What's in this article?
How will your content marketing strategies change in 2018? With a new year upon us, it’s a good time to look at what’s working and how the marketing industry could shift shortly.
Video Marketing
“Video is required now,” declares MarketingLand. But that prospect isn’t as scary as it once was. Marketers no longer need a pr 2018oduction studio to make a high-quality piece of multimedia marketing. Nor do they need to be a technical expert to work with that content.
A high-quality video can be recorded and shared, even live, with a simple cellphone setup. You can create Facebook Live videos, which get 178% more engagement than the average Facebook business post, according to Forbes. Cross-channel usage is easy, just download your Facebook Live content and upload the content to your YouTube Page.
In 2018, you’ll be ahead of the game if you integrate video into your marketing efforts — 48% are planning to add YouTube, and 46% will incorporate Facebook video.
Original Content
Forbes notes that there is a need for high-value content that isn’t just about a sales message. The content that gets engagement, and thus, gets prospects to your website, will be the content that people want to read, listen, or watch.
As the Content Marketing Institute notes, the biggest players in the business are already signaling their intent. Apple is said to be splurging $1 billion on original content for its streaming platform. PepsiCo recently opened a content creation studio in Manhattan. And Facebook and Amazon are also said to be investing heavily in original content.
While small businesses won’t be working with such eye-watering budgets, they can still benefit from creating great, original content to drives clicks, conversions, and sales. Forbes recommends new apps, like Skitch, Snappa, and Promo, to augment your existing content efforts.
Buyer’s Journey Content
Another change in content for 2018, will be considering your content pieces in the context of your marketing funnel and the buyer’s journey, says Entrepreneur. This is really about targeting, as the content that’s going to work for a casual shopper is ill-suited to one about to make a major investment, and vice versa.
Neil Patel recommends that marketers focus more “consideration” and “decision” stages, as a lot of content currently focuses on a generalized “awareness” stage. So yes, continue creating research reports, ebooks, whitepapers, and educational content. But consider adding expert guides, webcasts, vendor and product comparison guides, case studies, product literature, and even demos or trials.
SEO Marketing
It’s been a little while since SEO was the it-marketing strategy. MarketingLand predicts a bit of a comeback in 2018, as businesses are thought to be “weary” of content channels, like social media, where they aren’t fully in control.
SEO goes hand-in-hand with your other content strategies, as your efforts to target personae, buying journeys, and customer needs will align with connecting search users to the information they seek. Â
Final Thoughts
Content marketing will continue to dominate digital marketing in 2018. However, the way we create content and the types of content we create will likely shift next year, as we seek to better serve audiences, attract engagement, and guide consumers through the sales funnel. Look to see more video, original content, targeted buyer’s journey content, and SEO marketing in the New Year.