December 23, 2013

Content Marketing New Year's Resolutions for 2014

Out with the old and in with the new.

While people across the globe scramble to come up with their New Year’s resolutions, many of which will be completely different from one another’s, marketers across all verticals likely share at least one that is similar: In 2014, I will double down on my content marketing efforts and supply my customers with engaging, informative content.

According to a recent infographic put together by Uberflip, 92 percent of marketers currently engage in content marketing activities. On top of that, 58 percent of business-to-business marketers and 60 percent of business-to-consumer marketers plan to increase their content marketing budgets over the next year.

Such investments are much better directed after businesses develop thorough content marketing strategies, according to Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute.

“We always thought that having a documented content strategy would improve content marketing effectiveness, but we now know what a difference it makes,” Pulizzi says. “[Marketers] who have a documented strategy are more effective and less challenged with every aspect of content marketing.”

With this in mind, we might arrive at marketers’ second collective resolution: This year, my company will develop a fully-baked content marketing strategy.

Let’s face it: These days, businesses are charged with doing more with less. In this scenario, employees who already have their plates full are asked to take on additional tasks. That’s not to say they’re unable to perform those tasks, but shrewd business owners are increasingly learning the importance of having a dedicated team focused primarily on creating engaging, original content. Whether that team is hired in house or not depends on the particular needs of each business in question. Once that team is selected, marketers need to develop a comprehensive strategy in order to focus their efforts precisely.

Once that quality content is created, it’s crucial that it is extremely accessible. In a world with an increasing number of devices and platforms, compatibility takes on a whole new importance. According to the aforementioned infographic, 87 percent of Internet-connected devices purchased in 2017 will be smartphones and tablets. If you’ve ever had something load improperly on such a device, you know how frustrating that can be. And when you’re frustrated, you’re less likely to open your wallet and less likely to engage.

In our technology driven world, what we grow accustomed to changes in an instant. Case in point: Google’s recent unveiling of the Hummingbird algorithm, which fundamentally changes the returns Google searches bring by analyzing inquiries as if they were spoken instead of typed. Hummingbird has dramatically altered the way search results are queued, which means that it’s more important than ever that marketers keep abreast of such changes and continue to craft content that engages with their audiences. Studies show that the first search result that appears in Google gets 33 percent of the traffic while the second and third results get 18 and 11 percent, respectively. With that in mind, understanding how Google returns results is vital.

Which leads us to our third resolution: I will modernize my content marketing strategy and always keep an eye toward the future.

Consumers are increasingly surfing the Web to find information that piques their interest. But they don’t have all the time in the world and expect their questions to be answered quickly. You could have a stockpile of the best content ever created, but if it’s hidden or hard to reach, what good does that do?  Because of this, it’s important to ensure that your content is as visible as possible. If you’ve got strong, engaging content at your disposal, then logically the more eyeballs that see it, the more successful you’ll be.

What are your content marketing resolutions for 2014?




Edited by Brooke Neuman




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