Year after year, we can see content marketing become an increasingly more important part of any business, no matter how big or small they are. Companies are constantly trying to think of new ways to reach their potential clients and customers and adapt to ever-changing trends. With new technology, new opportunities pop up, and it’s important to know how to take advantage of them in order to really stay on top of the game.
Content marketing experts need to constantly innovate and learn new things, and with so many changes in the world of content marketing, that’s becoming an increasingly difficult task. Every year, we can see a new trend (or several of them) that takes the world by storm, as well as some of the old trends becoming obsolete. And that’s perfectly fine – changes are necessary, and in this day and age, if you want to succeed as a business, you need to adapt to those changes and trends quickly.
It’s important to understand the current, as well as upcoming trends in content marketing, so that you will be able to properly implement them. Let’s take a look at what we can expect in 2018, and how it can help you improve your business.
1. Native Advertising
Nobody likes pop-up ads showing up when they’re consuming their favorite content. They’re annoying, intrusive and just make you want to throw you computer away. Well, maybe not literally. Advertisers have begun to understand that these annoying ads just alienate their potential clients, so they had to come up with better ways to advertise. Namely, using a concept called native advertising.
What exactly is native advertising? It’s a way to implement content marketing in existing content, seamlessly blending ads with a news article, for example. This way, the user experience is not disrupted, and although it might look like a deceiving tactic, as long as the advertisers are being honest that the content is, in fact, an advertisement, native advertising is a much better option than having pop-up ads.
2. Transparency
This trend is linked to native advertising, and it refers in the transparency of disclosing that certain content is actually an advertisement. Customers are increasingly getting more skeptical of online ads, and they can react negatively if they feel like they’re being forced to watch or read an ad. For this reason, advertisers need to be honest and transparent when approaching their potential clients and customers, making sure that they disclose that certain content is actually promoting a new product or service.
3. The Use of Virtual and Augmented Reality
Marketing experts have high hopes for VR and AR technologies, and while some people might say they’re a bit gimmicky, there’s some serious potential in these two technologies. In fact, VR and AR are expected to go mainstream in 2018, as more and more people have smartphones that enable these technologies. It’s not science fiction anymore – it’s very real, and it can be a great platform for content marketing.
In fact, it’s predicted that AR and VR will generate $150 billion in revenue by year 2020, so there’s certainly a lot of room there for content marketing. A lot of companies are not quite sure how to use these technologies yet, but one thing’s for sure – in 2018, we’ll be seeing a definitive rise in the use of AR and VR.
4. Personalized Content
Instead of relying on the same content, companies are creating different types of content that appeal to different types of customers. For example, if you have a website, and a new customer is visiting the website for the first time, you want to greet them in a different way as opposed to an existing customer. Create some effective content that outlines what exactly it is that you offer, and how they can easily get in touch with you. For existing customers, you can create personalized offers based on their previous experiences with your website.
5. Social Media as Publishing Platforms
Nowadays, social media is not just a place where you share content from other sites; it’s the place to get your content. Whether you use Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat, you’ve probably noticed that these platforms have started to publish their own content more often, in an effort to keep you there as long as possible. Companies try to include their content on these platforms and appeal to various demographics by using creative, but non-intrusive ads.
6. Live Video Streaming
This trend is also linked to social media, and it’s one of the more popular aspects of social media in general. Users respond positively to live videos, as it’s a more direct and a quicker approach, where you immediately find out all that you want to know. Furthermore, in a recent study, 82 percent of consumers said they prefer live video over other social posts, which inspires marketing experts to come up with new ways of how to utilize live video streaming.
7. Mobile Optimization
A lot of people nowadays consume content solely through their mobile devices – in fact, 41 million people in the United States consume content from their mobile devices exclusively. Furthermore, 69% of digital media engagement is in mobile environment, so businesses cater to mobile users by creating special smartphone apps that can interact with them. Having an app might not be crucial, but having mobile-optimized content definitely is.
2017 and 2018 Trends – Comparison
Some of these trends that we’ve mentioned have been with us throughout this year, such as mobile optimization, personalized content and native advertising. It’s something content marketing experts have understood and tried to implement in various ways. However, we have also seen the emergence of virtual and augmented reality, as well as live video streaming, which is definitely something we’ll see in 2018 and in the future.
New and exciting technology is something that can be very beneficial for advertisers, and there’s no doubt that we will be seeing more of it in the upcoming year. The 2017 trends are unlikely to be dropped, so we can expect their further implementation, especially on social media platforms.
