Content Marketing: How To Be At The Top In 2020

Content Marketing: How To Be At The Top In 2020

Today's connected consumers are constantly looking for new tools to make their purchases even easier. This is precisely what content marketing is all about. With the communications company Zen Media, we have tried to understand consumer expectations, to help brands meet them effectively.

Think about it: when you do a search, what is your preferred search method? Do you enter keywords in Google's search bar? Ask Alexa or Siri? Or Google Home?

If you are like 42% of American adults, you use a mixture of all these methods. But we are willing to bet that if you use voice search, the content offered to you is not yet optimized for voice. This is a problem when brands try to convince the most connected consumers.

Content marketing is just as essential to attract and retain customers in 2019 as it was last year, or perhaps even more. But it is also becoming more and more expensive for brands. While content is constantly developing and organic traffic is collapsing more and more, and some brands are falling behind, not being able to keep up with all technological trends, the market is becoming more and more competitive and brands cannot afford to take the wrong target.

With this information in mind, below are three effective strategies that your brand should implement to extend its influence, relevance, resonance, loyalty and ultimately achieve better value for money for 2019 and beyond.

Optimize your content for voice search

Voice search (or talking directly to a smart device rather than typing keywords into a search bar) is becoming increasingly prevalent in Google searches. Google's 2016 data showed that 20% of all mobile searches were performed by voice command, and by 2020, it is expected that this will be the case for more than 50% of all searches.

But how do we do that? Here are some ideas for reflection:

• Remember that voice research is based on natural language, so focus on long tail keywords, expressions and entire sentences. In other words, a more complex sentence like "Where can I buy a pizza when I leave the cinema? "can replace "Pizza close to the cinema" for example.
• Optimize referencing for local searches. According to Convince & Convert, voice search is indeed three times more likely to be used if it concerns a local request.
• Focus on conversational questions that customers may want to ask and provide answers, such as a FAQ page or highly targeted content.

Include transparency in your content marketing

Connected consumers appreciate the transparency and authenticity of brands, much more so today than in previous generations. Before making their purchases, they want to check that your brand is authentic, transparent, and conveys values, and that's exactly what content marketing can do.

Some advice:

• Create a blog or website that discloses your corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. What are the ethical standards you apply when selecting suppliers? Are there any communities for which you are particularly committed? How do you focus on diversity in recruitment and leadership?
• Engage in relevant conversations about social network trends that reflect your values. Make sure your brand has something significant to contribute. On the other hand, if you have difficulty finding arguments that are not marketing, abstain.
• Encourage user-generated content through contests, calls to action and gifts, and then share that content without restraint.

Deploy customization and interactivity

Connected consumers today expect customization possibilities that were unimaginable two or three years ago. We are now beyond mere superficial interaction, customers expect their preferences to be known and taken into account every time content is offered to them.

This implies an effective use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in content marketing. Artificial intelligence can digest huge amounts of data and provide a workable insight into what your customers expect more, where they surf, and much more.

If you don't yet have the resources to harness the power of artificial intelligence, you can still offer greater customization to your customers by creating highly targeted content to answer specific questions. For example, if different customers tend to buy items in a specific price range, offer them products that correspond to that price range through an email, which will allow them to click on a product and access the purchase page on your website.

Some additional ideas:

• Generate emails after a purchase by requesting customer feedback.
• Be very specific with the categories and tags on your website.
• Engage in discussion with your customers via video platforms where you answer their questions live.

Content marketing takes on a whole new dimension in the age of the connected consumer. It's time to invest more in marketing your brand's content to ensure that you give your customers not only what they need, but also what they want (otherwise they will have no trouble finding another brand that will do it for you).