What New Year’s resolutions should content marketers be making?

The world of marketing never sleeps, and as we head into the New Year it’s vital that we assess whether or not we’re completely up to speed on the latest developments across the industry.

More brands and companies are finally latching on to the fact that content marketing is effective, with 70% of B2B companies claiming that they want to create more content in the New Year, according the latest Content Marketing Institute report.

We predict that 2015 will be a big one for content marketing, so before you put on that glittery dress and start belting out Auld Lang Syne, let’s take a look at what will be on the New Year’s resolutions lists of content marketers.

Produce more multimedia content

The next year will see an increase in the use of rich multimedia content including video, audio and infographics, as brands fight for consumers’ attention in the crowded online space.

Although they’ve been around for a while now, infographics are still a fantastic way to present information in a captivating way and can be an interesting alternative to writing pages of mundane information. A survey conducted by the CMI found that creating and promoting infographics was the content marketing tactic that had the greatest increase in use, from 51% to 62%, in 2014.

As social media and content marketing are inextricably linked, it is not surprising that there will be a demand for short, engaging content that can be easily shared. Most social networks put a greater emphasis on video which will motivate more companies to produce and share video content. A greater increase of mobile use will also stimulate the demand for visual content.

Document your content marketing strategy

If you want to be more effective in your content marketing, document your strategy.

The CMI’s latest report showed that 60% of marketers that have a clear, written strategy believe their efforts are effective, compared with just 32% of those that only have a verbal strategy.

Documenting your strategy lets you know exactly what you are producing and why, rather than getting lost and publishing random content for the sake of it. It can also help to track ROI, as you can use metrics to see whether or not your content is helping you to achieve your goals.

Create more personalised content

As businesses have become more digitally focused there is a greater emphasis on creating a personalised experience for consumers. 94% of businesses state that personalisation is “critical to current and future success”, according to a survey by Econsultancy and Monetate.

People are savvy, they don’t want generalised content. Adding someone’s first name into an advert won’t cut the mustard for the consumer of 2015. Instead, present them with something genuinely beneficial that aims to inform, entertain or engage the user.

Unless you have the power of Santa’s elves behind you, it is impossible to write a blog post for every person reading your content, so segment your audience and create wisely. By interacting with people on social media, you can get a much clearer picture of the type of issues and questions they might have, which should help to shape your content strategy.

Distribute content more effectively

So you’ve produced some amazing content, but it is virtually pointless if nobody is going to see it, with only 26% of marketers claiming that they have invested in distribution pathways, research by Altimeter (cited by Forbes) found.

Strategic distribution of content is what will set businesses apart in 2015. Optimising for search and mobile, reaching out to relevant people in your field and building relationships with credible publications are just some of the many ways that you can make sure your content is distributed to the right people.

Again, when it comes to outreach, you need to have a clear plan in place. If you’ve produced an informative infographic on the latest developments in the manufacturing industry, for example, you must ensure you have a list of influential prospects from that specific sector that you plan to share it with. Adopting a scattergun approach and distributing it to anyone and everyone is a waste of everyone’s time and effort.

Have you set any content marketing goals for 2015? Follow @BringDigitalUK on Twitter and let us know what they are.