Video Marketing Mentors: 2017 Trends in Content
Marketing
As we rush to hurry and complete our Q1 initiatives, we’re also left looking back. You must be wondering, how are the goals I set in January progressing thus far? This is what smart marketers do- take a minute, pause, and reflect.
And since you’re a smart marketer, questions abound. Are you keeping to the course? Perhaps you’re focused on staying committed to an initiative you launched in 2016, extending and enhancing that new program. Kudos. Are you launching new campaigns? Onboarding new tools? And while we’re on the subject of trying new things, which percentage of your strategies have integrated new trends and technologies? Chances are, frameworks are falling together, but there’s always room to improve and examine tactics you might have overlooked.
Undeniably, video is certainly no longer a trend-- it is a mainstay. By 2020, 82% of all consumer internet traffic will be video. So which trends are the most important according to our sage Video Marketing Mentors?
Below, take a look at our list of 2017’s trends in content for marketers.
1. Content Strategy and Measurement
Ann Handley: It's an easy thing to say, think about your goals, think about your strategy and so on. But I've noticed that at the end of 2016 and definitely heading into 2017, marketers are really grokking that. They're really taking it to heart. They are looking at their content a lot more strategically. They're looking at their marketing a lot more strategically. They're not just throwing up tactics and seeing what sticks. Instead, they're looking at their data and they're figuring out what is likely to really perform well for us.
2. More Measurement and Reporting
Andrew Davis: Marketers are being forced to think about the revenue they generate in really deep ways. They're spending more time on that. So I think 2017 is the year of delivering reports that matter, even though you need to measure everything you do.
“2017 is the year of delivering reports that matter.” -@DrewDavisHere
3. Big Data and Predictive Analytics for ABM Content Strategy
Lee Odden: One of the big areas people are expanding on is data informed content, data informing creativity, so maybe that manifests visualization in some interesting ways. I just see a lot more of the sort of art and science of how to use big data – well, a lot of data, predictive analytics and ABM sorts of promises for content.
“People are expanding on data-informed content, data informing creativity” @leeodden of @toprank
4. Interactive Content that Qualifies Leads
Carlos Hidalgo: I think the interactive nature of content is key. And so the more you can draw your audience in to engage with that content, the more I can find out information. And what we really should be doing with our content in demand generation is both educating, and at the same time, qualifying.
5. Influencer Marketing and Content Collaborations
Lee Odden: Today in content marketing especially there's a huge opportunity for companies to connect with both internal and external influencers to co-create content. So this is something that's really exciting in the face of information overload.
6. Social Video as a Business Differentiator
Stacy Adams: You feel like right now you are bombarded every day. I feel bombarded every day with new pieces of content, new PDFs, new ebooks, new white papers, new blogs. Everyone wants everyone else's attention with that kind of material. So, figuring out a way to make that material even better and make your content stand out versus someone else's – things like video, things like more creative uses of social.
“Make your content stand out versus someone else's...like more creative uses of social” -@atl2oz of @GoAnimate
7. Brands Humanizing and Communicating on Social
Michael Brenner: Social has had such a massive impact in our world and really impacted the way we as businesses communicate with our customers. No function has more impacted than the marketing organizations inside many of your customer brands. But what it's forcing is a real focus on customers. We've democratized information in the way communications happen. We're no longer looking for leaders and executives and government officials and even media as the source of information. We're looking for people like you and I as the source for the kinds of content that we want to read and share. So brands have to communicate in a real human way, and so that's I think the real challenge that companies are facing in marketing.
“Social... it's forcing a real focus on customers.” @BrennerMichael of @MKTGInsiders
8. Prevalent and Persistent Social Video Shares
Joe Pulizzi: It's no surprise that with social media sharing -content sharing in general- that video is increasingly important. It will be increasingly important for the next 12 months, and the next 12 months after that, and the next 12 months after that.
9. Immersive Stories Brought to Life via 360 Video
Jeff Julian: In that frontier following that, following video, is the 360 video. The immersive experience. That’s all things that we have to consider as marketers, because we’re trying to drive these experiences that customers want to feel something. Have an empathetic story. Have something that makes them want to engage with us more.
“Have an empathetic story. Have something that makes them want to engage with us more.” -@jjulian of @Entmktr
Tying it All Together
Would you believe that all of these trends easily work with video?
For example, video analytics can be used to power marketing automation campaigns and ABM, while social video hosting platforms can reduce the publishing workload and go beyond the social buzz--providing actionable insights. So what new campaign are you rolling out that you’re excited about? Tweet us @Brightcove and brag a little about your most recent marketing endeavor.
