Last updated on December 30th, 2021
Technology evolves and so does the content marketing industry. Content marketers around the globe are working hard on creating unique content every year. According to the 2017 benchmarks and trends report from CMI, more than 60% of the B2B marketers reported that their content marketing strategies are more effective than the previous year. In this blog we want to talk about the content marketing trends of 2018 that we think will surpass the previous years.
Some of the major content marketing trends of 2018 are:-
1. Video Content will supersede all other formats
Video seems to be the future of content marketing. Content marketing through video has been growing by leaps and bounds. This, in fact, is a very powerful tool for you marketers to get connected to your audience and is also revenue generating. According to Wyzowl statistics, 63% of businesses have started using video marketing in 2018.
Out of those 82% of businesses feel video marketing is an important part of their strategy. Video content marketing is progressing rapidly and will reach new heights sooner than we think. This trend is fueled by 83% of businesses believing that video marketing gives them a good ROI To put an emphasis, we will share across more reasons that will convince you of the effectiveness of video marketing.
Check out our blog on The Rise of Video Marketing in 2018
a) A video guides the audiences comprehensively through their customer journey.
Targeted video content marketing helps the audiences at different stages to connect with the brand better, right from when they are aware of the product to the time when they actually consider buying it. You will get a clearer understanding by looking below at our videos on Volvo.
b) Video content marketing is solely based on the needs and wants of audience
Video content marketing is super successful because it understands the problems of audience and solves it too.
c) It is engaging, educational, fun and also inspires people.
When it comes to providing true value to the audience, video content marketing is a pro at it. It provides valuable information that helps people out rather than just focusing on the brand’s agenda.
You will get a better understanding by looking at what Volvo offered.
Volvo truck’s popular featuring Van Damme and Enya soundtrack has been loved by many for the incredible stints and overwhelming music.
Now we will talk about how Volvo has smartly designed a video marketing funnel so as to effectively reach out to all its audiences. This is exactly where we will explain how video content marketing touches different phases of the customer journey.
So the first video is at the very top of the funnel, basically to make the audience aware of it.
Here, Volvo is not trying to sell their product/s, but rather they are trying to get their audience engaged with the brand. The Epic Split is one example, as is The Hamster Stunt, which features a hamster driving a truck through a dangerous quarry. This ad generated millions of views through organic and paid search on social media because people have been simply amused and amazed at the wonderful concept. Have a look at it yourself.
The second video is in the middle of the funnel.This basically connects with the audience that is contemplating on taking the product.
The brand offers interesting and educational product videos for each of their truck ranges. These videos give a complete picture of the features, benefits and design aspects of the product. This example, of the Volvo FH series, uses a blend of live action and animation to give viewers a comprehensive understanding of how the trucks look and function.The third video is in the last stage of the funnel. This basically connects with the audience that has decided to take the product.
Volvo’s FAQ videos make it easier for the buyer to differentiate between its products and competitors and simplifies the buying process for the users. These videos are called _One Minute About _that are informational and give details on the automatic traction control of the trucks that it offers. These are handy for customers who have active queries. You can have a look at one of the videos here.
2. Internet of things is taking the audience away from the screen
Customers now no longer have to depend on their computer screens to get content. Internet of things has made content so easily available to us that we can be hands-free while we get useful content. For example, Amazon’s voice service Alexa is a direct doorway to some fantastic content. Most of the B2B companies use Alexa to build traction and generate leads through content marketing. You will get a better understanding through the examples below.
Marketing School
Neil Patel has smartly used Alexa to give 10 minutes of actionable marketing advice every day. This is easy enough to listen to while you’re getting ready in the morning or for a quick break in the middle of a Netflix binge.
3. Most of the brands will embrace personalization
Every customer is different and so are his/her needs. With evolving businesses, strategies and customers it is important to deliver an experience that is flawless. This experience should be unique and should only cater to the needs of that one individual or a set of individuals with similar needs. Generalization of content is a big no in the content marketing industry.For this most companies use content marketing resources and AI in content marketing.
In a July 2016 research by Forrester Consulting(commisioned by Persado), emphasises the rising significance of personalization in the emerging content marketing sphere. When a group of senior marketing executives were asked about their approach to personalized marketing, 67% said they used behaviour-based data to develop content based insights and emotions, the second-most popular answer.
Most content marketers like you would use content personalization as a significant tool in their marketing options. The key is to not go overboard and craft overly personal messages that might creep out your audience.
Instead, it is to know what are the current and potential challenges that they have, and how can your brand solve the problem and help them to move ahead.
A perfect example of personalization is what the brand Vidyard did. Vidyard’s Kyle Jepsen and his team took personalization to a whole new level. The video that we will share below shows Kyle addressing individual customers with their specific needs. They could have easily generalized the script and just changed the names, but they chose not to.
Have a look at it yourself 🙂
4. Surge of content distribution
In the bigger scheme of things, content creation is just half the battle won. It is content distribution the other half that makes your content strategy an overall success.
Not having a proper content distribution strategy is a big no-no in the content marketing realm. Because there is a lot of content that gets produced every single minute.
This infographic from Domo explains just that.
5. Rise of influencer campaigns
One of the top content marketing trends of 2018 will see many brands aggregating influencers to attain their marketing objectives. These influencer groups have the potential to reach out to a wider set of people.
Content marketers like you will use influencer campaigns for building digital word of mouth. The aim of these influencer campaigns would not be confined to promotion, rather it would focus on building a relationship, trust and experience.
Hence they plan to strengthen the beliefs of their audience through referral programmes, advocacy loyalty.
The influencers can be broadly divided into three groups: mega-influencers (usually celebrities), macro-influencers, and micro-influencers.
The below example explains clearly as to how influencer marketing solidifies a brand’s value and establishes a trust factor in the minds of its audience.
Old Navy
Old Navy, associated with social media influencer Meghan Rienks to appear in a series of promotional posts on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
In the videos, Rienks shows fans how to style outfits for different occasions (e.g., a holiday party, and big date night) using pieces from Old Navy. Rienks is extremely popular for her comedy sketches and lifestyle content. She has a huge follower base on social media, which is equal to a whopping 1.3 million Instagram followers and 2 million subscribers on her YouTube channel.
A post shared by oldnavy (@oldnavy)
Trends are predicted on the basis of data gathered from industry, but trends are not to be worshipped as the holy grail. It is important for you and your brand to do your own research.
You should evaluate if these trends are beneficial for your brand. Therefore don’t just simply follow the herd. Keep an eye on the content marketing trends, data and statistics, and integrate them only you find them useful.
With this, we have come to the end of the blog. Hope you got a good understanding of the upcoming content marketing trends of 2018.
Happy Writing!
