2014 Predictions: Content Marketing

15. Short Attention Span Storytelling

Stories will be told using VINE videos, Instagram photos, and motion GIFs.

14. Content as Brand Personalization

Brands will start using content as a vehicle for narrative expansion beyond advertising.

13. Content Marketing Hats

Visibility is a commodity, which means everyone engages in content marketing. Everyone.

12. Translation, Please

English is NOT the universal language, which means content directed at an international market needs to be translated.

11. It’s NOT Just About Publishing

“Content marketers will discover that it takes more than publishing content to move the needle.”

10. I Tweet, Do You?

Social media, tweets, and other mobile messaging will promote engagement.

9. The 3 Es

Smart branders focus on the 3 Es: Evaluation, Engineering, and Empowerment.

8. Year of the Audience

Companies need to start investing as much (if not more) in their audience development as they do in creating quality content.

7. Get Out There!

Be transparent and more authentic to create conversations with your customers.

6. Be Unique

With content marketing hitting the mainstream, the best way to get ahead will to be unique and to add value to the current status quo.

5. Kickin’ It Old Skool

The most important goal of content marketing in 2014 will not be to score more Twitter followers, more Facebook fans, or even more RSS subscribers. Instead, it’ll be valid email addresses.

4. The Story Matters Most

“More content marketers will realize that ‘story’ is everything. Without a coherent story to bring together the message, all they have is more disconnected dots, more noise, more confusion.”

3. Quality vs. Quantity

More content doesn’t necessarily equate to better content, so there will be a shift towards content that both engages the right audience and drives the best results.

2. Getting to Know You

Brand marketers will learn from and curate readers’ choices in order to create content that effectively connects them.

1. More, More, More!

“I think the main trend will be towards more. I don’t mean that in terms of quantity, but rather more formats, posts that pack in more useful information, and an acceptance that good content marketing requires more time and effort than some previously recognized.”

via