Content is a crucial part of every business and the connection tool between you and your customers. Every year content marketing becomes more and more competitive, and it gets more difficult to catch the audience’s attention.
You never know what will become viral and what predictions will come true. Google + and E-books are good examples of failed predictions.
Ten years ago people expected Google + to beat Facebook down but, due to the data leak, it became a ghost town. Only 10 % of visitors spend more than 5 secs there.
The case of E-books was more optimistic but still not live up to expectations. Kindle and iPad changed the market but didn’t subdue it. The paper books were expected to vanish, but the income of publishing houses is still growing.
What content marketing trends will 2019 bring us ? We won’t make any unreliable predictions. We know what works well today and what will continue to be effective in 2019.
Video content
Video will continue to rule the digital media. Video creation is no longer a big deal for brands without solid budgets. The only thing you need to create a video is a high-quality smartphone camera. Thank Facebook and Instagram Stories for the opportunity to post your video immediately without any editing.
Use Stories and Facebook videos to show product demonstration, life behind the scene, interviews or case studies, entertain and educate your audience.
Videos improve the conversion rate and make clients more confident to make a purchasing decision. 40 % of online customers make phone calls only after watching a video.
Don’t forget about webinars and live videos. But! Don’t do it just because it is a trend. You must have a robust strategy to attract clients and accomplish your goals. If you have a plan and you think it’ll help your business, then do it.
Voice Search & Smart Speakers
Artificial intelligence becomes smarter each year and voice assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google make fewer mistakes. Today 20% of mobile queries are made with the help of these ‘ladies’. By 2020 50% of people will use voice search instead of writing. There will be fewer pains with navigation and typing.
39 Million Americans already use smart speakers, and 65% don’t want to stop using them.
Brands should think about implementing this tool to boost their sales. For example, Domino’s Pizza uses the voice search technology, allowing people to order through Amazon’s Alexa. Let’s be honest it is more convenient to make purchases lying on a sofa instead of making phone calls and scrolling the Net.
This content marketing trend will open great opportunities for your business. Maybe this year you’ll be able to purchase voice ad space and boost your brand awareness.
2019 Is the time to watch audio content closely.
Brand Storytelling
Brand Storytelling is art. That’s why marketing specialists often misconstrue it. It’s not about talking about yourself but making your audience to talk about you more.
What was your road to success? How have you become who you are? What challenges you faced and how they influenced the experience you create for your clientele?
That are just examples of questions you should answer. Storytelling is about who you are, why you are doing what you are doing, how you help people to deal with their pains. It is not boasting about your company. Telling about your certificates and prizes won’t help people to solve their problem. It doesn’t cause any feelings.
Storytelling should pinpoint your goals and experience you provide your clients, something that will highlight your company among others.
Influencers and Micro-Influencers
Influencer marketing is not a new trend. It’s not a must to ask for the help of leaders in your industry to post your content in their blogs or social media. Look at your company. Your colleagues or clients can be your best advocates.
It’s not about finding an influencer; it’s about creating a partnership.
Don’t ask to post your content somewhere, just invite an influencer on your website or blog and make him/her post there. It will add more credibility to your site or company whether be posted on the other sites. Eventually, you’ll get your leads because the influencer will share the content in his/her media.
Create a content marketing plan for 2019, maintain your relationships and set goals. You will have to do great work. The success won’t come overnight.
Content Interactivity and Personalization
Here you should engage your customers in conversation. Ask for their experience and expectations. The simplest example of such content is interactive and personalized emails.
Here is the OpenTable’s example:
It’s not just a way to leave a review, it’s an opportunity for a restaurant to understand what the client wants and improve the dining service.
Streaming and live videos are also good ways to interact with your audience. Involve your clients in Q&A sessions or other interactive videos content. It will help you to collect all the necessary data to reflect on the mistakes you may have done.
As we’ve already said these content marketing trends were working well the previous year. We don’t think that the year 2019 will discover absolutely new forms of content. Make emphasis on multi-media content, personalization of your content and don’t follow trends blindly. If you haven’t got a plan, you won’t achieve success.
