One of the most important things to understand about content marketing is that there is no “one size fits all” approach to your efforts.
Content marketing is all about finding and communicating effectively with your customers. It makes perfect sense that as your customers are constantly evolving, so will the methods you employ.
As it turns out, these methods are poised to change in a number of very significant ways in 2017.
Out of everything that appears to be just over the horizon, there are a few in particular that we’re excited about.
Trends like these also help prove why opportunities like the 2017 Content Marketing Conference are so important – they give you the insight you need to keep one eye fixed on the future at all times.
Innovation Will Change the Shape and Format of Content
As digital channels continue to evolve, it seems as though the very shape of content marketing is changing along with it. The bad news is that it’s going to create all sorts of new challenges for marketers. The good news is that it will create all sorts of new opportunities, too.
Marketing wins will occur less frequently with more and more content being churned out by the surge of companies finally joining the inbound movement.
To prevail over the noise while maintaining ever dwindling attention spans, brands will need to create even shorter yet more effective content. Including interactive messaging with gifs and other types of visual content.
Video Will Become Paramount
If you thought building a visual content marketing program was important, you don’t know the half of it.
According to Hubspot, including a video on a landing page can increase your conversion rates by 80% and 92% of mobile users consuming video share that video content with others.
Video content will net marketers the highest ROI moving forward, and including an embedded video provides your posts and pages with more weight thanks to Google.
It’s no surprise that 48% of marketing professionals are incorporating YouTube into their content strategy in 2017.
Priority of Intelligent Content
We have officially entered into an era where creating “good” content is no longer enough.
Analytics will be dissected with laser-focus and audiences segmented and ultra targeted with strategies like Account Based Marketing. Content and the processes around it will be created to shape and elevate user experience.
Intelligent content is about reshaping the very experience that people get from content, along with how they think and feel about it, making this one of the most important content marketing trends in 2017.
The Rise of Native Advertising
Already a widely implemented tactic, the use of native advertising will only increase with top marketers rejecting traditional types of advertising.
New, stealthier forms of native advertising will emerge to grab the attention of visitors. Advertising is no longer something that interrupts whatever else you were trying to experience – it is an organic PART of that experience.
Consistent Engagement Becomes Essential
Something that a lot of marketers are learning the hard way is that you can never take your audience for granted.
You can certainly never nurture a lead too much, even if you’re talking about an existing customer. Reaching out to people and generating a consistent, high quality level of engagement is one of the most powerful content marketing 2017 predictions there is.
Influencer Marketing
People don’t just want to “take a marketer’s word” for the fact that a product or service is great.
They want to hear it from someone they know and trust, whether that person is a friend, a family member or their favorite celebrity.
Influencer marketing was already one of the most powerful channels there was, as people prefer to get news about products in this way even beyond traditional content according to studies. Expect this to become even more mission-critical in the near future.
Sales and Content Integration
Another important trend to keep your eye on in 2017 is the further integration of sales and marketing teams.
Make no mistake: these two groups can no longer exist in a silo, as each plays a pretty important role in different segments of the larger consumer experience.
Sales and content can no longer play active – yet separate – roles in a consumer relationship. They must form a symbiotic bond or, in truth, acknowledge the one that already existed.
Content on a Global Level
The Internet and digital technology has advanced to the point where even the smallest of businesses can now compete on a global scale.
As a result, developing the type of content strategy that takes this into consideration will become of paramount importance in 2017 and over the next decade.
Remember that you’re not just talking about “this social network is popular in the United States versus that social network which is popular in Europe.”
You’re talking about translation. You’re talking about meaningful ways to reach out to someone regardless of where in the world they happen to be.
Content + Tech = A Match Made in Heaven
Augmented reality, virtual reality and other technological breakthroughs will also continue to play a more prominent role in our lives in 2017.
In a short period of time, tech like VR has gone from an incredibly niche platform to something that anyone with a computer or gaming console can add into their home for just a few hundred dollars.
This is a powerful new avenue just waiting to be tapped into by someone who knows what they’re doing, so you’d better work hard to make sure that someone is “you.”
Adoption of Snapchat
Facebook still dominates social media platforms, but millennials in particular have been gravitating to Snapchat. Companies and those who create content for them recognize the power of this relatively new yet booming entry in the social media world.
Snapchat is currently the fastest growing social media network with over 100 million daily active users.
In 2016, teens and millennials were the primary users of Snapchat, with 70% of its total users in that second group.
According to Edison Research, Snapchat is quickly moving ahead of Pinterest, Twitter, and even Instagram and is fast becoming the platform of choice after Facebook!
We have the top content marketing thought-leaders bringing you the most cutting edge, actionable marketing tips and insights at Content Marketing Conference 2017. Learn more about our content strategy workshops and track offerings today!