With the smart phones expanding the reach and the larger base getting connected to internet and social world, it is high time for the marketers and brand managers to buckle up their content marketing strategies in the new year. Content apparently is the base of our social and digital world – it is only the forms that are evolving each day. Smarter technology is going to keep the marketers on their toes and they need to get smart, sharp to create cutting edge content. One is always connected and learning through this mobile world of communication. As the technologies expand its capabilities, marketers need to be savvier on how to practically implement the same. With robots replacing humans it is even more competitive for any brand to be able to grab every second of the attention as is possible. The base of marketing reach is the content. It is the content that will either open up their minds and hearts by drawing attention towards your brand. Even the paid campaigns are effective only if they are worthy of getting a top of mind recall. Let us explore the 7 important Content Marketing trends that will rule 2019.
1. Content Marketing Plan – Mind you, it’s compulsory to have one.
2019 is going to be the year where you will need to have a content marketing plan so that you can align your content with your business plans. Gone are the days of timeline updates – if the content is reach and customer finds a connect you are bang on. You will need to identify the place where you can create and publish the content in a manner that it will attract the audience attention in a meaningful and personal manner as well as help you in achieving your business goals. Smart marketers are already working on their strategies and are likely to have their calendar populated with contents to delight and attract their audiences. Bygone are the days when even the lazy marketers used to get business by simply throwing content spaghetti on the virtual walls of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. They can certainly not win in the times of 2019. Organic is getting difficult with each passing day.
2. NO Click Bait – Only original and relevant content.
The simple rule is that the content needs to be original as well as relevant. Use your own ideas to create your own content. If you find it difficult to assemble your thoughts and ideas, then hire a content marketing agency that will do it for you. The lazy marketers who feel that they are making the content their own by copying the latest viral headlines and simply adding their own features to it will no longer work. Consumers are getting smart and they are clearly avoiding the clickbait. They are looking for the original content that can solve their problem and on whom they can rely upon.
3. Micro influencers
This is the most misunderstood concept by the marketers that you only need to hire the celebrities to market your brand. The reality is that you can even hire the local leaders who have the niche in your industry and things will be done equally well. You can even consult your employees and current customers in the said decision making and they can act as your brand advocates.
Influencer marketing is not about finding a famous face and hiring them to market your product but instead, you should be considering how you can partner with them. For example – Co-created content. Remember the branding 2019 rules, offline is the new online.
4. Voice controlled search
With Amazon Echo and the Smartphones doing the run in the market, it is inevitable that the marketers consider how customers will ask about their product rather than simply considering how someone will type the same in the search bar. Optimizing the keywords is important but at the same time you cannot ignore the voice-controlled search and prepare for that as well.
5. Use of new formats such as Audio, video and short stories
If you have not already started using videos as a marketing strategy for your brand, then 2019 is the right time to start with. The key to success in 2019 is going to be the guts of trying new things such as podcasts, bot, etc. without getting addicted to the same and being ready to ditch the same immediately if it is not working.
6. Brand storytelling
Not many marketers have mastered the quality of brand storytelling. The biggest misconception about brand storytelling is that it is yourself talking more about your brand rather than others talking about it or we can call it bragging. But that’s not true. Brand storytelling is more about talking about who you are and why you do what you do. It is more about talking about your journey and how you have evolved by crossing those bumpy roads. A big difference isn’t it? If you find its difficult, hire a brand consultant who can help you find the gaps and create a space for yourself.
7. Data-driven decisions
Content marketing strategies and plans must always be data-driven decisions. This is the only way through which you can distance yourself from chasing the digital shiny object syndrome and focus on serving your customers in the best possible manner. Unless you get addicted to the data you will never come to know which strategy is working for you or which content is driving the customers to you. So be sure to make the decisions that are backed by data.
Be a winner in 2019, get on to the content marketing trends now and create a content plan. Have a Happy New Year
Contributed by: Jigyasa Laroiya, Chief Brand Strategist – 30TH FEB
