Yet another year has flown by and as we prepare to light the fireworks, pour the champagne and countdown to midnight, it’s time to look at 2018. I’ve sat down with my Contentworks elves to create the ultimate list of content marketing predictions for 2018.
While 2017 has been a rather exciting year in terms of live video, influencer marketing and augmented reality, there’s plenty to look forward to in the months ahead – particularly within the finance industry – so let’s delve a little deeper.
Video scripts for ICOs will become big business
Aside from Bitcoin and Ethereum, there are now close to 800 cryptocurrencies worth an estimated total of around $96 billion – with digital currencies showing no sign of disappearing any time soon.
As the crypto market grows, Initial Coin Offerings known as ICOs are becoming increasingly relevant meaning the demand for crypto and ICO-related content will surge. Currently, ICOs are traded on crypto exchanges – you can find more information about those here. However as cryptocurrencies develop these could be offered on multiple different platforms. Similarly, ICO content could take many different forms.
As well as blogs, articles, infographics, slide-shares and illustrations, there will also be a need for high-quality video designed to visualise unfamiliar and complex ideas. Accompanying these videos will be educational scripts for ICOs which will explain how ICOs attract investors by trading future cryptocoins in exchange for cryptocurrencies of immediate, liquid value.
Of course, as with all aspects of the financial industry, video content will be governed by strict rules and regulations making it essential to use compliant script writers.
Disappearing content will continue to rock the marketing world
Now you see it, now you don’t. Ephemeral content made popular by the social networking platform Snapchat will continue to take the marketing world by storm throughout 2018 with short-lived content disappearing after 24-hours or less.
While this might sound challenging for content managers who want their marketing messages to be seen and heart, ephemeral content actually has many advantages, enabling you to:
- Capture the attention of millennials with increasingly short attention spans
- Give your content a sense of urgency and authenticity
- Run daily contests or competitions without the risk of them becoming out of date
- Engage with your customers daily about on-trend and relevant topics
Brands across the world are taking note of this snappy content strategy with financial companies also jumping on the bandwagon. Nasdaq have already set the pace for what looks set to become an increasingly popular trend by sharing behind-the-scenes snaps at bell ceremonies, product launches, press releases and other important events. Their rather clever mission is to use snaps to educate and inspire entrepreneurs by giving them a sneak peek at the stock market and what happens when brands get listed on the exchange.
In one particularly clever marketing move, they let John Legere and his team at T-Mobile take over the Nasdaq Snapchat handle for the day. Not only did this result in over 600 views per snap but it also enabled them to run an integrated marketing campaign promoting the takeover on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and other platforms.
What can we learn? Here are some takeaways of this campaign:
- Make sure your campaign is integrated by promoting your Snapcode across multiple social media channels.
- Use Snapchat to tell a story. Let people into your world and tell them what your company is working on.
- Consider influencer marketing.
Facebook Messenger will be increasingly used by companies
While many businesses use social media messaging services such as Facebook Messenger to correspond directly with customers, this trend looks set to grow significantly in the New Year and is definitely one of my content marketing predictions for 2018.
According to Diana Rayfield, Social Media Strategist at Harp Interactive:
“2018 will see a significant rise in businesses and brands using Facebook Messenger as a proactive marketing tool vs. simply a responsive private messaging app. With over 1.2 billion people on Messenger every month (according to Facebook), marketers using Messenger, especially those who are first on the trend, can expect explosive reach and engagement rates. Smart Replies, chatbots and embedded apps create a trifecta of marketing opportunities on Facebook Messenger.”
Veronika Baranovska, Content Marketing Specialist at Sendible takes things one step further explaining how brands will focus on creating a deeper connection with their social media users. She predicts there will be: “Less automation and repetition, more real-time engagement and capitalisation on micro-moments with the aim to delight social media followers.”
Super-secure social networks will grow in popularity
It seems that businesses looking for increased confidentiality may also turn to super-secure social media platforms such as Telegram –which has many of the benefits of Snapchat and WhatsApp but pays a lot more attention to security. So here’s another one of my content marketing predictions for 2018.
Not only are messages super-secure thanks to the secret chat functionality but there’s also a Self-Destruct timer which deletes messages after a certain period – again showing how disappearing content is being integrated into modern technology. During a recent update, Telegram also added a few new features to its messaging app for iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) allowing users to send files directly from cloud services such as iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox.
Companies will outsource to agencies
In a bid to bat away competition and stay on top of growing trends, more and more companies will outsource to agencies such as content marketing and social media experts. This will give businesses more time to concentrate on tasks in-house while simultaneously exposing them to a breadth of expertise. As the pressure to deliver results grows, businesses will also be willing to learn new concepts and trial recommended ideas and strategies.
Did you enjoy reading my content marketing predictions for 2018? As you can see, 2018 looks set to be a very interesting and fast-moving year with everything from disappearing content to messaging services poised to spice up the marketing world. Need to outsource your content marketing in 2018? Click here to get in contact with me.