Have you been noticing more and more titles on people’s LinkedIn profiles with the words “content” or “storytelling”? We bet you have.
That’s because, in the last couple of years, content marketing has gotten more attention. The reason that’s so is that companies and creators alike have the tools to create and distribute more content than ever — whether it’s in capturing commercial-quality video through iPhones and sharing them on YouTube, recording and editing podcasts directly through Anchor and distributing the audio files to Spotify, or creating endless text copy through ChatGPT (and maybe hopefully soon incorporating it directly in your Microsoft PowerPoint slides).
So, with all these tools quite literally at your fingertips, if you haven’t started to really give a thought about your own content marketing strategy, we bet your FOMO is real. But don’t worry, we got you covered.
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Note: If you’d like to learn our content strategy and apply it to your business, we teach everything we do and give personalized feedback in our content marketing course and community. If you’d like us to do content marketing for you, then feel free to fill out the form on the bottom of our contact us page.
Marketing is changing dramatically
It is important for brands to implement content marketing into their wider marketing strategy now because of changing consumer behaviors and preferences around content consumption. Here are some recent statistics and trends that drive urgency for brands to implement content marketing:
1. Increased Demand for Online Content: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards online content consumption, with a significant increase in the amount of time people spend online. According to YouGov’s 2022 Global Media Outlook Report, digital activities saw the largest increases in consumption in the previous 12 months, with more than three in ten stating they spent more time accessing websites or apps, streaming video, and interacting with social media.
2. Rise of Visual Content: Visual content, such as videos and images, is becoming increasingly popular, with consumers preferring this type of content over text-based content. HubSpot’s research shows that consumers prefer video to text, 66% said they’ve watched a video to learn more about a brand. This is because videos give consumers an opportunity to see how a product or service actually works, discover flaws, and identify perks that they might not learn about.
3. Importance of Personalization: Consumers expect personalized content that is relevant to their interests and needs. One study published in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration found that some online users engaged significantly more with content if they perceived it as more personalized.
4. Influencer Marketing: Influencer marketing is becoming a powerful tool for brands to reach and engage with their target audience. In Arab culture alone, it’s the norm to make purchase decisions based on recommendations by friends and family, according to a study in the International Journal of Business Innovation and Research.
5. Emphasis on Authenticity: Consumers are increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising and are looking for authentic and trustworthy content from brands. A study by King AbdulAziz University found that corporate social responsibility (CSR) played a role in indirectly driving profitability by enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
These statistics highlight the importance of incorporating content marketing into a wider marketing strategy to reach and engage with consumers in an increasingly digital and visually oriented landscape, where personalization, authenticity, and influencer marketing play key roles. Brands that adopt content marketing as a key part of their marketing strategy will be better positioned to build trust and credibility with their target audience, and ultimately drive conversions and growth.
