Why Content Matters More Than Ever in 2018
By Rachamim Kennard
Rachamim@allthiscontent.com
It’s 2018 and content is king. Here’s why:
2017 was a remarkable year.
- Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States,
- Robert Mugabe was deposed
- cryptocurrency entered the frenzy phrase
- And, outbound marketing died
Well, it didn’t die altogether, but it’s certainly on life support. New technological advancements and publishing trends have forced companies to drastically change the way they market their products and services.
No longer can companies spam innocent consumers with annoying pop-ups, irritating banners, spam emails and expect to get away with it. Even TV and Social Media Ads are less effective than carefully thought-out and well-executed content marketing strategies.
Content Marketing in 2018
According to a recent PageFair study, over 615 million devices use an Ad Blocker of some sort, and this stat is estimated to grow even further in the coming years. So why do people block Ads, do they not want to know what services and products are available?
Obviously not, but people want control. Modern consumers want to see only what they’re looking for, especially online. This is why having top-notch, quality content is so vital. Businesses aren’t going to consumers, consumers are coming to them. When somebody uses a search engine to find a product or service, the first results they see are almost always the last. Rarely do people trawl through pages, looking for the ideal business. If you want your company to stand out, it must have exceptional content.
Google searches are becoming increasingly personalized. It knows your search history, your web habits and its complex algorithms can figure out exactly what you’re searching for. If your content is wishy-washy, vague and overly complicated, it either won’t show up at all, or people will move onto the next result straight away. In fact, Google monitors how long people stay on a website. If your content turns people off and no one sticks around to read it, your web page will slide down the rankings.
When SEO and Google Ranking first became a thing, SEO poisoning and aggressive, black hat SEO tactics were very common. Instead of writing for an informed and interested audience, certain companies wrote for bots. Today, that simply doesn’t work. Writing for a human audience is key; engaging, well-written and attention-grabbing content is the best way to promote your company.
Also, great content is more likely to be shared on blogs or social media. This is valuable for two reasons. First, it increases brand exposure, and secondly, the more your content is shared, the higher it rises in the rankings.
Future Trends
So what new content trends will we see in 2018?
Undoubtedly, technological developments will affect the industry. VR and AR are set to play a huge role in 2018 and it will be interesting to see how this changes content marketing strategies. Facebook and Youtube are experimenting with 6-second ads. This will require advanced script writers who can squeeze an entire message into such a short time frame.
Final Thoughts
The role of content in marketing has never been more relevant. According to a recent study, content marketing results in six times more leads than other methods. Search engines are more advanced and consumers expect personalised tailor-made content.
All this means that companies have to invest in their content. Some companies achieve this by hiring social media managers, content managers, editors etc. Smart companies do this by outsourcing to one, specialised company with expert content writers who can meet all your content marketing needs.
If you’re looking for captivating, converting content, then get in touch with All This Content today!
