“Content is king.” We’re all sick of that phrase, but we know it’s true.
Producing exceptional content should form the foundation of any content marketing strategy (funny huh?) but there can often be a huge number of things getting in the way.
The right team, the right equipment, the right software and, most importantly, the right ideas at the right time. These are all essential in absolutely nailing your content strategy.
Regardless of the challenges you’re currently facing, creating top-notch content is still one of, if not the most important aspects of marketing in the present day. And it doesn’t look like it’ll change either.
So why exactly is having a stellar content marketing strategy still vital in 2018? Let’s take a look…
(Much) Higher Expectations from Consumers
Nowadays, consumers expect far more from companies in terms of the material they push out.
Affordable cameras, featured-packed smart phones and numerous other developments in technology have afforded the average Joe the ability to create stunning content from relatively basic equipment. And, as a result, brands need to step their game up to get noticed.
With no shortage of videos to watch and blogs to read, you’ll need to produce something truly outstanding to get noticed, shared or achieve the holy grail of “going viral.”
Content Ubiquity
Content is everywhere!
It’s estimated that, in 2018, 79% of all global traffic will consist of video. This is a clear indication of how video is changing the way people consume content online and, also, a sign that brands must adapt to effectively market themselves.
A side effect of omnipresent content is “banner blindness”, where users will become desensitised to marketing content as a result of it simply appearing everywhere they venture online.
Whilst this term was originally coined for the of an overabundance of display advertising, it’s a concept which is becoming increasingly relevant for online marketing in general.
Competitor analysis can be a real help here. Knowing what others in your industry are doing and the type of reaction they’re getting will help you to zero in on the exact content you need to be producing to get the right people talking about what you’ve got to offer.
Increasing Numbers of Savvy Digital Marketers
As generations change and computer-literacy becomes the norm, a new wave of digital-first marketers are increasing the competition found in social media, display advertising and other types of online marketing.
Companies must ensure their content strategy is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in terms of engagement, distribution and production quality to stand out from the crowd.
Higher Advertising Costs
A continuation of the previous point, increasing competition naturally means higher advertising costs.
There’s only so much real estate which can be allocated to adverts without totally killing the experience for users and, as such, the laws of biddable media dictate that the price has to rise under these circumstances in order to maintain the equilibrium.
Creating image, video and written content which is continually optimised for the user will help to alleviate this by achieving higher quality/relevance scores and engagement metrics such as watch time, likes and CTR.
These metrics are simply ways for platforms to quantify which content is getting the best reception at any time and, therefore, which content to prioritise.
By focusing on producing quality stuff, your metrics will improve and this will lead to reduced costs.
Diminishing Organic Reach on Social
As was exemplified in recent updates to Facebook’s algorithm, it’s becoming more and more difficult to achieve the same amount of organic reach as it was, say, 2 years ago.
The increasing number of personal and business accounts, adverts and posting frequency has created a content overload on social. This makes it not only harder to get your content in front of the same amount of people, but also means it’s more likely to get lost in the social ether.
Consumers Have More Control Over Purchasing Decisions
In today’s instant access, comparison shopping environment, there has been a paradigm shift in how people decide on what they want to buy and how they’ll go about doing it.
Consumers are becoming increasingly expectant on super-high res product photos, explanatory video content, social proof and more. It’s no longer a case of simply throwing your advert in front of people to secure a sale.
In the same way as you would nurture a lead, potential customer at all stage of the funnel need to be show the correct content in the right format for them to progress.
Whether you’re just finding out about a new brand, comparing a product to alternatives you already know about or contemplating whether you really need those £500 pair of shoes, you’ll need to be exposed to different types of content to progress to the next stage.
It can often seem like everything is out to get you when it comes to marketing your business online, however, remaining focused on giving your fans what they want and creating content which drives conversation and engagement is your most important priority as a marketer.
If you need hand with your content, hit us up – we’re nice guys, I promise.