What will content marketing look like in five years’ time—or for that matter, one year’s time? Will content marketing still exist as we know it, or will changes to the digital marketing world render it unrecognizable or obsolete?
Questions like these are common in online marketing circles, and it’s not hard to understand why. Google’s algorithms change, on average, close to three times per day; the world of social media is in a constant state of flux. This entire enterprise is characterized by how fast it moves, how quickly it changes. It is little wonder that there are so many who are unsure of what its future holds.
These questions are only fair. Here at Grammar Chic, we always tell our content marketing clients that this business is a long-term commitment; not something that offers results overnight, but something that yields its fruit via the steady development of consumer trust and brand authority. If we’re telling people that content marketing is a long-term commitment, it’s only natural for folks to wonder: Will content marketing actually still be here in the long term?
Everything Changes
There has been much ink spilled on the topic of content marketing and its longevity; you can find plenty of articles confirming its long-term viability, and just as many that express skepticism. As for the Grammar Chic take, we’ll offer the caveat that we can’t see the future and don’t have a crystal ball handy. With that said, we have invested heavily in content marketing as an on-going concern, and obviously feel strongly that it’s going to stick around in a recognizable form.
That’s not to say that content marketing won’t change. It’s already changed plenty just in the past couple of years—as it should. Content marketing adapts and evolves, right on pace with changing technologies and shifting consumer trends. In five years, content marketing may be more about video than ever before; there may be entirely new social networks that have sprung up to dominate the field; SEO may make a roaring comeback; Google+ may fall completely out of fashion, or it could just as easily assert its relevance in a big way.
The Resilience of Content Marketing
Whatever content marketing looks like in five years’ time, or in ten, we believe it will still be around—and even if some of the incidentals change, the basic premise of content marketing will be the same.
Why do we believe this? Because the very nature of content marketing goes hand in hand with consumer behavior, and plays right into the fundamentals of business. Content marketing may be ever-changing, and it may be linked to such ephemera as social media trends and search engine algorithms, but it’s built on something really solid: Content marketing is fundamentally about offering customer service. It’s about educating, informing, and offering value. It’s about showing that you’re trustworthy, and giving your clients a reason to be loyal to your brand.
None of that is ever going to go out of style. None of that is in question. Businesses have always needed to provide a meaningful, value-adding service to customers; all that’s changed is that we now have the tools of content marketing, to do it better than ever before.
Betting on content marketing is not, basically, betting on the latest social trends. It’s betting on your company’s need to meet customers where they are and to extend to them something of value—period.
If that sounds like a bet you want to make, we believe you can do so quite safely; learn more by contacting the Grammar Chic, Inc. team today at www.grammarchic.net, or 803-831-7444.
Amanda E. Clark founded Grammar Chic in 2008. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and holds degrees in Journalism, Political Science, and English. She launched Grammar Chic after freelancing for several years while simultaneously leading marketing and advertising initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies.