The use of content as a marketing tool shows no signs of slowing down. In 2017, 75 percent of companies increased their budget and staff for content marketing, and 70 percent of marketers planned to produce more content compared to 2016.
With 2017 coming to a close, it’s time to look ahead and start planning your content strategies for the future. So here are some trends to keep an eye on as we head into 2018.
More Original Content
Brands are placing more emphasis on original content. In 2018, Apple plans to spend more than $1 billion on original content, including videos and TV shows. Obviously, smaller companies can’t compete with such giants, but the growing dedication to creating original content shows how much faith big brands have in its marketing power.
Tip: Whatever form of content you’re investing in, make sure it’s original and stands apart from the competition.
More Focused Content
Content that addresses consumers at every stage of their buying journey will become increasingly important. Businesses are not only developing their top-of-the-funnel “awareness” content, but they’re also refining bottom-of-the-funnel assets to drive conversions. This means you should focus even more on content and channels that drive engagement and build brand loyalty.
Tip: Pay more attention to setting goals and tracking your progress. Use your analytics data to discover which areas of your content marketing are actually meeting expectations and delivering real results.
Content Diversification
People still enjoy reading blog posts, but they’re more hungry for in-depth content. The length of the average blog post has grown in the past few years to around 1,050 words. But to satisfy visual learners, more bloggers are using video.
Brands are simultaneously producing content in various formats to satisfy different tastes; the most popular formats are still social media content, blog posts, email newsletters, whitepapers, videos, infographics and webinars.
Tip: Repurpose every piece of content into various formats and spread them across different platforms to reach a wider audience.
The Growth of Video
Businesses are shifting to using video to lead their marketing efforts. According to one study, marketers who use video grow revenue 49 percent faster than non-video users. Videos also attract more attention; blog posts incorporating video attract three times as many inbound links as blog posts without video.
Live videos are also growing in popularity. Many consumers like to watch live videos because they’re more authentic and interactive. Live video gives you the chance to interact with your audience in a more personal way.
Tip: Experiment with live videos to show your products or your company culture. Ask your audience what they would like to see.
Off-Screen Content and Voice Search
Devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home are at the forefront of a new trend that marketers cannot ignore. With Apple’s HomePod joining the party in 2018, content marketers need to think about how their content performs off-screen.
According to Google, 20 percent of all searches are now conducted via voice, and this is expected to rise rapidly in 2018.
Tip: Match more of your web content to search queries that lead to your website. Use an FAQ page to add clear questions and answers about your business. Where are you located? What do you sell?
Virtual Reality
The total number of active virtual reality users is forecast to reach 171 million by 2018. As VR becomes more accessible, the number of users will continue to grow. This could be a huge opportunity for brands to reach a wider audience.
Tip: To start out, look at how you can create 360 degree videos for YouTube. Around 1.3 million people are already subscribed to the YouTube 360 channel.
User-Generated Content
Brands continue to take advantage of user-generated content (UGC), and this trend is likely to increase in the next few years. Virtually every study shows that UGC has a positive impact on a brand’s reputation, social engagement, web traffic and sales.
According to comScore, brand engagement increases an average of 28 percent when users are exposed to a combination of user-generated product videos and professional content.
Tip: Use your social media channels to hold video contests. Ask your followers to upload their own content based around a theme, product or season.
Greater Transparency
As the quantity of branded content increases online, consumers are growing more skeptical, preferring content that shows more transparency and authenticity. This had resulted in the growth of influencer marketing and the importance of genuine reviews and user-generated content.
Tip: Prove your company values by showing how you give back to the community. Perhaps you can show where your products are sourced, or use real-life customer stories to build your authenticity.
Look to the Future
As we head into 2018, brands that deliver more authentic content, experiment with new formats and embrace new technologies are likely to gain the competitive advantage. Anticipating content marketing trends will help you maximize the effectiveness of your content in the future, and deliver the quality your audience expects.
These are some of the most significant trends, but it’s important to listen to your audience carefully to see how they prefer to receive content. Keep in mind these eight trends to help your brand stay one step ahead of the competition in 2018.