The one distinguishing factor that determines brands with successful content and brands without is a comprehensive content marketing strategy. Your brand could hire a digital marketing agency to handle content, or you could do it in-house. The point is the plan. Once you do have a strategy, is has to be annually upgraded to keep up with trends that drive the content advertising landscape. It’s the fourth and final quarter for many businesses in 2017. That means it’s time to get the content marketing strategy ready for 2018. Here are several trends to keep an eye out for in the coming year:

Diversifying Content Creation Teams

Brands with highly successful content have a secret: incredibly diverse content creation teams. These brands have thought beyond writing blog posts. These days, the best content teams have not only writers, but also graphics designers, illustrators, editors for audio and video, video producers, content promoters, online optimisation specialists, campaign managers, and more in an array of professionals that churn on written, audio, and video content. Therefore, the top content marketing trends to watch out for is your competitor assembling an ace content team. Do it before your brand loses the competitive edge.

The Rise of Live Video Content

An overwhelming majority of successful online content is visual. An overwhelming majority of visual content is now video, particularly live video. According to a Buffer survey in 2016, marketers preferred to make more video content if considerations such as budget were not in the way. Live video was the most preferred video format to advertise in. The engagement for live video is over 100 percent on Facebook alone. Facebook data shows that people are three times more likely to watch live video than a non-live one. Considering the data, brands should be investing significantly in live video in 2018. Creating more video content overall for the coming year should be a priority for B2C brands. It’s also wise to hire a SEO Melbourne, or in your local area, professional to optimise video content for search engine purposes.

Content Goes to the Internet of Things

Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to gadgets that are not regular computers that consumers use in everyday life to access content. Smart home gadgets, such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, are increasingly driving not only searches but content as well. The average consumer now access content offline through IoT more than ever before. Brands should keep this data point in mind when creating content in the coming years. Optimising content for IoT and making content more accessible on smart gadgets should take priority in the coming year.

Influencer Marketing is On the Rise, but with a Caveat

Content is now being shown to consumers not directly, but through influencers on most instances. Many brands have jumped on the social media influencer bandwagon where images and videos are used for promotional purposes. While influencer marketing is becoming increasingly important especially among younger viewers, there’s also a major caveat. Lack of disclosure regarding paid influencers have led to a number of lawsuits filed by the FCC. Even big brands like Microsoft, Instagram and Machinima have gotten into legal trouble. Therefore, content shown through influencers should contain disclosures in 2018 and beyond to avoid a legal issue.

In the coming year, keep the above trends in mind and prepare accordingly.