Trends in content marketing 2018

In the information age, content is everything! The quality of content determines the reputation, the audience, the number of subscribers and, ultimately, the amount of revenue. Therefore, anyone who creates content should be aware of current trends.

1. Analytics - our everything
   Today, giants among the media are actively analyzing not only the behavioral characteristics of aggregate user traffic, but also indicators such as:

consumer involvement of the target audience;
CTR (clickability) of headers;
duration of study of an article;
Conversion in the framework of reading information content.
What is the value of this information?
Thanks to them, content marketers identify and apply potentially effective content formats for a particular Internet audience.
The second advantage is the timely coverage of interesting, as well as relevant information segments.
Bonus: these metrics allow you to determine the effectiveness of the copyright of specific copywriters.
This is helped by the following resources:
Giraff (allows to measure three behavioral characteristics: interest, involvement and degree of contact with the content);
Pixel Tuls (behavioral factors);
Serpstat (optimization of the process of generating ideas for the development of content).
Personalization of content is another promising branch of this trend.
Key milestones for optimizing content marketing this year:
in the framework of maintaining the content platform, monitor commercial signs of visitors' activity (it is a question of the ratio of empty, pointless client requests / requests and well-formed needs (everything is simple: the less absurd and more customer intentions, the better));
pay special attention to identifying the rate of increase / decrease in behavioral activity, taking into account the results obtained, formulate lists of recommendations publications.

1. The cost of creativity will significantly increase, the same applies to its quality
   Strongly expressed tendencies:

advertising on the Internet has become more (in comparison with television);
the optimization of the content marketing strategy in 2017 was based on redirecting the advertising budget to social networks and video services (for example, in YouTube, in 2018 this trend will only strengthen its position);
creation and implementation of individual creative media projects has shown excellent results in terms of stimulating positive social responses.
Examples of creative approaches to brand promotion:
an advertising video from the corporation Ferrero Rocher "Award those who do not seek rewards" (a vivid example of unobtrusive promotion of the trade proposal, accompanied by a powerful emotional message and the naturalness of the idea);

video material from Samsung "For the horizon" (an example of a motivating advertising story, not just presenting a new product, but also taking into account the emotional needs of the target audience, which recently has been extremely negative about aggressive advertising formats).

Of course, small / young companies do not have such budgets for marketing promotion of their products. However, partial borrowing of the so-called "viral" advertising base of competitors and its adaptation to the current realities of consumption within the framework of limited financing is not such an impossible task.
So,
in 2018, we should expect an increase in the number of original videos, while direct sales will gradually go to the background;
the emphasis in the process of promotion will be made on the natural interactivity (loyal interaction of users with the content produced by brands).

1. Social networks and instant messengers will continue to conquer the Internet advertising market
   Recommendations:
   at the stage of content strategy formation, invest most of the information and advertising resources in Facebook, Telegrams and YouTube (within these social platforms in 2018 the maximum buying activity will be concentrated);
   create as many training and analytical videos as possible (they should contain reviews of trends, developments in your industry, as well as expert opinions and / or professional opinions of representatives of your working group).
   Before engaging an additional traffic channel, make sure that:
   Your trade proposal does function both in theory and in practice;
   Your marketing program is not based on the desire to enrich, but on the desire to help potential customers;
   Your end consumers are aware of your brand.
2. The popularity of bloggers and opinion leaders will only grow
   YouTube, Telegrams, Instagram - these platforms have already become a source of expansion of a segment of authoritative experts in marketing, bloggers, journalists, freelance experts. In 2018, the trend of attracting new customers through the promotion of a personal brand in social networks will develop dynamically.
   Recommendations:
   Create branded profiles / communities in promising social niches for your niche (the result is an increase in interest in the main trade offer);
   start collaborating with well-known industry bloggers, interview them, publish them in Instagram or Facebook, discuss the possibility of periodically writing them expert articles for your blog.
   Tracking new trends, remember that not all experimental marketing techniques are potentially effective. It is not necessary to chase large volumes of traffic without a full (preliminary) testing of this or that method. Be flexible and careful. Then your business will adequately perceive the transformation of advertising tools.
   That's all. Good luck in the process of optimizing content marketing in 2018!