As content marketing becomes increasingly competitive, content creators need to evolve with the changes in order to stay ahead of the curve. In this blog post, we will explore five emerging trends shaping content marketing in the future and provide tips for how you can adapt your content strategy accordingly.
Podcasting’s Growth Era
Marketing content through podcasts is a trend that content marketers cannot afford to ignore. In 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the iTunes store had seen over thirty billion podcast subscriptions since its launch in 2005. Podcasts are now being used by content marketers as an engaging way of delivering content – they’re interactive and allow for deeper engagement with your audience than simple written or visual content alone can provide.
A 2017 study from Edison Research showed a steady increase in podcast listening across demographics, making it clear why so many companies have started producing their own podcasts: 41% of Americans age 12+ have listened to at least one podcast episode, up from 36% last year and just 13% back in 2008. The same report states that young people are listening to even more content than older people on average, with over 50% of those aged 18-24 have listened to at least one episode in the past month.
Magazine content marketers are also benefiting from new trends emerging within content marketing as younger generations become their target audience. A recent study by Forbes Insights found that Generation Z (people born in 1996 and later) prefer visual content like photos over written articles for content consumption – they spend 16 hours per week consuming this type of content compared to just six hours reading longer-form text. This generation is set apart from previous ones due largely to its access to technology; it’s much harder for brands targeting these types of consumers using traditional print media because many Gen Zers don’t read magazines or newspapers.
Social Growth Era
It is no secret that social media is a growing content marketing platform, but until recently marketers have been largely focused on growth metrics such as followers and video views. Today the focus is shifting from these numbers to engagement rates which are more actionable for content creators – it’s hard to determine what content drives consumers away from your brand or website if you only measure how many people follow you without looking at their interactions with your content.
The Rise of Influencers and Social Media Stars
More content marketers are looking to influencers for content inspiration.
Social media stars offer an easy way to reach new audiences without spending countless hours on research, not only that but they can be more effective than traditional ads in converting followers into customers since consumers tend to trust the recommendations of their favorite social media personalities over brands or celebrities.
Finally, content creators must consider how millennials and Gen Zers consume content differently when creating content. Those born after 1995 have grown up in a world where online video is king – it’s no coincidence that Netflix recently became one of the most valuable companies in America. Video has also become increasingly important within e-commerce as well with YouTube being used by 60% of all millennials who purchase products based on videos seen on social media.
To compete in content marketing, content creators must consider how their content will be used across different platforms and devices while also taking into consideration the needs of their audiences who are shifting rapidly at an age where technology is more important than ever before.