4 Content Marketing Trends You Need to Know About

Content marketing trends vary regularly because it is a constantly developing platform. Its principal purpose, of course, is demand generation.

However, strategies and best practices constantly evolve as businesses evaluate what works best.

To optimise your own results, it is important to stay current on new developments and understand what generates the best outcomes for your organisation.

The following is a look at important recent developments and trends in content marketing which impacts your content marketing success.

The More the Merrier – But Make It Relevant

Content consumption continues to grow due to the sheer volume of people that look to the web more and more for information and resources.

For this reason, companies are expected to significantly ramp up content production in 2017.

Therefore it is imperative that the content you produce is relevant to your audience.

Companies that haven't yet realised the importance of content marketing will join this arena as well.

In a recent Content Marketing Institute report, 70 percent of B2B marketers said they plan to increase their content production in 2017. Another 25 percent will maintain at least the same level of production.

2017 B2B Content Marketing Trends—North America: Content Marketing Institute/MarketingProfs

Your content should have purpose and intent. You must offer the reader a potential positive outcome in relation to what you are publishing.

Publishing content for content's sake is not the answer and won't get you the results you desire. With the stats stated in the graph above, it is imperative that your content stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Travis Wright, CMO & Cofounder at CCP.Digital says "We are advising our clients to dedicate a portion of their ad spend toward amplifying content to highly targeted audiences. It works great with B2C, and it's a terrific addition to any account-based marketing campaign for B2B companies. With the right targeted audiences developed, your content can see much results in 2017."

Increased Creativity and Interactive Content

As the internet becomes more saturated with content, you have to get creative to meet expectations of both search engines and readers.

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Compelling visuals and infographics attract more attention than the simple written word. Use visuals to help enhance the quality of your message.

Add interaction through polls, interactive quizzes and other tools that engage readers. Integrate video content, when applicable, to offer product demonstrations or testimonials.

Already popular in 2016, video content is expected to grow even more in 2017.

Google continues to refine its search algorithm to ensure readers get the most in-depth, useful and relevant content possible. Thus, the search giant has improved its ability to relate visual content to copy when evaluating your site.

Better Personalisation

As I've already stated, it won't be enough to offer general information content centred on SEO keywords in 2017.

Therefore, you must deliver personalised content that speaks to the interests, needs and preferences of targeted buyer personas.

You need a deep understanding of the typical buyer in your primary target market so you can craft messages and stories that resonate, improve brand recall and drive conversions.

Recognising the buyer stage of your targeted buyer is important to personalising your message as well.

In B2B, for instance, buyers typically begin with their online search after identifying a need and then continue to search for options before reaching the decision-making stage.

Fine-tune the personalisation and relevance of your content by addressing questions and concerns at the targeted buyer's stage.

The customer relationship is based on delivering value, so ensure you are addressing it throughout your content marketing process.

Influencer Marketing Growth

User-generated content, such as influencer marketing posts, are expected to grow in 2017.

Brand influencers offer numerous advantages in communicating your messages relative to traditional advertising.

As a result, companies want to get celebrities or vocal industry leaders to help spread the word through blog and social posts, and company or product testimonials.

In many cases, you merely need to align your brands with people who have already made a name for themselves in online communities for interests related to your products.

Wrap Up

In conclusion, to achieve strong demand generation from your content, you need to realise which strategies achieve genuine results.

In 2017, plan to create messages specifically suited to your target market, deliver creativity and innovation, and look for opportunities to leverage influencers.

There are lots of different areas to concentrate on for B2B marketers.

However, there are two fundamental details you must recognise when you are deciding what the best strategies are for your business.

Firstly, your content marketing efforts need to drive sales for your organisation. Clicks, share, likes and similar stats are not relevant.

Secondly, never forget that it's all about the customer – it always has been!

Author: Will Humphries

Will Humphries is the Head of Digital Marketing at Internal Results, a B2B Demand Generation specialist for technology companies. He has 25 years experience in Sales, Marketing and Business Development. It's all about the customer...always has been!… View full profile ›

Source: 4 Content Marketing Trends You Need to Know About