2019 Content Marketing Trends You Need to Succeed

Content marketing ROI is four times greater than the most targeted advertising. For most businesses, it is at the core of their marketing strategy. It works with social media, SEO and email marketing. A good content marketing strategy will drive traffic, generate leads and increase conversion.

Here are the most important content marketing trends you need in 2019

Strategy and a content marketing plan is crucial

The Content Marketing Institute states that 65% of successful content marketers have a documented strategy.  You need a content marketing plan that aligns with your business goals.

With the help of a content strategist, you’ll create and publish great content your audience needs. Such content achieves your business goals.

The best digital marketers have sorted out their content strategy for 2019. You have time if you’ve not created a content marketing plan yet.

However, there is no one size fit for all businesses. The basic elements of SEO, lead generation and thought leadership are the foundation of a good content marketing strategy.

Only unique and relevant content will make an impact

Today’s buyer can spot irrelevant content from a distance. The challenge for content marketers is to create high-quality content the audience wants to read and share. It must be direct. Your content should leave an impression and convince the audience to take your call to action.

Multinational corporations such as Netflix, Nike and Amazon invest millions of dollars on personalised content inspired by their audience. Research by Marketing Insider Group and Onespot revealed that nearly half of consumers won’t patronize a brand that doesn’t publish content geared towards their needs.

The research also showed that over three-quarter of consumers view relevant content as the key to engaging with a brand and purchasing their products and services.

We’ve entered an era of personalization where companies need to do more for their customers. Research by Marketing Insider Group and Onespot revealed that nearly half of consumers won’t patronize a brand that doesn’t publish content… Click To Tweet

Customer success will set the pace for client relationships

Content marketing addresses multiple objectives across departments. Brand managers use content to gain goodwill with clients and improve industry authority. Sales teams use content to strengthen bonds, encourage repeat purchases and boost sales pitches. Companies use content to show their audience that they care about their problems, not just profit. There is always an unexplored avenue for content marketing.

We’ve entered an era of personalization where companies need to do more for their customers. It’s not enough for customers to make a purchase. You can get more value by encouraging referrals and building stronger relationships.

Companies that provide personalised content for their customers to achieve these goals. Content that helps your audience solve a problem will be well received. You spend less money putting out fires and more on expanding your reach.

Content that helps your audience solve a problem will be well received. You spend less money putting out fires and more on expanding your reach. Click To Tweet

Distribution still matters

A success metric you should track is the number of shares your articles get. This includes emails, social media and more. Publishing good content and sharing it on external sites is not enough. You need a distribution strategy to ensure that people read and engage with your content.

An aligned relationship between PR and content marketing

PR has become more of an integrated approach. In the past, companies self-promoted a product or a new milestone through a press release. Modern PR combines with content marketing for third-party credibility.

It’s a smart way to show-off your expertise, earn the audience’s trust and get more buzz on your product. Highlight the benefits your audience want and you’ll get their business.

Niche marketing is on the rise

Content marketing was never about reaching everyone who comes across your content. It leads to failure. Top brands with a wide audience focus on a target audience. A niche audience helps to improve your engagement and conversion rate.

More long-form content in blogging

A study by Orbit Media revealed that the average length of blog posts has increased over the years. In the past 12 months, long-form content was among the top three types of content used by B2B marketers. Long-form content ranks high on SERPs.

While some marketers posit that people don’t read long posts, it attracts the most traffic, engagement and conversion. The trick is to ensure that your content is readable.

Quality over quantity

The need for quality content continues in 2019. To outrank competitors, publish relevant content that draws attention and provides value. Incorporate research. Use data to back up arguments. Add images to beautify the content and create engaging copy your audience remembers.

Speak to your sales, SEO and web team. Use Google Trends to discover what people are searching for. How can you improve the top ranking content? Are there pertinent issues they’ve neglected?

Cross-team marketing

As content marketing continues to grow, we expect companies to include other departments in the content marketing process. Everyone from the ground level employees to the CEO should have an input.

Employees across departments interact differently with your customers. They offer a unique perspective on the needs and expectation of your client. This ensures that your content properly addresses the problems of your audience.

Your marketing team acts as the facilitator of your content but they do not develop all your brand’s content. Relevant departments should create content for a different need the customer has. This ensures you educate and provide valuable information that your audience needs.

Leveraging influencers for content

Recently, brands have introduced a reverse influencer marketing strategy. They partner with influencers to create content for them instead of promoting their brand on the influencers’ channel.

65% of B2B buyers trust content from industry influencers. 64% of B2B marketers also consider building relationships with influencers as a key part of their content marketing strategy.

The benefit? It makes your brand more credible and trustworthy. If you can get the influencer to promote the content on their social media, even better. The ton of traffic and engagement you receive should be worth it.

Micro-moments are here to stay

They are:

I want to know – When a user is researching or exploring but not ready to convert

I want to go – A user looking for a local store or business to make a purchase

I want to do – A user wants help trying something new or completing a task

I want to buy – A user wants to make a purchase but needs help making a decision.

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Create…

• Instagram and Facebook stories
• Comprehensive FAQ pages that answer questions your visitors are asking
• Audio content

Micro-moments provide content your readers want to see immediately. Surprisingly, it’s a great way to encourage a deeper level of connection with your brand.

Brand storytelling will improve client relationships

A great story captures the attention of 55% of business professionals. Storytelling is not a skill many brands have mastered. Most brands think that talking about themselves or getting others to tell their story is the right choice.

Wrong. Your story is more emotional and leaves an impact when your audience hears it from you. Brand storytelling is more than who you are or why you’re in business. It’s about creating an experience.

Voice search will change the narrative

When creating and optimising your content, do you only think of those who are typing on a device? As a marketer, it’s time to optimise for voice search. Millions of web users ask a question through Google Assistant, Amazon’s Echo and Apple’s Siri. Slideshare states that 47% of consumers use a digital platform to make a purchase decision.

Your content should answer quick questions that Google can present in Rich Snippets. Search intent or keyword intent is important. Think of the questions people ask when talking, not just words they say.

The use of chatbot and artificial intelligence

Your consumers want to connect with you via live chat. A Spiceworks study revealed that 40% of large companies plan to use an intelligent assistant and/or chatbots in 2019.

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This chart shows why people in Germany and the US connect with a service provider via chat. Thankfully, machine learning and natural language processing have made it possible for companies to create chatbots that carry out transaction-based chats with a customer or visitor.

We’ll leave you with some interesting content marketing statistics

• 90% of successful B2B content marketers prioritise their audience need for information over their promotional or sales message. Sadly, only 42% speak to customers to understand their needs.
• Blog content creation is a top inbound marketing priority for 55% of marketers
• 70% of B2B content marketers had more success with their content marketing in 2018 than in 2017
• Cisco estimates that by the end of 2019, 80% of all internet traffic will be video
• 61% of B2B content marketers increased their use of social media for marketing

 

Already using these content marketing trends? Need help in creating a content strategy for 2019? Send us an email or call us today and we’ll be happy to help.