If marketing was a car, content marketing is the gas needed to fuel the engine. Nowadays, without strong content marketing, it is unlikely the rest of your marketing will get very far.
Content creation has been around for decades but only recently have marketers coined the term content marketing to define what it is. So what is it exactly?
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach that fuels inbound marketing. Content marketing is often the vehicle to drive lead generation, increase conversions, and increase traffic to a company’s website. But that not all it can do! When done correctly, content marketing is a cost-effective valuable method that helps to build your companies brand awareness, credibility, and authority.
Importance of Adding a Content Marketer to Your Team
A content strategist is one of the hottest and most in-demand marketing roles today. The demand for content marketers has been on the rise for a few years. From 2016 to 2017, content strategists average pay salary increased forty percent. Additionally, from 2017 to 2018, content marketing job openings increased 33 percent year over year.
The surge in the number of content marketing jobs highlights the need for companies to integrate content into their digital marketing strategies. More and more B2B companies are starting to realize that the best way to target their audience is by following an inbound methodology and create high value-added quality content.
As content marketing recruiters, we see first-hand some marketing disciplines compensation rising faster than others; content marketing is one of them. According to Payscale, depending on one’s skill level, a content strategist can make, on average, anywhere from $40k to 97k per year.
Sourced from NewsCred Insight
Emerging Stats
- 51% of B2B marketers prioritize creating visual assets as part of their content marketing strategy. (HubSpot)
- 78% of companies have a content marketing strategy; 39% have it documented (Social Media Today)
- By 2019, 20 percent of brands will abandon their mobile apps. (Gartner)
- 36% of people prefer list-based headlines. (HubSpot)
- 66% of marketers surveyed used blogs in their social media content. (HubSpot)
- 64% of B2C Marketers say their organization are extremely/very committed to content marketing (Social Media Today)
- Only 13 percent of B2B marketers believe they have a firm grasp on how to integrate data into customer relationship management (CRM) systems. (NewsCred Insights)
- Listicles are the most popular blog post format among business blogs. (HubSpot)
Top Content Marketing Trends CMOs Should Adopt in 2019
The demand for A-level content marketers is on the rise, making the competition increasingly intense. More companies today are discovering the power of investing in a content marketing strategy and how it will improve ROI and a company’s bottom line.
1. Test and Trail New Channels
Sourced from Hubspot
In this digital era, the average person is consuming information faster than any other generation. Marketers are always on the hunt to find new and creative ways to market to their target segment that doesn’t come across as intrusive or aggravating. By using an inbound methodology combined with your content marketing strategy, your target audience will feel like they are being educated and entertained on topics they enjoy, but rather than sold too.
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2. Optimize Strategy for Voice Search
If you have not started to optimize your content strategy for voice search, your running behind. According to a Forbes article, many as half of all online searches will be voice searches by 2020. Content marketers can leverage this trend to optimize their content & SEO strategy to create a better customer experience, build communities, and personalize marketing campaigns.
By 2020, Morgan Stanley predicts 75 billion devices will be connected to the IoT.
3. Become an Expert Storyteller
People remember what you tell them if you say it in a story format. Storytelling has never been more powerful and needed more in marketing than ever. Brand storytelling is a key skill every content marketers should master. The power of a good story can increase profit, create a strong community, and loyal customers.
Brand storytelling isn’t about telling your audience how awesome you and your company are. It’s illustrating the core purpose of why your company does what it does. It’s about connecting with your audience on an emotional level.
For, example, REI did a campaign during Black Friday in 2018 that changed the shopping behavior of their core demographic.
Black Friday for many retailers is their biggest sales day. REI decided to close their stores, pay all their employees, and tell their customers instead of shopping today, go outside and enjoy nature.
As a store that sells outdoor merchandise and attire, this #OptOutside campaign resonated with their customer segment. 1.4 million people and 170 organizations join the #OptOutside movement. The example shows how powerful one brand story can transform how customers view and engage with your brand.
4. Create a Concrete Content Strategy
According to Social Media Today, 78% of content marketers have a content strategy plan, but 39% of marketers do not have it written down. Content creation without a strategic plan could result in weak performance metrics and many frustrating work days.
When crafting your editorial calendar always think about how the content will connect to your core audience and your company’s brand. Equally important, how will you track and measure the performance of your content and measure your KPIs. Reviewing and analyzing your content often will tell you what works and does not work for your target demographic.
Final Words
Marketing content production will continue to evolve and feed into your inbound marketing strategy. The main takeaway is to remember to stay authentic, clearly define your business goals with a plan, and invest in producing high-quality content. If you follow these steps and stay consistent, we can guarantee it will improve your bottom line.
