The future of content marketing

If content marketing wants to remain king, it must evolve

Did you know that the Michelin Restaurant Guide is one of the earliest examples of content marketing? This was developed by the car tyre company back when people were first buying vehicles for personal use. The marketing team at Michelin wanted people to do more driving and wear out their tyres so they created a book rating the very best restaurants. The idea was that people would book tables and then jump in their cars to visit the top dining spots in the world.

Not long after this, Jell-o published a recipe book, a form of content marketing that paid off in the form of not just more jelly mix sales, but profits from the book itself.
Even the term ‘soap opera’ relates to 1930s radio drama series that were sponsored by soap companies.
What a lot has happened since then! Nowadays entire companies and global conferences are dedicated to the subject of content marketing.

Content marketing – looking forward

As the saying goes, content is king. Companies like Coca-Cola, Nike and Mercedes follow this mantra wholeheartedly by producing blogs, promoting Tumblr memes and even publishing magazines.

In 2017, due to the rapid evolution of technology, while content is still king, video content is the ace.

Marketers are saying that their field has changed more in the past two years than in the last 50. This is all thanks to smartphones, higher data allowances and better wireless internet access. People are consuming content at an incredible rate, including articles, infographics and videos.
You can see this for yourself just by looking around while you are on the bus or train.How many people aren’t looking at a screen nowadays?

Quality over quantity

The problem with an influx of content is that as well as wanting more of it, people are becoming more savvy.
The stats about video are quite staggering. The medium is predicted to make up 74% of all online content consumed this year and an increasing number of buyers say they would be more likely to purchase a product after watching a video about it.
There’s no doubt video is a winning content marketing strategy, but if your video is uninteresting or too obviously advertising it is not going to get a look in.

This is why many companies are investing in more top level strategies that are designed to not just entertain and inform, but to truly engage. An example is KitKat’s Virtual break campaign, which combined 360 degree video with Google Cardboard to provide a completely immersive view of what it’s like to parachute off a cliff.

Video’s big role

Video is contributing to the fast evolution of content marketing in a major way. Consider that the GoPro was launched only a few years ago. So much incredible, high action content has been produced by then, in unbelievably clear quality. Products like Red Bull often use GoPro footage from athletes and adventurers to promote their brand. The next step is for 360 video to hit the mainstream. Since the launch of Nikon’s ‘Keymission 360’, the first action camera with HD 4K video resolution, this technology has been catching on fast. From where we see it, the format’s popularity on platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo will see action-capturing camera will incorporate 360 degree capability within the next two to three years.

May the best brand win

As mentioned recently by the New York Times, those who dare win in the new world of content marketing. A virtual reality campaign that is clever and truly engaging has the potential for millions of views and an incredible jump in customer engagement. Video has the power to open up a whole new world for the marketing industry – so long as it is done right, is creative and inventive and always has the customer in mind.

Is video part of your future content marketing strategy?
Contact the team at 360dgrees.com to find out how to use it to better connect with your audience.