60% of B2Bs reported more success with content marketing than the year before (source here).
Something else that marketers need to realise is that what worked last year may not necessarily work this year.
What’s new?
High quality begets effectiveness
Content marketing is not just about clicks or visitors. For it to be successful, your audience needs to be engaged enough to respond or act.
Content tactics of old were (for many) about creating interest via click-baited articles or videos. Companies would offshore elements of their strategy with the purpose to churn out mediocre pieces of work to tick a box.
This alone isn’t going to work any more! Content needs variety, originality and above all must have a defined and obvious value.
This means that ‘quick and easy’ no longer wields traction. Marketing teams need to invest smarter and often more resources into their content strategies. High quality content, videos and quality written pieces are more likely to get results and keep people coming back to your pages. The alternative is a very high bounce-rate and one time visits.
So then, a question to ask is: Are you creating value?
What’s changed?
Moving beyond the blog
Content formats that people are consuming are changing. Other formats for communication like video and audio via podcasts are increasingly popular. A study conducted by Double Converstion shows that 52% of marketers listed video as the type of content with the best ROI. Infographics, whitepapers, ebooks and social media are also popular.
Additionally, the way that culture and different markets communicate ideas for entertainment is changing. Posts that include memes and GIFs (short, amusing video cuts) are increasingly shareable across social media especially.
What’s gaining traction?
The Internet Of Things (IoT) and voice search
A whole myriad of devices are now vying for our attention. We use them in transit on our phones and even as stand-alone sources (like Siri). Voice technology could completely revolutionise how we consume content. Something for everyone to start thinking about! Companies that are ahead of the game maximising voice technology include Purina, who have developed a feature called Ask Purina – a way for Alexa users to access helpful content. This is excellent innovation at work.
The question to ask here: is your content accessible across the full range of devices?
You can’t fake purpose (so don’t try)
Research indicates that your audience (in particularly the ever savvy millenials) will not take everything you say at face value. They are highly skilled at clicking until they find the answers they seek – and they always have lots of questions. So don’t try and pretend that you are about the environment if half of your manufacturing plants are big polluters. Additionally, paid editorials are increasingly seen for what they are – paid advertising for your brand.
Sincerity will go a long way. If you are trying to be everything to everyone, this will ultimately work against you. Marketing guru Niel Patel points out that organisations need to use content carefully to “build relationships with the cautious consumer.”
Conclusion
Content marketing continues to change as technology changes. It will also shift as the way we consume information as a culture alters. Moving away from only utilising long or short-form blog posts as a primary content marketing strategy, we need to consider the other popular mediums like video and podcasting as well as look out for innovations in voice technology and cultural adaptations like memes and GIFs.
If you’re thinking about how you can engage your clients with creative and compelling content, get in touch with the team at MIH.