Content is QUEEN, the Most Powerful Piece of Your Marketing Strategy: 6 Content Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2019
“Content is QUEEN, the Most Powerful Piece of Your Marketing Strategy” - Carmen Cousin
I remember the day that I learned that the most powerful piece on the chessboard was not the king, but was the QUEEN! In chess like the King, the Queen can move in any direction. However, she is not limited to just one space, she can move any number of spaces in any direction, vertically, horizontally or diagonally.
You can lose your queen in the game of chess and continue playing but if your opponent has a queen and you do not, you may find yourself at a considerable disadvantage!
Just like the queen, content marketing can move in many different directions (formats, mediums, platforms) capturing your audience’s attention.
You can still be in the game of business without content marketing but you will quickly find that you are at a serious disadvantage with your competitors who do!
“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” ~ Andrew Davis
Content marketing is a relatively new form of marketing that does not involve direct sales but builds trust and rapport with your audience.
Content marketing involves the creation and sharing of online material (such as videos, blogs, social media posts, webinars, etc) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services. Content marketing attracts an audience to your brand and over time converts them into customers by creating and sharing valuable free content.
Content marketing helps businesses by:
Creating brand loyalty
Increasing brand awareness and credibility
Generate leads and increase online sales
Expand customer base
Most importantly provides valuable information to your audience that solves a problem
Content marketing is a long game, not a short one. The goal is to connect with your audience in an authentic, human way, leveraging the content to deepen the relationship.
The focus should be on the needs your audience. Once you have identified your audience’s need, you can then provide the answer in a variety of platforms, video, white papers, e-books, info graphics, email newsletters, podcasts, how-to guides, photos, blogs, etc.
As new tools and technologies expand in capabilities, content marketing will continue to grow and be the connection between your brand and your customer - the content you produce will either resonate and provide real value to your customer allowing them to become loyalist or it won't.
Below are 6 trends in content marketing, you cannot ignore in 2019:
1. CONTENT MARKETING PLAN
First things first, you must have a plan. Not just any plan but a content marketing plan that aligns with your business goals.
If you are new to content marketing or you've been using it in your overall marketing plan, it is wise to review and implement up to date strategies to make sure you are competitive.
The Content Marketing Institute, states the most successful B2B marketers report spending 40% of their budget on content marketing as of 2018 -- up 1% from 2017. According to the most successful B2B marketers report spending 40% of their budget on content marketing as of 2018 -- up 1% from 2017.
2. ENGAGING AND RELEVANT CONTENT
Consumers are becoming savvier and want relevant content that will help them solve their problems.
The days of just throwing out random attention-grabbing content with no value are no longer working. Consumers will scroll or swipe right past it.
You must produce original content using the research of your audience. You will need to know what their problem is and provide the answer in engaging content.
According to Zazzle Media, 60% of companies struggle to produce content consistently, and 65% find it a challenge to produce engaging content. And not engaging your audience means you’re losing money.
Buffer and Hubspot are two good starting points to help you create your own inspirational content marketing to build rapport with your audience to ultimately win leads and sales.
3. MICRO-INFLUENCERS
The use of influencers does not need to be “Kardashian” like.
You can use local influencers in your industry to be great ambassadors for your brand. Other micro influencers can be your employees and current/former customers. Think of ways to collaborate with these influencers, creating content together.
As with most successful collaborations, relationships are the key. Think long term and how each can bring value to each other. Instead of having the influencers promote your brand on their platforms you can invite them to create content to be displayed on your platforms, exchanging value.
4. VOICE CONTROL AND SEARCH
Similar to optimizing keywords for your customer to find you in a google search, planning and optimizing for voice search is the next thing.
Thinking of keywords that will be used in voice search will be different than the type used in Google searches, which means your website must be mobile optimized and responsive. Google prioritizes mobile-optimized sites in search results.
Stay tuned to this trend, I am excited to see where this could go.
5. A MIX OF FORMATS SUCH AS VIDEO, AUDIO, AND WEBCASTS
If you haven't already started using video in your content marketing then what are you waiting for? The value of video marketing is undeniable.
A 2017 report by Animoto found that 64% of consumers follow through on a purchase after watching a branded video on Facebook. Research from Aberdeen also noted that businesses who use video increase their revenue 49% faster than those who don’t.
2019 is the year to start a YouTube channel or podcast. You won’t know what works unless you try. If you find that the format is not resonating, simply let it go. The most important thing to remember is to provide value to your audience.
6. USE OF CONTENT CLUSTER
I really like this trend! Especially since it can be difficult to come up with content ideas.
Content cluster works by creating a single piece of content on a particular topic (main topic). This content will be broad in nature.
Then you will create a single, standalone piece of content that covers the numerous subtopics under the main topic.
Then, you’ll want to create more in-depth “cluster content” for each of these subtopics, linking them all back to the main topic.
The goal is to not just create a stand-alone piece of content on a subject but to create several pieces that extend from the subject. This will ensure that you cover all the areas of a topic and become an expert subject matter in your industry, making your audience and Google algorithms love you!
In 2019, content marketing will become even more important and the distribution will continue to evolve. As the marketplace becomes saturated and more competitive, savvy business owners are looking for new ways to connect with their audience and cut through the noise.
With these content marketing trends, you are primed to build an audience that converts, which is the ultimate checkmate!
If you like this post, please LIKE, COMMENT, and SHARE!