Marketing is constantly evolving. There are new tools and technologies that are being brought about daily, and some tools as we know them have changed completely. In short, there are emerging trends to keep up with on a regular basis. But for all the changes, expert SEO companies know that content will always be king.
As content marketing continues to change with the times, there are certain trends that marketers need to watch in 2019 if they want to stay ahead of the game.
Content marketing and marketing have melded
Working in marketing every day, some might forget that content marketing as we know it now is new. It started out as something of a side project to many marketers but has since come into its own.
This mindset has changed, and in 2019 it will have to change again. Brands should now look to content marketing to help them to provide a two-way conversation between themselves and their consumers. You should use content to engage with your consumers, and this can come in the form of interactive social media posts or even using video as part of your blog content. Instead of sticking to traditional methods of marketing, tap into your creative side and generate content that your audience will relate to and find relevant and see your numbers soar.
Immersive storytelling is important
Marketing and expert SEO companies are seeing a rise in the demand for immersive storytelling. The youth of today demands experiences rather than products and brands will have to start stepping up to the plate in 2019.
People want to participate in stories. And this means that marketers will need to shift more toward virtual and augmented reality in their content marketing. With AR and VR becoming more and more common, the cost of this for both brands and consumers is becoming lower and lower. Whether you choose to create a virtual tour of your client’s store on their website or you make videos that are available in VR, the opportunities for engaging customers in 2019 will be endless.
Improve SEO with content clusters
All expert SEO companies are looking for the latest trend to up the ante on the competition. Search engines update their algorithms so regularly that it can make your head spin, but one content marketing trend to look out for in the upcoming year is content clusters.
But, what are content clusters? What it means is that instead of favouring keywords, search engines now prefer clusters of content around particular topics. Marketers should now begin linking content in order to form these clusters around topics that relate to their category. The pillars or topics are pages that are broad outlines of a topic, for example, “South African game parks”. The clusters around these topics use specific long-tail keywords such as “seeing the Big Five in South Africa” or “what to pack for a safari in South Africa”. The pillar links to these clusters and vice-versa and when one page performs well the entire cluster will be boosted.
Chatbots will become the norm
In 2018 we saw a veritable rise of the chatbots, with brands adopting these AI-powered tools to help them engage with customers at different touch-points in the customer journey. And this increase in use is only set to rise in 2019.
The novelty of chatbots should decrease within the next year and they will become commonplace for consumers and brands alike. Chatbots are posited to become the first touchpoint of consumers for many brands. Ordering a late night pizza? You will likely use a chatbot. Booking a hotel room for the holidays? There’s a chatbot for that. Content marketers will have to be sure that they use chatbots as a toll rather than a replacement for themselves in the customer journey, using the data gathered by the chatbots during the conversation with the consumer. Rather than being afraid of losing out to AI, content marketers should aim to embrace it come 2019.
Content marketing is a rising trend
In the years that have passed, content marketing has grown from strength to strength. From starting out as a side project for traditional marketers to becoming the best way to engage with your customers to embracing immersive storytelling, the content marketing trends of 2019 are set to be exciting ones.
Any expert SEO company can see that content marketing is becoming more and more important, especially with regard to helping to boost SEO tactics. Modern-day consumers expect and demand more immersive storytelling and content marketers need to sit up and take note of the trends that are emerging each year.
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