You may have heard the phrase, “content is king”, and it most definitely seems to be true in the modern world, especially after the pandemic began. You see, most businesses had to switch to non-traditional marketing, that being the digital domain in which content marketing trends play a huge factor.
Within this sphere of the digital world, content really is king, but it is not just about having a huge quantity of content, also assuring that the content you are putting out there has value for the audience that it is targetting.
If we just take a look at the last twenty years, we can quite easily see that the future does hold some real challenges for marketers. Especially for those who market using content.
Content creation is also at an all time high at the moment. We do not have to go back too far to see how much the world has changed since the introduction of the internet. In fact, even in the 90s the internet domain was a novelty which only a handful of few people had the privilege of being able to access.
BUT, in today’s world, it goes without saying that a significantly larger number of people are online than ever before, and hence that significant number of people are all connected to one another as well. Even if they are not directly connected, the degree of separation between people has gotten much lower than at any point in human history.
All of the above facts have combined to make disruption the main name of the game in the world of marketing and much more so in the world of content marketing trends.
Why Prepare for the Changes
People who are in this line of work need to keep themselves updated. They also need to be the first adopters of many forms of technology in order to keep up with the trends in the content marketing world.
If the marketers themselves are not first adopters of new technologies, then they will miss out on significant opportunities relevant to their industry. They will fall behind and will soon become outdated.
In fact, the historian Yoval Noah Harari has said that in the coming decades, the biggest asset that individuals in the workforce need to have is the ability to update themselves constantly and regularly.
The ability to constantly update oneself and to constantly learn is a vital skill that all people, and especially those that are in the content marketing world, just need to have, it is a must.
It was the result of technology that made absolutely massive impacts on the way marketing works, and you do not need to possess any special fortune telling ability to know what’s coming up in the world of content marketing.
All you really need to do, is to just follow the current trends of the industry and see what conclusion it leads to. If you are able to do that then you will be able to tell what the emerging digital media trends are going to be.
As a professional within the industry, I will try within the best of my abilities to explain to you in which direction the content marketing world is going.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the future of the content marketing world and what it entails for all of us who are in this industry.
It is going to be crazy, more digital media, more need for content
Well if you have not noticed yet, the internet is already a pretty crazy and hectic place that operates at breakneck speed. At the crazy speed that it operates at, there is going to be a huge vacuum for content and the demand for content is going to go up like crazy. All the current digital media trends point to that direction.
Almost every business has an online presence now and most have by now realized that other forms of media are just not where it is happening right now.
As even more businesses realize this very basic fact, the need for digital media and for content is going to go up exponentially.
Just think about how much content you consume on a daily basis. Most studies suggest that, on average, a person consumes about 6-8 hours of content on a daily basis. Now think about how much unique content you get to see on your social media; that is just the content that is catered for you and you are seeing.
Now take into account that about 4 billion people around the world are on one or multiple social media platforms. And don’t forget that more over the top media services will be introduced, especially local ones.
Also factor in the fact that there are still a lot of people in the world who do not yet have access to the internet and who will soon be able to get that access.
So, in short, the number of people who are online is increasing dramatically, the number of businesses operating online is also increasing, the number of people trying to establish themselves as brands in the online domain is also increasing.
All of these factors should give you an indication as to exactly how much the demand for content is going to increase within the next few years. And who knows when an entirely new digital media emerges, like Facebook did two decades ago?
It really is going to get crazy and those who are in the position of being able to create good content, are going to be the ones who will profit the most from this situation.
More competition
ust like any other industry, when there is enough demand for a certain thing, the supply of that particular thing will also increase accordingly.
The same holds true for content and content marketing. In fact, I personally believe that there is a very good chance that the market will get saturated with sub-par content for a while (personally I think we are already there) and then increased competition will result in better quality content overall.
As I have mentioned before, only quality will not do the trick and will not get the job done. Emphasis has to be placed on the quality of the content that marketers are handing out.
If we take a look at contents that perform well with regards to marketing in the digital domain, we will soon realize that this is result of one of two things:
- The content is not there just because it needs to be there but that it serves its marketing agenda well.
- The content has something to say and it says so effectively and precisely.
Therefore, marketers need to put emphasis on not just the amount of content that they are putting out there but also the quality of content that is being put out there as well. If they fail to do so, they will soon fall behind due to the ultra competitive nature of the industry.
More Creative Marketing Methods
So far, we have mainly focused on content creation and the quality of the content creation. However, that is not all that the future holds for content creators and content marketers.
With so much content being churned out everyday (with that set to increase a few folds as well in the near future), the way the content is being marketed will be of prime importance.
Content creators and marketers, both need to get much more creative with their entire approach to market their content. Failing to do so will mean that they will not be able to keep up with those who are able to do so.
Even nowadays, a lot of good content does not get enough “attention” just because of the fact that the content was not marketed properly and as we have mentioned before.
With more competition and more content in general, the need for content to be marketed uniquely will go up a few folds.
Who knows, maybe even the forms of marketing that will be employed by content creators and marketers do not currently exist.
The whole industry is going through such hypercharged changes, that it really has become very difficult to know what kind of content marketing will be needed in the very near future.
Maybe a new social media platform or a new industry disrupting app will come out and that may become the focal point of content marketing, who knows!!
The point I’m trying to make is one I have already made before. Content marketers need to be able to constantly reinvent themselves and be ready to be first adopters of new technologies. Otherwise, they will get left behind by a huge margin.
All in all the future of the content marketing industry looks quite promising. This is THE time to be in the industry and also THE time to innovate and prosper.
