in content marketing of teams using platforms like Writesonic and Jasper.ai, as well as content professionals, to speed up content creation. But with the glaring mistakes seen from AI-generated content, content experts still need to handle much of the writing and editing to ensure quality and brand alignment.

2. Podcasts

The demand for podcasts continues to grow.

In 2022, there were about 98.4 million U.S. podcast listeners. By the end of 2026, the figure is expected to balloon to 119 million.

Considering the increase in podcast listeners, it’s a logical outcome for businesses to invest in podcasts.

Podcasts are perfect for relationship building, providing value to listeners, selling, increasing brand visibility, and establishing brand authority. If you’re looking to start your podcast, consider using the podcast topics below:

• Industry trends and news
• How-to tips
• Case studies
• Leader interviews
• Start-up stories

To get more mileage out of your content, consider repurposing the content pieces you publish.

If you received massive engagements out of a social media post you published, consider creating a podcast out of that as well. After all, the massive social engagement you received is a validation that your audience is interested in learning more about the topic you posted about.

3. First-party data collection

Google may have extended support for third-party cookies until 2025. However, businesses are already scrambling to incorporate first-party data collection in their marketing.

Some of the ways to collect first-party data are:

• Running surveys
• Reviewing details from on-site user registrations
• Event-based tracking
• Analyzing customer purchase history

With first-party data, organizations can future-proof their content marketing with a reliable supply of accurate audience data. This enables data-driven decisions in creating landing pages, registration processes, and website copy.

4. Hybrid marketing experiences

Event marketing has returned as one of the top marketing trends and one of the most effective.

90% of event organizers think all large-scale events will be remote or hybrid over the next two years.

5. Omnichannel marketing

Big businesses run digital marketing campaigns that never sleep.

As such, omnichannel marketing includes strategies outside traditional touch points—from social media ads to emails. This includes instant messaging, mobile push notifications, and standard (offline) marketing.

6. Self-guided B2B buying journeys

Data from McKinsey reveals that 77 percent of B2B buyers are comfortable spending up to $50,000 on self-service or remote purchases. On the other hand, 27 percent are willing to stake up to $500,000.

That’s why B2B marketers should shift their focus to content pieces that accelerate the self-guided buyer’s journey, especially for products and services requiring much research.

B2B organizations must also consider how content pieces fit different sales funnel stages. For example, create and optimize top-of-the-funnel content for a wider audience. Meanwhile, tailor bottom-of-the-funnel content to each prospect’s specific objectives and preferences.

Brand identity content marketing trends

7. Fun and relatable content

Content fatigue is an obstacle that content marketers contend with. Overwhelmed by the information onslaught, internet users often ignore content because they are overwhelmed and drained of their bandwidth to take in complex ideas. That’s why fun and relatable content is gaining traction.

Even businesses in seemingly dull industries (I use “dull” for lack of a better word) are looking for ways to create fun content for their users.

Memes are a great example. Despite their fun nature, companies use memes to illustrate user pain points and their solutions, no matter how business-like or humorless the solutions might be.

The best part is that studies show that over 60% of people are likelier to buy from companies that use memes. That means companies can add an element of fun and lightheartedness to their brand image while still selling effectively.

Other fun and relatable content pieces you can use are:

• Short, funny videos
• Comic strips
• Jokes
• Games

8. Awareness-driven reputation management

Customers care about the causes they support more than ever — so much so that it affects their purchase decisions.

Accordingly, businesses benefit from incorporating social responsibility and awareness into their marketing initiatives. This can be done in several ways, like supporting charitable causes and using inclusive language.

9. Commitment to data privacy

Ever-growing concerns over user privacy make it vital for enterprises to provide reassurance whenever they gather data through content marketing. A typical use case is in promotional content, like white papers, industry reports, and ebooks, that require users to provide basic contact information.

Social media content marketing trends

10. Using Threads for content marketing

Threads is a social media marketing platform launched by Meta Platforms on July 5, 2023. According to Mark Zuckerberg, Threads passed over 5 million sign-ups in the first four hours. And in just 4-6 days, it garnered over 100 million users. As of October 2024, it has over 175 million monthly active users.

The traction the new social media platform garnered is quite outstanding, especially considering that Instagram took close to three years to achieve its 100 million users milestone. The figure highlights the potential benefits that Threads can bring to businesses.

Since Threads is far less competitive than other established social media sites, businesses can double down on their content marketing efforts to leverage First Mover Advantage.

Some of the best content pieces that Threads users can publish are:

• Before and after photos
• Versus-type content to stir engagement
• Polls
• Company updates

11. Short-form videos

The demand for short-form videos reached nauseous heights with the explosion of platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts — with no signs of slowing down.

Short-form videos give users bite-sized information and entertainment. Hubspot reports that short-form videos have the highest ROI of all social media content.

12. The rise of TikTok ads

A study commissioned by TikTok, in partnership with data analytics company Kantar, revealed that ads on their network are 10 percent more attention-grabbing than other social networks. The study also showed that TikTok ads are 21 percent more trend-setting than those published on other platforms.

TikTok led the rise of short-form videos, particularly during the pandemic. Content on that platform is perceived as more authentic and relatable, especially when using native features like filters, free background sounds, and hashtags.

13. Content with strong hooks

Due to generative AI’s rapid content creation capabilities, social media is overflowing with content.

According to Insider Intelligence, 76% of marketers use generative AI for basic content creation. The waterfall-like influx of new content makes using compelling hooks essential for businesses that want to ensure their content is read and not simply scrolled past.

On LinkedIn, for instance, check how captivating the hooks are from its top creators:

• “How to Waste Your Life:” (Published by Dan Koe, Founder of Modern Mastery)
• “10 uncomfortable truths SaaS Executives need to read:” (By Markus Rentsch, CEO of Remark-able)
• “This may rub people the wrong way…..” (By Nat Berman, CEO of Uncoached Corp)

If you’re looking for compelling content hook angles, consider the points below:

• Behind-the-scenes
• Mysteries or unresolved stories
• Ask an interesting question
• Share quotes
• Engage your readers with a contest or challenge
• Share a personal story
• Start with a compelling headline
• Comparison or versus content

Before choosing your hooks, consider what’s important to your readers and their peculiarities.

There has to be a substantial overlap between your readers’ dynamics and your marketing or business goals.

If your readers, for example, are in a phase where they’re ready to purchase a product but are unsure which product best fits their needs, using a comparison- or versus-type is likely to work well.

B2B content marketing trends

14. Conversational marketing

B2B buyers need quick answers to progress through their self-guided journeys — at speeds faster than human sales reps can deliver.

This leads to the growing demand for AI-driven conversational marketing tools, particularly chatbots or marketing bots.

Chatbots address frequently asked questions and provide relevant information based on the audience’s query. As a result, B2B buyers don’t have to wait for a sales rep to obtain details to help them make a purchase decision.

15. Increased spending on video content

B2B organizations continue to prioritize videos in their content marketing budgets. In fact, 91% of businesses use videos as a marketing tool, and 89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands. It’s a win-win.

Marketers are also increasingly using AI to help speed up the editing process — 76% have used AI tools to create or edit video content. But a human touch is essential to ensuring quality.

Videos offer a flexible and engaging way to connect with B2B prospects.

With a talented team of scriptwriters and video editors (and perhaps an AI tool or two), B2B organizations can accomplish different marketing goals with various video types, like:

• Explainer videos
• Product demos
• Video interviews
• Pre-recorded online courses
• Video ads
• Thought leadership videos

Content marketing solutions for the ages

No matter the content marketing trend, you need a trustworthy team of content experts to fuel your big business marketing campaigns.

ClearVoice has a network of seasoned, carefully vetted professionals for content marketing of all sizes. You’ll find content strategists, graphic designers, editors, writers, and more — ready to learn about your brand and adapt to the ever-changing content marketing landscape.

Start browsing our diverse talent network or talk to a content specialist today about what we can do for your brand.

The post Top 15 Content Marketing Trends for 2025 appeared first on ClearVoice.

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Digital media enables us to talk, see, and learn from others around the globe. And great content knows no geographic borders. In fact, consuming content from another perspective can help educate, inspire, or sell just as well as content that’s created in your own backyard (metaphorically).

Many companies today are location-agnostic. As a result of the pandemic, people work remotely, and you may not even know where the words you read or the pictures and videos you see are coming from. These basic principles, based on a global study, summarize the trends that content marketers worldwide have observed. “Humanized content” is  No. 1. In other words, develop content that resonates with your audience.

A Look at Content Marketing Around the World

That said, different parts of the world have different ways of communicating. We may all know, for example, that “s” takes the place of “z” in writing from the U.K., but cultural differences, privacy laws, and societal norms may all have an impact on the content you publish and consume.

Other continents and countries may be experimenting with creative approaches that you can apply to your own programs.

So, let’s take a trip around the world and give you a new perspective on global content.

Asia

Marketers in this continent spend roughly a quarter of their budgets on content marketing.

Some of the key trends around content in Asia include:

• The proliferation of apps
• An uptick in video usage, which seems to be true worldwide
• Time spent on mobile devices is on the rise. As in many markets, online shopping is driving growth.

Asia is a huge continent, comprised of many different countries with their own regulations. So, if you plan to create content specifically for the Asian market, know the rules.

For example, in China, you can’t use certain popular words in your copy: “national/state level,” “top class,” and “best” are all prohibited. India has specific laws related to influencer marketing and even dictates hashtags that advertisers must use, including #Ad, #Sponsored, #FreeGift, #Employee #Partnership, and others.

Although this report is a few years old, it is one of the most comprehensive guides to content marketing in Asia, and the trends it contains may be useful if you’re expanding into this market.

Europe

Like Asia, this continent is comprised of many different markets and languages. In addition, studies show that social media is consumed differently in the countries within Europe. For example, social media use in Malta among businesses is at the 80 percent level, whereas in France it is only 60 percent.

European lawmakers have long been concerned with privacy and transparency in content marketing and new legislation may have an impact on what marketers can say and who they can say it to.

South America

Latin America represents roughly 10 percent of the world’s population. Its rate of social media adoption exceeds that of the United States, according to this report from the Harvard Business Review. The report also points out that although marketing technology (Martech) does not yet have the same rate of adoption as it does in other markets, inbound marketing that is driven by content is a cornerstone in this region.

Video content is on the rise in this region, as in many other markets around the globe. A whopping 88 percent of people in the region consume streaming video content, making it a great place for marketers to reach their targets.

Africa

Storytelling has long played a role in African culture and history. So, content marketing is a natural extension of that.

Digital penetration in Africa has lagged behind other parts of the world, but it has begun to catch up. Areas like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are very sophisticated in terms of internet penetration and online marketing, so one strategy does not always fit all when you’re marketing in Africa. Examine the current state of each region’s social media evolution and customer needs.

As in other regions, marketers need to be familiar with the laws governing digital marketing. For example, multiple forms of legislation govern web-based marketing in South Africa.

Australia

This continent seems to be one of the content capitals of the globe, with 96 percent of marketers using some form of content marketing in their strategy.

As in much of the world, video is extremely popular. A comprehensive special report from We Are Social breaks down how and where our friends “down under” are spending their time online, which is helpful in crafting your content strategy in that market. Close to 90 percent of social media users watch online videos, and 64 percent stream music. When looking to reach your target market in Australia, pay close attention to the most popular platforms.

Last year, new legislation in Australia tightened policies surrounding digital marketing, particularly in relation to payments for content.

Antarctica

Here are the cold (literally) hard facts. Although Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, it is comprised mostly of ice. The population of 5,000 people is comprised mostly of research scientists.

Tourism to the area is on the rise, however. About 60,000 people visit the continent each year, and creative companies are offering some exotic luxury travel options. This is a great example of a marketing case where content within the geography may not be productive (unless you are selling to polar bears and penguins). Utilizing content marketing to raise awareness of vacation options and significant issues, such as global warming, can ultimately benefit a geographic area.

North America

Online behavior in the U.S. and Canada is constantly evolving. The most recent statistics and trends around digital media consumption indicate that Facebook usage has stagnated, but as in many other markets, user-generated video content is moving steadily upward.

Although Canada and the U.S. share a border, they are distinct markets, and even within each country, buying behaviors and language can vary significantly depending on the region. But content marketing is booming, and much of the global growth is expected to come from the United States.

The Competition Bureau in Canada makes the rules regarding advertising regulations, and the Federal Trade Commission regulates advertising claims in the United States. However, individual industries have their own guidelines, so be sure to study not only marketing legislation but also language specific to the population to which you’re marketing.

Going Global

If you’re considering expanding your marketing to regions outside the United States or your home country, be sure you:

• Work with agencies and companies that are familiar with the geography you’re targeting. They can help you avoid legal gaffes and ensure your communications style is appropriate for the market.
• Use social media platforms (such as LinkedIn) to establish your own community and an informal advisory board of professionals from outside your home continent. Take full advantage of the fact that business media today is without boundaries.
• If you’re expanding your marketing efforts in a specific region, consider joining the local organization. You’ll learn about trends as well as legislation and can float ideas past other professional content marketers in that geography.
• Follow marketing principles that transcend borders and cultures. In other words, ask yourself these basic marketing questions (and be sure you can answer them well):
  • Who is your target market?
  • Why would they be interested in your content?
  • What media is most appropriate for that target?
  • How will you measure success?
• Ensure that translations are thoroughly vetted for accuracy and tone. Among the most common gaffes that occur when you move from one tongue to another are:
  • Not allowing enough space for characters in a different alphabet
  • Misspellings of names
  • Incorrect punctuation

Although you may never be able to physically travel around the globe, this overview may at least give you a perspective on how approximately 5 billion people around the world consume digital content.

No matter what continent you live on and what language you speak, the basic principles of great content and marketing hold true. Keep the consumer at the center of your strategy, and you can never go wrong. Create strategies, brand messages, and unique and compelling content that will draw your reader/viewer in. Hire experienced professionals to develop content that aligns with your goals. Respect the laws around language and privacy.

Above all, remain curious and invest time every week in learning about trends and best practices from people worldwide. You never know where your next great marketing and sales idea will come from. Perhaps it will even emerge from Antarctica!

The post A Look at Content Marketing Around the World, From Asia to Africa appeared first on ClearVoice.

TikTok solidifies itself as the third-largest social media network.

Although it hasn’t been around nearly as long as Twitter and Snapchat, TikTok has ridden its meteoric rise over the last two years to now find itself as the third-largest social media channel in the world. The short-form video app now only follows Facebook and Instagram in monthly users. Coming into 2022, TikTok now has 755 million monthly active users. This comes following two standout years in which TikTok grew by 59.8 percent (2020) and 40.8 percent (2021). Though TikTok is expected to continue to grow in 2022, eMarketer predicts a growth rate of about 15 percent, making the growth rate slower — but still significant.

The post Must-Read Marketing Research and Studies for January appeared first on ClearVoice.

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With over 76 million freelancers in the U.S. alone, having a strong skill set and work ethic isn’t enough to stand out and bring in consistent work anymore. You have to also do the one thing most people hate…

Self-promotion (yuck).

And you know what that means – it’s time to focus on your professional network and embrace being on LinkedIn! If you’re already starting to scroll away, hold on! Look at these stats:

• There are six people hired on LinkedIn every minute.
• Around 87 percent of recruiters regularly use LinkedIn to vet and source candidates.
• LinkedIn is the world’s largest digital professional network, with 1 billion members.

So, whether you’re new to freelancing, experiencing a bit of a dry spell, or just want to find opportunities you’re passionate about, LinkedIn is the place to be. In this article, we’ll break down four ways you can use it to increase your visibility, attract more jobs, and boost your career.

How to Drive Your Freelance Success on LinkedIn

Start with these four approaches to put yourself in the best position to stand out from the freelance crowd.

1. Optimize your profile

Think of LinkedIn as a search engine. Companies and recruiters use LinkedIn to search for keywords that match the skills they’re looking for. So, you want to optimize your LinkedIn profile to match those relevant searches.

Here are some best practices to pay attention to:

• Create a profile. First thing first – sign up for a free profile on LinkedIn.com if you don’t yet have one.
• Make it complete. Add a professional profile photo and background photo. Fill in details in your About section, including work experience, education, and skills. Create an eye-catching LinkedIn summary. Add work samples where relevant. If you need some touchstones, here are some good LinkedIn summaries and bio examples.
• Ask for recommendations. LinkedIn recommendations are social proof your former supervisors and coworkers recommend you for relevant work. It’s helpful to start by asking people you’ve had a good working relationship with and whom you’d be willing to return the favor.
• Focus on searchable keywords. Just like content marketing, you want your LinkedIn profile to be user-friendly and search engine-friendly. Write your content honestly, and also create it with a recruiter in mind. Instead of putting “Marketing Ninja” in your headline, for example, make it more SEO-friendly by using “Digital Marketing Professional.”

A complete, full profile that’s optimized with keywords can help you pop up in more searches when recruiters and business owners are looking for freelancers with your talent and skills. If you’re really stuck, it might make sense to invest in professional LinkedIn optimization services. Just make sure to vet who you’re getting the service from.

2. Grow your network

For many freelancers, the dream is to have so many work opportunities coming your way that you get to pick and choose the exact projects you’re most interested in working on. But when you first start out, you’ll most likely have to reach out to businesses and advertise your services. Here, referrals are a gold mine.

Referrals have always been a go-to way for businesses to source better talent. According to Yello, recruiters cite referrals as their top source of hires. Plus:

• 82 percent of employers rate employee referrals as producing the best ROI out of any hiring source.
• 88 percent of employers say referrals are the best source for exceptional candidates.
• Referrals are 55 percent faster to hire than employees found through career websites.

With that in mind, use LinkedIn to cultivate a strong professional network that you can then utilize to refer you for more work. And don’t just target brands and companies. Build relationships with other freelancers. They tend to invite their networks along when their clients need help. You never know when your skills might be needed.

Tips for growing your network

Start with these and build from there:

• Add people you’ve already worked with. You probably have memorable coworkers from past jobs. Look them up on LinkedIn and send them a request to connect.
• Look at previous employer pages. You can also search companies you’ve worked for in the past and look for potential connections.
• Share your profile with your networks. If you’re on other social media channels, like Facebook or Twitter, you can create a post that links to your LinkedIn profile. That way, your other contacts can connect with you there.
• Participate in LinkedIn Groups. You can join LinkedIn Groups based on your industry and topics you’re interested in. Be sure to comment on posts of interest to you, or post your own updates when relevant. It could lead to new connections.
• Cultivate relationships. It might sound cheesy, but it’s also helpful to build real, genuine relationships on LinkedIn. Things like sending a personalized message a couple of times a year to people in your network go a long way in building a deeper relationship. Update them with where you are professionally but make sure to also ask what’s new with them and how you can help.

3. Promote yourself

Look, we know promoting yourself can feel gross. But you might be surprised at all the available job opportunities available that could benefit from your expertise. You can’t book work if you’re not getting in front of people. Someone within your network might need you at this very moment.

Don’t be shy. Use LinkedIn to let your network know you’re ready to work. You could post an update that you’re available for specific types of projects. Add a call-to-action to your network to refer you if they know someone who has a need for your work.

As you complete projects you’re proud of, add them to your LinkedIn portfolio. Doing so checks off a couple of boxes:

• It provides your network with project updates so they can check out your work, making you top-of-mind next time they hear about a relevant opportunity.
• It adds work experience that someone can review if they’re potentially interested in hiring you.
• Those additions give completeness to your profile, which factors positively into the LinkedIn algorithm to boost your visibility.

And don’t be afraid to ask a client if they’re okay with you tagging them in your updates. It could get seen by others in their network and lead to new connections.

LinkedIn also has an “Open to Work” feature for profiles. Turn it on, and your profile photo will be overlaid with a message showing other LinkedIn users you’re available to take on projects. The feature also makes you more visible to recruiters in the algorithm.

4. Use LinkedIn premium features

Finally, you can choose to invest in your LinkedIn profile by using LinkedIn Premium. Although it’s primarily a tool for recruiters, you can get some useful benefits, like:

• Send direct messages to recruiters and hiring managers.
• See who’s viewed your profile over the last 90 days.
• Access more than 15,000 LinkedIn Learning courses.
• Get interview preparation tips.

If you’re tight on cash, you can try LinkedIn Premium free for a month to see if it’s worth it.

Take the Extra Step on LinkedIn

Even if you’re chugging away with freelance work that’s keeping you happy, the ultimate goal is to consistently get better-paying, more satisfying work. LinkedIn is a great tool to achieve this if you continually optimize your presence on it so the best opportunities always come your way.

If you’re already working with us and haven’t done it yet, connect with us on the ClearVoice LinkedIn page. And if you’re not working with us, another great way to give your freelance career a shot in the arm is by partnering with us. Join our Talent Network, and we’ll match you with companies that are the best fit for your expertise and skill set.

The post 4 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Boost Your Freelance Career appeared first on ClearVoice.