Brand Publishing Predictions For 2019
Recently the Content Marketing Institute came out with their E-Book 85+ Expert Predictions for Content Marketing in 2019 and it's fascinating to see just how relevant some of the talking points are to our industry. Here are some of the highlights.
I think a growing number of businesses will stop thinking about content marketing as a separate discipline and instead realize that all good marketing involves content marketing. You can't have good demand generation, or good PR, or good product marketing without a commitment to meeting your audience's needs with valuable and interesting content – the essence of content marketing. Successful companies and marketing teams will increasingly blur the lines between these disciplines and learn to leverage best practices in content marketing and audience engagement in every customer- and buyer-facing interaction. – Allison Wert, Content Marketing Manager, Frontline Education
Thoughts: This is probably the most profound soundbite in the e-book. For the past few years, more and more equipment manufacturers and solution providers in the water & wastewater market have slowly increased their content approach. While slow and steady growth can be viewed as a win, it's time to take the training wheels off. We are now living and working in a permanently connected world. Without content you are on the outside looking in hoping to just hang in there "a little while longer."
To remain in the game, smaller companies will need to find ways to produce content at a cheaper price. They don't have budgets to compete with high-quality video campaigns and huge social media initiatives, and they cannot go for the trendy topics. But if they focus on efficiency and evergreen content, they will stand a chance. – Leslie Carruthers, President and Founder, The Search Guru
Thoughts: Many of the companies we work with don't consider themselves BIG so this is an important strategic suggestion. I've never met a manufacturer in the water and wastewater space that had an overfunded marketing department. Can you believe that? Never. With content as a given, allocate the funds towards the creation of what is necessary. You may be surprised to hear that many of the manufacturers in markets that VertMarkets (B2Brand Water's parent company) operates within no longer exhibit at trade shows. There is money for content. It just takes an updated view of what is truly impactful.
Email newsletters will re-emerge as an important nurturing vehicle. ‘Hold up,' you're thinking. ‘Email? Is this 1999… or is this 2019? Isn't this the age of AI and Facebook Live and video"– Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
Thoughts: Newsletters, when matched with good engaging content, remain the top vehicle for bundling and presenting your message. Think about how many times you have checked your e-mail from the time you walked into your office until now.
While these are predictions are from thought leaders within the world of Content Marketing, the true road to success in 2019 lies with you. Be your own best advocate, utilize advice to maximize your return and watch 2019 become the best and most productive year yet, for you and your brand.
Happy New Year!
Image credit: "Happy New Year 2019," Jon Glittenberg © 2019, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license: https://creativecommons.org/lcenses/by-nc/2.0/