Content Creation

5 New Trends in Content Marketing Landscape (and How to Succeed)

CopyPress

April 6, 2018 (Updated: February 28, 2020)

Thanks to search algorithms and new tools such as big data and marketing automation, content marketing is moving fast. So fast, in fact, that it’s difficult to keep up with. People’s consumption behaviors have changed, and their attention spans have shortened. By extension, this influences how content is created, searched, consumed, and shared. Furthermore, marketing campaigns are becoming highly integrated because of the growth between the different digital marketing disciplines.

To make sure your brand doesn’t get left behind, you must stay on top of the latest trends in content marketing. To get ahead of the wave, adjust your strategies by embracing these trends. You may see the resulting changes in audience behavior. Don’t get overwhelmed by the ever-changing content marketing landscape — follow these new trends in content marketing to help your brand succeed.

1. Quality Content Creation

Results from a 2018 study showed that 78 percent of brands and marketers saw significant growth in their content marketing campaigns through effectively creating higher-quality content. Of the utmost importance to these brands’ campaigns were white papers and case studies. The B2B buyers in the study also reported that they make confident buying decisions based on user feedback, third-party publications, and peer reviews. Lastly, they noted that supporting information through research and providing more benchmarking data will reduce any form of direct selling.

As a brand, it is essential to support every stage of your buyers’ journey with content marketing. Purposeful, diverse, and useful content will propel your customers forward. Because content creation is an ongoing task, you should continue it after the point of conversion to build a relationship where  your content will keep the customer coming back.

2. Strategic Documentation

Image via Flickr by miriamberry

There’s more to content strategy than building an editorial calendar and coming up with ideas. You must first look at your brand needs. The next step is to identify assets you can repurpose or remove. You might also want to consider your audience personas and the specific content they desire. This will set you apart from the competition. After that, you need the right channel to get that content to your audience. This is a very important part of your marketing strategy.

Set goals and write down your content strategies. In doing so, you will see a positive and rapid growth in your business.

3. User-Generated Content

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Buyers claim that social network user-generated content typically gets more engagement. This results in an enhanced preference on Instagram’s algorithm.

People’s circles of friends have grown with the advent of social media. Content marketers should leverage social media campaigns because people are more likely to trust recommendations from individuals they know. With this approach, you can turn your customers into brand advocates.

When it comes to building trust and making a positive impression on potential customers, user-generated content on social media prevails over branded content. By turning your customers into brand advocates, you will be able to use their user-generated content or videos on your social platforms and get viral engagement.

4. Personalized Content

Digital platforms come with advanced analytics, making it easier than ever for companies to create and promote personalized content. Brands that personalize their content are 20 percent more successful at getting sales than companies that don’t.

It is no longer enough to target an audience based on location or demographic. Personalized content involves examining your content and supporting it with goals and strategy. As a brand, you must be prepared to create and run campaigns that provide exact snapshots of your customer base. The best way to personalize your content and apply your research is to have them in your sales funnel with retargeting banners.

5. Content Distribution and Promotion

You must adopt strategic distribution techniques if you’re going to break through the noise and get the attention of your targeted percentage of the 3.773 billion active social media users. Your brand must invest in content distribution to effectively develop a multichannel social distribution plan.

Content distribution simply means your brand needs to be constant in content publishing. Results from a study shows that about 91 percent of leading company blogs publish content at least weekly. Another survey showed 58 percent of marketers publish content regularly.

The DemandGen 2017 Content Preference Survey Report reports that 71 percent of B2B buyers prefer easily accessible content, even though the top content formats for B2B marketers remain e-books and case studies.

The key platforms you can use to engage and encourage your customers to share your content are Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. For the best results, make sure your audience can share your content on these platforms, regardless of other channels you might consider for content promotion and distribution.

Now is the best time to invest in content marketing because you have several new ways to get your voice in front of current and prospective customers. There’s an incredible amount of content out there; the key is to be smart when creating and distributing great content to boost engagement.

Most importantly, make your content visually appealing to connect with your audience. This is particularly important when sharing your content on social channels . As the trends in the content marketing landscape continue to evolve, your brand must be flexible and adapt to meet your audience’s needs and stand out from the pack.

Bode Alao

CopyPress writer