We have heard it for years and years – Content marketing is crucial! However, after so many years of being the must-have strategy in every business’ marketing campaigns, is content marketing still important?
First of all, what is content marketing? It is essentially the creation and circulation of online materials that provide information on a topic that will in turn stimulate readers’ interest in a particular service or product. It should facilitate in buyers’ purchase of said service and/or product.
Today, content marketing takes many forms and even as you read this, new ways to market content are being created which will no doubt play a significant part in the industry in the near future. Why is content marketing still so important today? Here are 3 reasons why:
- Changing consumer requirements
Customers are no longer buying into the straightforward, “in-your-face” type of advertising. In fact, many potential clients are even turned off by such marketing strategies. More consumers are now more inclined to do their own market research before making a purchase, be it in buying a new car or simply in trying out a new brand of laundry detergent. Therefore, what consumers are looking for is information that they can use in their decision-making process.
- Rank higher on search engines
The role of Google is to provide users with relevant and useful information. This is why, when you consistently publish valuable content on your social media platforms or website, you will be able to more effectively rank better on the search results. Do remember that updated content is another important factor in improving your search engine rankings as Google rewards sites that constantly publish fresh content. In conclusion, you should provide relevant, informative and current content.
Content marketing trends 2020
As we hit the third quarter of 2019, it is time to not only analyze the successes of your marketing campaign in this the past year and also to start planning the marketing strategy for the upcoming year of 2020. What are some of the content marketing trends to look out for in 2020 that you can include in your plans?
- Make it interactive
Content has become shorter and briefer in the past year with a lot of content being interactive in order to cater to an audience that has seemingly been exhibiting short attention spans. Much of the content that we commonly see online nowadays include video clips, quizzes, polls and games, and we can expect that these forms of content marketing will continue to dominate in 2020.
- Voice search optimization
Currently, 20% of Google search queries are made through voice search and it is estimated that by 2020, this number will increase to 50%. Thus, it is important that brands tailor their marketing strategies to optimize content for voice search. Keyword phrases that most users are familiar with are no longer recommended to be used in voice searches. Instead, Google encourages the use of conversational phrases when conducting voice searches. For example, instead of “reasons content marketing important”, it is better to say “reasons why content marketing is important”.
- Live video continues its run
Most social media platforms now support live video streaming and the trend of live videos will continue to dominate in 2020 and beyond. It is predicted that a good 10% of internet traffic in 2021 will be comprised of live videos and this industry will be worth at least $60 billion by then.