1ContentLike all marketing areas with digital roots, content marketing is constantly changing, which is why the following should be of interest and kept in mind:

Ephemeral content is here to stay

24-hour content is up and coming, as the success of Snapchat can no longer be denied. Facebook is experimenting as well with this new content form so that it can be expected that 2017 will play an important role and won’t be limited to Snapchat. However, how to use such content most effectively for content marketing will be one of the major challenges for content marketers this year. Especially since the hip image messaging and multimedia mobile application is still owing the proof that content can convert.

Video everywhere

Video content is by no means a new trend, but the technological possibilities have grown rapidly in recent years. Whether live video, micro-videos or common video ads - nowadays, moving picture material is well received everywhere. Meanwhile, smartphone users have also succumbed to the video trend and are making up an ever-greater part of the world's video traffic. Not only has the reception been simplified, even the creation is easier than ever. Thanks to the mobile triumphal procession, the next video is just a click away and the quality is steadily improving. All of this makes video content an essential building block of content marketing campaigns this year.

Organic reach declines rapidly

Social media has become the place to publish content, hence, Facebook wants to become THE digital publisher now with Instant Articles. But the downside of the medal is that almost all social networks in the past few years have contained the organic reach. Although the development on Google is not quite as dramatic, the trend there goes into the same direction. What I try to say is that you won’t be able to get around it, making “pay to play” the motto of content marketing in 2017.

Rise of Virtual Reality (VR)

Last year was a milestone for Virtual Reality (VR), since Pokemon Go managed to make the new technology popular and a mass phenomenon. And if that wasn’t enough, the technical development already reached mass-production: With Occulus Rift, Playstation VR and the HTC Vive there are high-quality devices available that enable the immersion into the virtual world in the known quality. Although the end user prices are still high, there is already acceptance and so it is only a matter of time before VR becomes interesting for content marketers. The first steps are made already and 2017 will show now whether VR is ripe for content marketing.

A consequence of the content marketing hypes is an oversupply of content. The so-called content shock is real and has an impact. Not so long ago, companies were spending 80% on content creation and only 20% on content promotion. But as mentioned, the organic visibility is falling steadily, especially in social networks, that’s why content should be advertised better and more effectively. Native Advertising is one option, as it has the advantage that content can be found there directly in the natural environment of the readers. According to a study, in 2020, native advertising should have a market share of 52% in digital advertising, but as said, it is only one of many ways and the fight for visibility in Content Advertising will for sure be rekindled in 2017.

Concluding, I’d like to point out that as in previous years, content marketing continues to be more visual, interactive and mobile.

By Daniela La Marca