{"id":56734,"date":"2022-05-23T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessesgrow.com\/?p=56734"},"modified":"2022-05-24T10:41:03","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T14:41:03","slug":"10-ideas-about-the-future-of-content-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessesgrow.com\/2022\/05\/23\/10-ideas-about-the-future-of-content-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Ideas about the Future of Content Marketing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"future<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, I saw a blog post titled “The Future of Content Marketing” But it wasn’t, really.<\/p>\n

It had obvious forecasts like “people will use more video.” That’s like saying, “In the future people will like dogs.”<\/p>\n

So I challenged myself to think this through. In two years, we will not recognize the field of marketing. The transformation is happening before our eyes and I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s next, specifically about the future of content marketing.<\/p>\n

It would be useless to think about what’s coming five years down the road. The change is too rapid and there are too many wildcards! But how about two years? I think that is within reach for me. Let’s dream a little about the near future of content marketing and riff on 10 ideas.<\/p>\n

1. Robo content<\/h2>\n

AI-generated content is here. It’s good enough to create videos, movie scripts, and poetry. It is certainly good enough to create a blog post or a tweet. Resistance is futile. My friends are already doing it (I am not. This is really me, I promise).<\/p>\n

The fact that AI bots will generate endless amounts of content will profoundly impact content marketing because it will obviously usher in a whole new phase of …<\/p>\n

2. Content Shock, Part 2<\/h2>\n

In 2014 I forecast that content marketing would not be a sustainable strategy<\/a> for many businesses when the content density in a niche or industry reaches over-saturation. It’s basic economics. When the competition increases, it will cost more to win and earn meaningful attention in a noisy world. Some businesses will drop out. That’s the simple version.<\/p>\n

While this idea was regarded as controversial at the time, I don’t think any rational person would disagree that my assessment was correct. It is excruciatingly difficult to stand out today, especially if we are trying to win an SEO game.<\/p>\n

If you thought content density is a big hurdle now, what will the future of content marketing look like when bots start generating streams of endless material? By the way, Google has “outlawed” AI content,<\/a> declaring it spam … but the bots will ultimately win. Google won’t be able to keep up with this rapidly-expanding technology.<\/p>\n

AI will also contribute to another content marketing crisis called …<\/p>\n

3. Deep fakes<\/h2>\n

Today, simple, inexpensive technology exists to create realistic videos of people doing and saying anything. This deep fake technology<\/a> is advancing faster than the world’s ability to detect it.<\/p>\n

This presents nothing short of an existential crisis for the media, politicians, celebrities, and any content marketer. The Future Today Institute<\/a> recently projected that deep fake technology has an 80 percent probability of enabling disastrous consequences. The danger is that harmful fake content will go viral and disrupt society before anybody knows it’s fake.<\/p>\n

Imagine the creative agency from hell where talented storytellers work on deep fakes that will disrupt the world in dangerous ways and control the thought of a population. This is dictator’s dream playbook.<\/p>\n

On a micro level, this could be targeted at any of us. Businesses and individuals really have just one way to fight back. It’s …<\/p>\n

4. The personal brand<\/h2>\n

What does content marketing have to do with your personal brand?<\/p>\n

Everything.<\/p>\n

In this perilous environment, our only hope is to create an uncompromising brand of trust. The only remedy is to establish and maintain an effective digital base of trust so people know what to believe.<\/p>\n

Creating an effective online presence as a trusted authority solves three key content marketing problems:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. If we can’t win at SEO like we used to, we can earn attention through content that expresses our authority. Topical authority will replace keyword research as the primary content marketing strategy.<\/li>\n
  2. When bots and deep fakes flood the world with garbage, your verified and trusted brand can establish a beacon of authority. All marketing is based on trust and we are in a world where trust is falling off a cliff. We will look to real people for assurance.<\/li>\n
  3. Increasingly, people don’t trust companies, ads, and brands, but they do trust each other. The personal brand IS the brand. Just ask Tesla.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Authority will be everything in the future. Even Google is rewarding content that establishes E-A-T<\/a> (Expertise-Authoritativeness-Trustworthiness).<\/p>\n

    Start working on this now. A proven place to start is my book KNOWN<\/em><\/a> or my personal branding master class<\/a>. This is a particularly important strategy for company executives, not just entrepreneurs, creators, and small business owners!<\/p>\n

    Next, let’s look at where this content will be showing up …<\/p>\n

    5. The metaverse and beyond<\/h2>\n

    I recently wrote a post projecting who would be the early adopters of the metaverse<\/a> and this will be driven by young people who prefer their online lives to their real ones. This suggests a whole host of real-world societal problems, but let’s stick to content.<\/p>\n

    Traditional content platforms like blogs, videos, and podcasts won’t go away, but growth will flatten and eventually begin to decline in the next two years as more people consume content in the metaverse.<\/p>\n

    For a content creator, here is the primary benefit of the metaverse: It breaks through algorithmic “bubbles.” Facebook, YouTube, and Google limit your worldview. The content that is exposed to you is based on your established preferences, friends, location, etc. Consumers are literally held in a content bubble.<\/p>\n

    The metaverse can break that bubble. If you offer cool new experiences, especially if you’re first and unique, consumers will give you a chance out of curiosity and the opportunity to try something new.<\/p>\n

    However, you won’t need the metaverse to engage customers. Even traditional content needs to become more …<\/p>\n

    6. Interactive<\/h2>\n

    Here’s something that puzzles me. The technology exists to make content that is spectacular, interactive, and exciting. Why aren’t companies using it?<\/p>\n

    It’s possible to make the format of the content as fun and conversational as the content itself. The gold standard for interactive storytelling might be The New York Times<\/em>. They lead the way in combining video, audio, maps, text, polls, and more to create immersive stories. If a newspaper can do it, why can’t a brand? If you really want to stand out today, make your content immersive and interactive.<\/p>\n

    Here are three examples that I like:<\/p>\n