5 Ways to Make Your Content Marketing Successful in 2019

No matter how innovative the digital marketing game may get, its essence and foundation remain as relevant as they’ve been since its inception: content still reigns supreme. However, the changing face of the economy, more brands showing up to steal the spotlight, and the internet noise getting louder by the minute, your content efforts indeed have to be more refined than ever. The very survival of your brand depends on it.

As for 2019, the content marketing realm will remain competitive as always, raising the bars for all the participants to improve their efforts in order to make a name for themselves. It’s never too early to start strategizing for the upcoming year, so let’s get down to the five top content tips for 2019.

1. Video Front and Center

It’s no new that we live in a fast and furious world. What that means for your content strategy is that sticking to old formats alone will not cut it when you aim to impress a younger, more digitally-savvy audience. Keep in mind that your website visitors are busy, and they don’t want anyone to waste their time.

Enter: video content. From live-streaming, video reviews, to YouTube tutorials, the internet is overflown with stunning videos from brands, influencers, and users alike. It’s a perfect format to convey a more personal message, humanize your brand, and save time. Need more encouragement? Research shows that 80% of users prefer live video over blog content.

2. Optimize for Voice Search

Another way in which digital content should focus on all of our senses is enabling voice search for your content. For starters, this is a good moment to bring your attention to Google’s latest mobile-first algorithm change, as it will affect your entire ranking strategy – that said, since the majority of voice searches come from mobile phones, you need to make your mobile site version spotless, and optimize your content to be voice-accessible.

Google’s AI and similar tools have made our lives infinitely simpler, but it may not be the same for marketers. We mostly use these features to ask for directions while driving, look for recipes with our hands already in the flour mix, or when in search for those handy “near me” bits of advice. This is where your keyword and natural language optimized content steps in to save the day and deliver your brand as the solution to your user’s quest.

3. Passive Content Is No Content at All

No matter how brilliant your content may be, it’s vital that you remember: you’re not alone. Whether you’re best at building stunning infographics, eye-catching ads, or educational blog posts, they cannot serve your overall marketing goals if they sit quietly in their corner of your website. However, if you publish on a multitude of trusty portals, social media included, work with reputable business magazines, and the like, you can get in front of a far greater audience than with your website alone.

Exposure through guest posting, well-written ads, and republishing makes your content not just go viral, but also engaging and long-lasting when you have more people joining the conversation. Considering the sheer number of competing brands out there, getting your voice heard can only be possible through content you disperse as strategically as possible.

4. Influencers Matter More than Ever

When the trend first started being used by marketers worldwide, the influencer scene was yet to be fully defined into what it is today – brands would collaborate with anyone who would have them, in order to gain more visibility and awareness through their content. However, user-made and influencer-made content is now refined into a more nuanced form that benefits all parties involved. Users get genuine, authentic reviews as well as stories they can actually relate to, brands get value-based long-term relationships, and influencers, well, become more influential.

If you haven’t done so by now, you should definitely tap into this particular trend, since it only has a tendency to grow – apparently, 92% of users will trust a recommendation rather than a brand directly when making their shopping decisions. Your focus should be on building bonds with influencers with whom you share values and who understand and love your purpose.

5. Visually Enriched Posts

Knowing that video content will be dominant in the years to come, it’s only natural that other forms of content should be as visually appealing to keep your readers’ attention and improve the reading experience. In fact, to boost your efforts even further, utilizing interactive content in your digital marketing campaigns is the best way to keep things engaging and immersive. Adding VR elements, interactive maps, virtual tours, and the like can all help your audience connect with you on a more profound level.

This approach lets them be a part of the creating experience, and not just stay in the receiving end of the information you’re trying to get across. Even social media posts on every possible network are leaning towards more visually-focused content. Following in the footsteps of Instagram and Pinterest, enrich your Facebook and other social feeds with more original, authentic imagery. Preferably use them to inspire a conversation, ask questions, kick-start a contest, or simply give your brand a more relatable personality.

Conclusion

Finally, before you rush towards yet another brilliant marketing campaign, it’s crucial that you take a look at your previous successes and stumbles. Chances are, there are more secrets to creating better content in how your audience has received your ideas thus far. Combine that knowledge with these 2019-perfect ideas and you’ll be on your way to crafting a winner of a strategy that will keep your audience engaged, and bring more customers your way!

Emma Miller

A digital marketer from Sydney. Works as a blogger, Senior Editor for Bizzmark blog and a lecturer at Melbourne University. Tweets industry related articles.