Data driven content creation leads the trend in content marketing this year.
There’s a constant evolution happening in content marketing, which makes it exceedingly important to stay up to date on the current trends in the industry.
Marketers want buzz-worthy, sale-inducing content their audiences can’t get enough of. What trends will shape this kind of content in 2016?
To answer that question, we turned to content guru Lisa Barone. She’s founded multiple marketing blogs that have earned spots on AdAge’s Power 150. Currently, she’s the content creator at Overit, an internet marketing solutions company.
Barone says marketers should watch for these five trends in content marketing:
1. An emphasis on native ads
A growing number of marketers will embrace native advertising this year, Barone says. The statistics back up her theory. Marketers are expected to spend $4.4 billion on native advertising in 2016, which is an increase of about 19 percent from last year.
“If you truly know your audience, you’ll know where they’re spending their time and where they’re learning about your products,” Barone says. “By purchasing native ads, brand have the ability to put their product directly in the path of a customer.”
2. An increase in gated content
Some marketers love gated content – which is anything behind a form – because it brings in high-quality leads. Others say it stops potential customers from learning about your brand.
Barone says it’s time to get over the debate because gated content helps secure email addresses.
“Marketers really understand the importance of building their list,” she says. “Once you have email addresses, you have a direct line of personal communication to a customer. Your email shows up right alongside messages from family and friends.”
3. More audience data collected
Audiences want customized content. To do that you have to understand every nuance of your target market.
“If we can better define customers and their behaviors, marketers can create content that’s tailored to their specific wants and needs,” Barone says. “By collecting data on customers, marketers can create more powerful content.”
4. More interactive content
In 2016, just writing a blog won’t cut it.
“Static content isn’t dying, but it needs a little help,” she says. “Once you understand who your audience is, you can create content that’s interactive, like an article with a social quiz embedded in it.”
Consumers want more than “newspaper copy,” they want to be entertained while being informed, Barone says.
5. Create more content
Content marketing has been around for decades but it has really taken off in the last five years.
“Everyone’s on board with content marketing now,” Barone explains. “Marketers know that it’s a great way to grab attention and retain customers, so now you’ll see marketers really kick their content machine into high gear.”
Expect blogs to be updated more frequently, with more writers contributing to a brand’s content strategy.
By watching these five trends in content marketing, you can keep your content on the right track this year.
