As the year 2016 is coming to an end, the predictions for 2017 are rolling in. Have you started seeing them already?
I have.
In the nature of predicting where things are going, I’m going to make some observations on what I’m seeing for content marketing. A prediction alone isn’t very valuable, though. I’m going to also tell you why it’s so important to the growth of your business.
Why content marketing?
It’s simply the best way to build a brand online with less financial investment than other marketing strategies. Oh, it also have better long term affects.
For those starting out a new company there’s usually very little money to invest. Time, though, while still short is the best bet at marketing for those beginning states.
Content marketing will be just as important in the future as it is today. When you publish good content then you’ll attract valuable leads and of course build trust. Content marketing also helps solidify and amplify your trust with current customers.
Doesn’t that sound valuable to a new business?
Of course. But it’s not just valuable to a new business, it’s valuable to all businesses. That should tell you something.
The question is where is content marketing headed in the future.
Content Marketing Future
As long as growing a business is important and there is opportunity to do so on the Internet, content marketing has a future. The content marketing future lies in these opportunities.
Content marketing will remain important but it will change at the same time. Content consumption changes over time and that means content marketing must change with it.
Old forms of content will remain popular but newer forms will slowly increase in importance. White papers used to be all the rage but they’ve slowly given way to podcasts and video.
Content marketing will evolve over time. In 5 years it won't be recognizable to what we see today. Share on XThat doesn’t mean white papers are irrelevant, though. They were simply the rage at one time and were probably misused in their trendiness. There is a time and a place for every type of content in content marketing, it’s a matter of balancing the best way to deliver the story.
I’ll cover more of the specific types of content that’s now popular, gaining popularity, or decreasing in popularity later in this post. First it’s important to look at why the future of content marketing is tied so closely to its ability for successfully growing your business.
Residual Leads
In business residual is always better than the alternative whether it’s residual income or residual leads. You don’t want to always have to work X amount of hours to get paid X amount of money. Sometimes it’s also nice to put in X amount of hours and not have that tied to how much money you earn.
Well, that all works for leads as well. It’s nice to put in the work to prepare a great piece of content and have it continue to bring in targeted leads for your business.
A popular eBook or blog post stays out there indefinitely. As long as it remains popular and you targeted it to the proper audience, it’ll continue to bring valuable leads to you, residual leads.
You’ll build residual traffic to your website that will in turn will help increase your search ranking, bring new subscribers to your email list, and even bring you new customers.
Put in some work and the growth for your business can continue to build beyond the initial hard work. That’s the entire reason content marketing is one of the most important pieces of your marketing strategy.
Not all types of content are equal when it comes to the content marketing future, though. Some types are rising some falling, and some are staying the same.
Content Marketing Growth
Business is always about growth in one way or another. You may be overwhelmed at one moment but things may be quiet the next. It’s always important to plan ahead and make sure you’re ready for whatever may come.
Growing your content marketing and business relies on having the type of content that people are looking for. And it’s not just any type of content, it’s important to cover the right types of content for the right audience.
That means you want to have the right type of content that attracts the type of people interested in your business.
Content marketing will remain popular but you need the right stuff, not just any content. Share on XContent marketing future growth will remain high, you just need the right stuff.
The right stuff comes in a lot of different forms and each one will uniquely fit your goal. Even though a white paper is losing popularity, it may fit your needs better than a video.
So, there are lots of great content types you could use in content marketing. Some are going up, some down, and some are consistently awesome.
Rising Stars
- Podcasting
- Video
Remain Popular
- Blogs
- Infographics
- Short form eBooks
- Social media
- Online courses
Losing Favorability
- White papers
- Long form eBooks
The perfect blend for your business will be unique as will the piece of content you use for the goal you have. Any way you look at it, though, the future of content marketing looks overall positive for 2017 and years to come.
Start Now
The goal of content marketing is of course to bring targeted leads to your business. That means you need to not just have solid content but a way to capture leads once they come your way.
A good website with a landing page that helps capture your leads is the best way to do that. You want to build your own contact list for qualified leads that are already interested in your content.
If you don’t have a roadmap to marketing your new business with content marketing and/or don’t have a way to capture leads and customers, it’s probably time you talk to someone about it.