Trend forecast: Content marketing in 2016 (Part 1)

By Cassy van Eeden

But will content marketing be just as trendy next year? And what changes can we expect as a result of the rapidly-evolving digital space? We asked some industry champions to make a few predictions.

Collaboration

“I’m excited for brands to collaborate,” says Melissa Attree, director of content strategy at Ogilvy Cape Town. “I think collaboration is something that’s critically important. It’s what brands don’t do enough of.”

Kathryn McConnachie, head of content at Gullan&Gullan says that as a result of the need for a higher quality of content, “we’ll see interesting partnerships begin to form between publishers – and journalists – and agencies and brands as content marketing evolves and is held to a higher standard”.

Collaboration is key to content marketing, explains Adelle Horler, group head of content at New Media Publishing. If you collaborate with someone who already has the audiences you want to reach and you have a way to contribute to their experience, it will ultimately impact your brand, she says.

Metrics and real-world data

Zani Botes, head of content strategy at CapeTownMagazine, notes how important it is to adapt to the ever-changing content landscape. This landscape, she notes, is dictated by the unpredictability of platform algorithms and the demands of the audience.

“To help us with that, we will start relying more on data science to guide us in creating content that is popular with the specific audience we’re trying to attract,” says Botes.

Botes explains: “We’re getting ready to embrace a metrics-driven strategy that is based on real-world data and human behaviour that gives us insights into our audience needs and interests.”

“Small data will be the key to success,” says Charis Coleman, head of content at Kagiso Media’s Content Studio. “Trust your data, not your intuition.”

No longer a buzzword?

Will content marketing continue to hog the spotlight next year?

“I’m hopeful that next year will see content marketing no longer being just a buzzword and rather becoming the norm,” says McConnachie.

For Horler, content marketing will still be a buzzword in 2016. “Content is still one of the best ways to get people to engage with your brand,” she says. “Especially compared to a hard-sell push ad.” But, as Horler points out, the nature of content needs to change.

“Content marketing is far from dead,” says Attree, “It might just be under the guise of another word in the future.”

Visual content

“There’s just too much content out there, on too many channels and the amount we have to get through each day is exhausting to us all,” points out Horler. “So visual content will remain [a] hero,” she says.

Visual content, especially video, is quicker to consume, she explains. “And with YouTube and Facebook now supporting 360-degree video, virtual reality will be one of the most exciting spaces to play in next year.”

“Brands no longer need an entire video crew to give them an award-winning video,” notes Coleman. She explains that the focus in 2016 will be compiling meaningful content to tell a story with impact.

Are you a content marketer? What trends are you excited to see develop in 2016? Let us know in the comments below.