Content is the fuel that powers the internet. Content marketing strategy has changed for businesses since the advancement of technology and the disruption of social media in our lives. The change is going to be constant & content marketing will continue to evolve. It’s an exciting time to be a marketer as it gives us numerous ways to reach our customers.
We have all heard the phrase ‘Content is king. But Context is God’. It’s important to understand the form of content that is in trend. This helps in the context of content creation for businesses.
Creating more content won’t necessarily get you more search traffic, it would go down to the context of your content. A good content marketing strategy is one of the ways businesses can establish their brand identity, gain interest from prospects and retain your audience. It establishes trust between you and the customer you’re trying to reach.
Well it’s easier said than done. Content marketing has been changing over the last decade by leaps and bounds. It isn’t static. It doesn’t look the same as it was ten years ago and it will not be the same in the next ten years.
The evolution of content marketing started with search engines when people came on the internet to search about any product/service. It was followed by social media when the strategy went from pointed to passive, it became more of demographics and psychographics. Last but not the least, in the later part of the decade with the boom of the internet, video consumption saw a huge surge.
1. Google
Google changed the game for Content. It gave the people a platform to research about the product before buying it. This meant that businesses had to focus on ranking the relevant keywords on Google to give their users positive and helpful online experience. This set the stage for companies to focus on producing more quality and meaningful content on their website.
2. Social Media
The rise of social media is one of the most disruptive trends in human history. These platforms are part of every day’s life, it presents new challenges for content marketers. Content consumption on social media is very different from that of Search engines. Search engines are used more to get a specific answer on a specific topic. But on social media, content is consumed in a more passive way. It comes to you in a form of content that gets your attention and is shareable.
Social media agencies & marketers have to focus on creating engaging yet relevant content on social media to stand out in chaos.
3. Video
Video emerged as one of the most prominent content marketing mediums in the later part of the decade. Video is engaging and since the introduction of Jio in India, the mobile device usage and content consumption has increased drastically. Video is going to be mainstay in the content evolution going forward. Businesses has started to explore video as their medium for content marketing as it is engaging and builds trust.
Conclusion:
Content marketing is all about offering value to your followers, visitors and customers alike. It’s not about asking your prospects why you’re better than the competition — it’s about showing that you care about your prospects and committed to delighting them with the knowledge they need to make better purchasing decisions.