With the New Year just three weeks away, Content Marketing Institute has published 85 predictions for the industry in 2019. It is fair to say that big changes are coming during the next 12 months. New tech capabilities, changing algorithms, evolving storytelling formats, and fresh ways of looking at content within a business are just a few of the things that brands can look forward to. Here is a selection of forecasts from industry experts.
Digital ownership
Social media was beset with fake news and data privacy problems in 2018, and brands are now wising up to the Wild West nature of these platforms and attempting to take back control. ScribbleLive executive Corinne Schmid expects digital channel ownership to increase next year. In a world where social media algorithms can nuke a brand’s visibility overnight, it makes sense for brands to reduce risks and prioritise the deployment of content on their own websites.
She adds: “This means interactive content experiences will take the main stage, as it allows marketers to own the brand experience and capture declared customer (precious!) data, while delivering personalized and customized customer experiences. Who wouldn’t want more of that?”
Location-based
Immersive storytelling was a big trend this year, and 2019 will see location-based experiences play a larger role in stitching together unique stories. Narrative strategist John Butcher believes that brands that are best able to deliver stories through videos and articles to audiences in this way will see “explosive engagement”. This will also add a new spin to interacting with consumers in the right place, at the right time.
Cost-effective creation
Smaller enterprises will look to agencies and other third parties to create higher-quality content at cheaper prices, according to The Search Guru’s President and Founder Leslie Carruthers. While SMEs may not have the budget to blow on diverse video campaigns and huge social media initiatives, they can invest wisely in evergreen content that will continue to deliver returns long after it has been published.
Content pervades all marketing
Finally, Frontline Education’s Allison Wert expects content to no longer operate in isolation and instead be a part of all marketing, whether it’s demand generation, PR or product marketing. She adds: “Successful companies and marketing teams will increasingly blur the lines between these disciplines.”
