by Elaine Zeinner
What’s Next in Content Marketing: 2019 Trends
At WriterGirl, we recently passed around an article from Content Marketing Institute that highlighted what’s hot and what’s not in content marketing. Upcoming speakers for Content Marketing World shared the trends they wished would disappear and predictions on what will be the next big thing. While we all agreed there was no ground-breaking information, we did have a few favorites:
Trends in content marketing that are here to stay:
- Short videos
- Instagram stories
- Podcasts
- Repurposed content
- Audience segmentation
- Responsive content
Content marketing trends to pass:
- Overly promotional content
- Long form content that’s not easy to digest
- GIFs that distract from messaging
- Chatbots that interfere with the user experience
Trends come and go, but some things never go out of style
The article offers great inspiration for brainstorming 2019 marketing plans, but it does miss one important step: strategy. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if your marketing plan uses trends or tactics that are considered outdated. What matters is that you and your team have created a thoughtful, deliberate plan that will help your organization achieve its goals while connecting with audiences.
It’s all too easy to go from zero to 60 when planning for next year. This fall, step back and evaluate what’s worked and what hasn’t in the past. Use trends lists – just like this one – as a starting point and not as a manual you must follow to have success or win awards. Ask your team and leaders in other departments thoughtful questions to jumpstart planning, including:
- How are we highlighting our organization’s points of differences in marketing materials?
- How are we using our brand guidelines and voice to stand out from competitors?
- How are our marketing strategies achieving our organization’s business goals?
- What are common phrases consumers search for on our site or questions they ask registration, physicians or care providers?
- What are our biggest obstacles in the market, such as is the market crowded, or are there common misperceptions about our organization?
- What have been some of our most successful campaigns in the past few years?
- What didn’t work out as well as expected?
My prediction for 2019 is the marketers who start with strategy will develop engaging and effective campaigns that drive their organizations forward.
Share with us – how do you bring trends into your strategic marketing and communications plans?
