by Marketing Supply Co. Team | August 21st, 2019
Content marketing has been a major part of digital marketing strategy since Google’s inception in 1998. Today, however, content marketing comprises more than blog posts alone; people interact with content when they listen to podcasts, go on their favorite social networks, and even ask their voice assistant a question. So how can your business keep up with content marketing’s ever-changing landscape? The answer lies in the latest content marketing trends. Below, read up on the content marketing trends dominating 2019 so far.
Upwards of 60% of marketers produce at least one piece of content daily. But creating content without a strategy is like trying to travel across the country with no GPS or map. As content marketing continues to increase in efficacy and popularity, so does the competition around every search term on Google. Simply writing a piece on a topic is no longer enough. You need a content marketing plan behind every type of content you produce, with data to back you up and goals to strive for, to ensure that your investment is worth the time, energy and money you’re spending.
Have you heard of E-A-T? If you haven’t, let us introduce you. E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. EAT is a way of showing users that you are a true subject matter expert, which increases their willingness not only to interact with your content but also with your brand as buyers. It’s also a top-ranking signal for search engines like Google and Bing, who want to show the most qualified answers to searchers.
Two key concepts related to EAT are authenticity and transparency. As it becomes easier to find out information about a company, it’s become harder to keep information behind closed doors. And while that may seem scary, it actually helps your brand advocates feel more secure in their loyalty. In fact, 90% of consumers say authenticity is important when it comes to their purchasing decisions, and 73% are willing to pay more for a product from a fully transparent brand.
One common thread behind ranking content? It’s long-form content, or content that exceeds 2,000 words. After analyzing 1 million search results, BackLinkO found that the average web page ranking on Google’s first page had at least 1,890 words. Now, that’s not to say you should aim to write 2,000+ words on every topic, or that word count directly causes ranking to go up. Instead, the key takeaway is that thoughtfully written, in-depth content seems to provide users with the answers they want, and Google rewards that with higher rankings.
Consumers love interactive content, especially those that include visuals. In the past few years, video marketing has become a powerful tool, and it’s set to continue growing as we move into the last quarter of 2019 and the beginning of 2020.
Why is video marketing so effective? First off, people are watching more video than ever as smartphone usage increases. According to a study by Hubspot, video views on mobile devices have increased by nearly 10 million minutes PER DAY in the last two years alone. Hubspot also found that 54% of consumers wanted to see more video content from their favorite brands. And, because 65% of people are visual learners, we tend to retain that visual content more than written ads or web content, leading to an uptick in consumer attention, retention and conversions.
From emails to influencer marketing, personalization has become imperative for any successful content marketing tactic. Why? Because personalization brings the customer experience to the next level. It shows that you care about the individual customer, which in turn, makes them care more about YOU.
Evergage studied the effects of personalization in 2019 via a mass survey and found that the impact is significant across content marketing channels, from outreach to social media. The study found that nearly all (98%) marketers feel that personalization helps to “advance customer relationships.” Further, 90% reported seeing a measurable increase in results after implementing personalization strategies. So not only is personalization popular, but it truly works when it comes to ROI.
Want to utilize these content marketing trends for your business? The marketing team at Marketing Supply Company has the knowledge and expertise to take your content marketing strategy to the next level, engage with your target audience, and increase your bottom line. Fill out our online contact form to get started.
Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash