What Content Marketing Will Look Like In 2020

FINALLY, it seems businesses and their marketers are switching on to the unmistakeable benefits of digital content. I say this because it has been reported that 98% of marketers accept that content performance outweighs the costs of content creation and analysis.

So, as the majority of you work content into your digital strategies, we reach out to our expert content team for their interpretation of the content marketing activity you should be expecting to see this year and considering yourselves. And if that isn’t enough, we’ve spoken to a handful of experienced content advocates around the UK for their predictions too.

With brand awareness, brand loyalty, domain authority and organic traffic at stake, we suggest grabbing a notebook and pen and taking note!

Philip Woodward, Digital Content Manager here at Liberty Marketing says,

If we’re being aspirational in 2020 (and we absolutely should be), then our marketing should boil down to one word. Authenticity.   
 
Like big data-powered bloodhounds, the tech providers are better than ever at sniffing out the good stuff. Post-Medic (what’s that?) and BERT, Google’s prioritising trustworthy web experiences and amazing content written by experts in their field, while social networks give greater credence to posts which connect with people emotionally and actually add something to the conversation. 

And that’s without mentioning the actual people sitting behind the computer/laptop/smartphone that we want to speak to, many of whom have been conducting subconscious trust filtering in their web experiences for ‘literal’ decades now. 
 
So do yourself a goodness in 2020 and think: would anyone trust the person writing this content? Can it connect with people on a human level? Is this 
 
If the answer to any of those is ‘no’, step back and try again. The web doesn’t need more guff. 
 
Authenticity. It’s even better when you say it in an Irish accent.”

Here’s what our friends around the Nation had to say…

“

The best campaigns with the best results happen because they’re insightful and the time has been taken to properly evaluate and iterate the creative programme. In 2020 we should see measurement standards reach new heights as we become expert at targeting who we want to reach, with content we know they want, working out the impact of that work beyond hits and clicks.

By co-creating our content marketing with who we want to engage, we not only ensure our work is insightful, but that it’s impactful too and will really make a difference to the people you’re trying to engage.

Chris Bath, Director, Aurora

–

“

Audio content, and tons of it.

Podcasts and their popularity show no sign of slowing down, but expect brands to move beyond that format too – content like audio-blogs and audio-eBooks. Audio is a really intimate content medium, quick to produce and one that’s easily consumed.

I expect to see longer form content continue its resurgence too, although only when the content itself is formatted to cater to short-attention spans. Oh, and on an interesting topic!

Marco Fiori, Director, Bamboo PR

–

“

You can’t avoid the fact that the internet is saturated with millions of pieces of content. So brands who do want to create content that succeeds in 2020, will need to ensure that what they create is truly different from anything else that is already out there.

And that’s why data-driven content will continue to increase in importance – especially primary data. Send out surveys, analyse data you’ve already collected but not used, and you could find some unique information that’s of interest to your audience and journalists.

If 2019 was the rise of video, 2020 is all about the podcast giant. Ofcom found that more than 7.1 million people in the UK listen to podcasts every week, which is a 50% increase compared to five years ago – so there’s a huge opportunity there too.

Elle Pollicott, Content Specialist at Hallam

–

“

In 2020, we’ll see even bigger investments being taken by B2B marketers with their content marketing in an attempt to stand out from the crowd.

We’ll see more experimentation with content formats, including tools like parallax scrolling storytelling platforms, to make the content feel more visually appealing. While podcasting is going to get bigger too and we’ll also see brands commit more to production value and guests (B2B influencers), plus live shows. And this is a trend we will also see across the board, with marketers looking getting more out of every piece of content to maximise their investment.

Paul Maher, Content Director, Fourth Day PR

–

If we can take away anything from the above it’s that content marketing is no longer solely storytelling, brands and content professionals must consider a suite of additions for a successful marketing stint. From the topic/story itself to its output, and the digital outcome, there is more to content than words – 2019 already proved that, and as predicted in 2020, content will continue to evolve.

If this post has been beneficial to you, we recommend you continue reading our guiding content posts:

• How to provide Expertise, Authority and Trust (EAT), a guide to the Google Medic update
• How Google Passes Link Juice; Explained with Coffee
• Influencer Marketing and Fake Followers = Advertising Nightmare

Want to learn more? Read about our wide range of consultancy services and digital marketing services to find out how we can help drive your business forward.