Content marketing might not be anything new, but it has certainly evolved over the years. As companies have realised the true value of content and content marketing, it has changed and adapted to the needs of consumers and brands alike. However, if you are new to the content marketing game, understanding these changes can prove to be challenging.Â
When you are creating a content marketing strategy it is important to understand how this marketing tactic has changed. What started out as a way simple advertising and describing products has now become one of the main methods of marketing in the digital world. Below we take a deeper look into how content marketing is evolving.Â
Brands Control Their Own Story
Previously, brands relied on marketing and advertising agencies to tell them what their story was or how to tell it. And while many brands do still use these agencies, they are now using content marketing such tactics such as user generated content (images, videos, and text sent in by consumers) to control and create their own stories. However, content marketing agencies should still be sued for help in terms of creating, curating, and sharing the content on the right platforms.Â
Quality Over Quantity
When business blogging became popular, the initial method of becoming successful was to create as many blog posts as possible, which meant writing several pieces that were usually very thin. However, times have changed and there is a focus on the quality of the content rather than the quantity in modern content marketing agencies. This means that you may have only one or two longer format blog posts on your website each month rather than five short and thin pieces.
Hand-In-Hand With SEO
One of the major ways in which content marketing has changed is due to the fact that Google started to focus on content over the past few years. Search engine optimisation and content marketing were often considered to be separate but now they are more related than ever. Good content can help to improve your SEO, especially if you use the right keywords and phrases. Using content marketing to boost SEO must, however, be done strategically and you should always avoid keyword stuffing and black hat tactics.Â
Vocal About Video
Video content has boomed in popularity over the years, and content marketing has had to evolve to accommodate this. Many people today prefer to consume visual content, and video has become the leading choice among consumers. Content marketers have had to think of creative video strategies for brands, not simply uploading videos to YouTube. Live streaming and ephemeral content are two types of video content you should look into, especially on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.Â
A Little Advertising Goes A Long Way
When content marketing started out, the idea of paying for promoting your content seemed a little like cheating. But now, paid advertising can help to improve the visibility of your content on multiple channels. For example, you might pay a blogger to write a post about your products, especially if they have a large readership and a far reach, or you may offer an influencer a free product to review on their social media platform with links to your website. Paid content marketing can be just as effective as organic content marketing.Â
Super Social Media
Social media is one of the most effective content marketing platforms on the market. Creating content for social media is not as difficult or new-fangled as it sounds, and if you have a content calendar and strategy in place you will see a significant improvement in the visibility of your content. The images, text, and videos, you post on your social media platforms should be short, to the point, and on-trend. Shareable content helps to improve SEO, too.Â
Embrace Evolution
Content marketing, and marketing in general, is in constant flux which means that marketers have to always look for ways to adapt. You can take control over your own brand story by asking for user generated content, focus on quality over quantity, and consider using other mediums to create shareable content.Â
If you are interested in reaching a wider audience and need a stellar content marketing strategy for your business, speak to NetMechanic today for our packages.Â
