The Top 5 Content Marketing Trends to Watch in 2015
Whether we’re talking photo or video, editorial or blog, content’s kingdom has been expanding: fewer journalists, more user-generated stuff, and a plethora of forums for any brand to find a consumer. This is the world in which we live — instant, immediate, and all within reach.
Just because the platforms are there does not mean your consumers will know how to find your content unless it is marketed properly. The Internet is not a “if you write it, they will read” field of dreams.
What’s your plan? Where’s your catnip? How do you plan to market your content? Here are 5 content marketing trends in 2015 you may want to jot down for your team.
1. Recycling is More Popular. Think about it: You have 365 days in the year, not 261 as most people who just think about the job Monday through Friday would tell you. Few businesses have a team dedicated to weekend content development, much less after-hours work, which is why you need pieces that can be reused, repackaged, and recycled. How can you “refresh” the same content with a couple of new ideas? How can you place this article in front of the same people again without them overlooking it (again)? The message is still yours or your clients; this is just a different way to review it.
2. Content is Getting More Social. We all have that one client that just isn’t sure they need to be on social. But the “DUH” question is not whether you should be in social, it’s where. Snapchat may not be the place for electrical engineering, but it is where the cool kids hang out. Social media will become a cornerstone in any content marketing mix — organic and paid. There is no more room for companies to get by on the cheap. Look for inventive ways to create paid campaigns that also fulfill your organic search needs. Prioritize to advertise…then monetize.
3. Automation Still Sucks. As we have discussed in relation to press releases and social media, there is no such thing as a “good automation strategy.” Automation may get the content out there, but it takes a smart being that doesn’t drink motor oil to understand how it’s working and where to put it. Investing in your team with trust, resources and ideas will help them create the ideas you want out there. Yes, many companies use some sort of an automation platform for cost efficiency purposes. But many more companies are trusting their content developers, because brand awareness is more important.
4. Data-Driven Business Moves Us All. This shouldn’t be a news flash, but it is in many conference rooms. You are having some lean years and need to save some money, but how in the world will you know what works without the data to prove it? Here is a hint: The amount of data you have is not the problem or the solution. It is how that data is interpreted that can make the difference. Every campaign needs results, but understanding how to read the numbers from the results will help you determine what is good, bad, and ugly. Decide which one do you want to be and find the data to help underscore that need.
5. ICYMI: Mobile Still Rules. It seems once per quarter there is a blog, an editorial, or even some pundit on a stage clamoring about the pressing need for all content to work on someone’s phone. If you needed ammunition to take into the board room with you, Gartner predicts that “by 2018, more than 50% of users will use a tablet or smartphone first for all online activities.” Whether you have a website that requires a plugin or a mobile app that has demanded a ton of resources, you need to get your content on a phone.
Ads, blogs, pages, or apps — whatever it takes, find a way to make your brand more mobile.
What other trends are coming on the content marketing front?
