Speculate on some trends in content marketing in 2017!

Some time ago, the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) communicated with marketers from all over the world to understand the trends in content marketing . In conjunction with ongoing surveys, the CMI team has identified the major content marketing trends for 2017 and arranged presentations on various content marketing topics at the 2016 Content Marketing World Forum.

This article summarizes some of the biggest issues facing corporate marketers, including the opinions of some thought leaders expressed in marketing forums.

The following questions are in no particular order, they are all important and some of them will depend on the maturity of your content marketing. But one thing is certain: the creation and distribution of corporate content has become increasingly important over the past year, and we’re talking about content beyond products and services.

1. Native advertising

The term "native advertising" originated from the "Native Monetization Systems" proposed by Fred Wilson at the OMMA Global Conference. Native advertising truly became a new concept and was widely discussed at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)'s annual leadership meeting.

①. What is native advertising?

Native advertising is a form of web advertising that maintains the format and style of the platform on which it is displayed. For example, an advertisement promoting a product by an advertiser is an article written by the website's editorial team in a similar format to other content on the website. Native means that the promotional advertising content and the media format of the delivery platform remain consistent and coherent.

②. What are the recommended types of native advertising?

Common types include recommendation widgets , in feed ad units, promotion lists, etc.

③. Win-win situation for all three parties

So whether it is the media, advertisers or third parties, native advertising is a win-win-win solution: the media gets rewards, the brand gets exposure, and consumers get useful content!

I often compare native advertising to the “inducing poison” of content marketing, and we’re starting to see a lot of companies trying paid, native promotion methods within their content and finding success.

Why is this important? Five years ago, companies would spend 80% of their budget on content creation and only 20% on content promotion. I believe that this ratio has reversed as successful companies create differentiated content and spend a lot of money on advertising to promote it.

This year marks the first time we’ve scheduled a session series at Content Marketing World dedicated to native advertising. In addition, we have a panel of leading experts on the subject of native advertising.

2. Influencer Marketing

It is obvious that more and more consumers now believe in advertisements less or turn a blind eye to them, and more people are willing to believe in the advice and recommendations of people they trust.

Previously, influencer marketing has been lukewarm, but in the past 6 months, this topic has jumped to the top 5 in terms of hot searches. To a certain extent, influencers' recommendations and suggestions can better influence others to take action.

3. Goal-oriented marketing

Why do you want to create content? Does it actually make a difference to your customers and prospects? Is there a deeper purpose behind your actions? Don’t just create content for sales and marketing. After setting goals, you will find that the implementation of marketing becomes easier.

4. Video and Visualization

With the rapid development of digital technology, consumers who are in the flow of information explosion prefer short articles to save time and effort, so visual promotion becomes more and more important. Visual media is now an increasingly effective way to drive traffic and increase brand awareness. According to a study by digital marketing company HubSpot, 65% of marketers believe that photos, videos, etc. can better show the brand story, and 55% of marketing-related personnel said they would add more visual marketing content.

American mother Candace Payne uploaded a video on Facebook wearing a Chewbacca mask from Star Wars and laughing magically, breaking the record for Facebook live videos. The 4-minute video was watched by 130 million people. This example tells us how important video and visualization strategy is.

However, most brands currently still use viral videos as a communication strategy rather than creating videos to communicate valuable processes or organizations.

5. Content Strategy

One question I always ask the audience during each of my keynote speeches is whether their company has a dedicated content marketing strategy. Sadly, the vast majority do not.

Our survey specialists have told us that companies that have a record and make frequent adjustments have a higher success rate. In fact, we are all so focused on activities and products that we ignore the importance of making a plan.

Good content is one thing, but if you want to improve user experience or technological influence without the right strategy, the result will be tragic.

Recent data from the Content Marketing Institute shows that 88% of marketers use content marketing, and 76% of marketers say they expect to produce more content this year than last year. More content does not mean better, nor does it mean that it will exceed expected results. Another piece of data shows that only 30% of B2B marketers believe that the content marketing methods implemented by their company are effective. This figure is down 8 percentage points from last year. This may be because although we produce more content, the number of people who truly master content strategy is decreasing. If the strategy is standardized, the chances of success will be higher.

6. Mobile Marketing Content

The use of mobile devices has become extremely popular nowadays. You may have heard many people say that this year is the year of mobile devices, right? In short, if your content doesn’t have a mobile-friendly version, you’re in big trouble.

As more and more people around the world access the web through mobile devices, mobile marketing content will become increasingly popular in 2016. To engage consumers, brands now prioritize creating mobile marketing content.

The transition to mobile was a natural one, as most of the content we develop is released on mobile first.

7. Content Marketing Technology

Before you choose any technology for content marketing, first make sure you have a complete marketing strategy. Once you have a complete marketing strategy, take a look at Scott Brinker’s massive infographic on marketing technology. Any marketer will hesitate about which one to choose?

I was very interested in Paul Roetzer’s talk on machine learning. This is no longer the future of content. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have already started to play a role in the content marketing field and we must pay attention.

8. Marketing & Sales Integration

I had a great conversation with Marcus Sheridan a few years ago, during which I realized the sad fact that most organizations are driven by sales volume, and if we don't invite salespeople to the forum, they will probably collapse when they return to the company.

Content Marketing World is also evolving into a marketing & sales conference, and this year we added a series on marketing and sales integration, as well as a workshop hosted by Marcus and Ian Altman, author of the best-selling book Same Side Selling, on how successful companies integrate sales and content marketing.

9. Marketing Automation

Recently I learned some facts about email marketing . First, email marketing is far from dead, and may be more important than ever for content marketing. Secondly, almost 99% of companies send spam disguised as content to key users every day.

Then, like many B2B companies do, they moved from email marketing alone to marketing automation. I recently spoke with a senior strategist who believed that marketers only use 10% of the power of marketing automation software, which means that most people are using marketing automation the wrong way.

10. Less content, more promotion

Once again, I think the current trend is less content and more promotion. We cannot afford the loss caused by the content not being disseminated and promoted.

Here I want to say that "even good wine needs no bush". In the deep alley of the Internet, we need to take the initiative to promote our content like product salesmen.

Whether it is a website or an article, my philosophy is that its traffic sources need to be diverse, and various channels need to occupy a certain proportion, including search engines, direct traffic, referral traffic (such as forums, Q&A, communities, videos, etc.). Traffic from each channel must be present. Only in this way can it be considered a relatively healthy and stable traffic.

11. Interactive content is rising sharply

You know that passive content has always been difficult to get consumers involved, which is why there is an increase in interactive content, such as riddles, to get more consumers involved and generate brand awareness.

Interactive marketing content allows for two-way communication, allowing users to express their likes, feelings and experiences with the campaign. According to Demand Metric, interactive content is 2 to 3 times more effective than static content in terms of marketing effectiveness.

12. Global integration

The 2015 Content Marketing World Forum attracted 40% of the Fortune 100 companies to attend. Each of these companies operates globally, which means they face complex processes, dispersed teams, communication issues, and a variety of user experiences. In short, it's complicated.

Green Gua Media Comments:

Content marketing has undergone a major change in the past marketing model. As marketers realize the importance of interactive marketing content, they begin to look for new tools and methods to reach more audiences. This trend will become more obvious in the coming months.

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The author of this article @马海祥 compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!