There’s a reason Seth Godin calls content marketing “the only marketing left.” Actually, there are several reasons. It works because it provides something of value, it showcases authenticity, and, I think most of all, it is perfectly suited for modern internet users. Few thinking people doubt the effectiveness of content marketing, but most will agree that it is evolving.
The year 2019 will continue to see this change in content marketing. But, what content marketing trends should you expect? Should you change your marketing strategy to keep pace with these changes? And, if so, how? Below are some content marketing trends that we witnessed throughout 2018, and that will continue to grow and drive content marketing in 2019.
 

Chatbots

Custom-designed and artificially created chatbots will grow and become more common throughout 2019. There are valid reasons for making this prediction. According to a study by Spiceworks, 40% of large companies will use chatbots and/or “intelligent assistants” by 2019. This is largely due to the growing number of consumers who expect to be able to connect with their favorite companies via chat.
Currently, chatbots are most frequently used to:

• Provide quick answers to simple, frequently-asked questions
• Provide details regarding delivery, payment, or other transactions
• Collect information and feedback from customers for human analysis

We will likely see more chatbots providing an active search function. This can provide site users with suggestions from your published content that may help with the active topic. However, some form of smart-recognition will be needed to recognize when a human agent is needed for more assistance.
 

Content Clusters

Long-form content is typically defined as articles over 1,000 words in length. This type of content has grown to become the heart of sound content strategy. Google search algorithms place a high value on such content because it gives greater value to users. Therefore, your long-form, high-quality content ranks higher.
Additionally, Google algorithms place a high importance on topic clusters. These are multiple pieces of long-form, valuable content that revolve around a single topic. These clusters of content demonstrate that you are committed to providing highly valuable information to users about relevant topics. Basically, for each broad topic, you need a single, standalone piece of content that covers the numerous subtopics under the main topic. Then, create and publish more in-depth content pieces on the subtopics, and link them to the pillar content posting. It is of value to link your content to other cluster pieces published by similar sites.
By creating numerous pieces of high-quality content on a given topic, covering every possible avenue of thought, you become the go-to resource for this topic. This gains your site authority with users and ranking points with Google.
 

Remarketing

Back in 2014, display and search ad spending was neck and neck. But, throughout 2019, display ad spending is expected to surpass search by 28%. Surprised? You probably are, unless you are a big fan of remarketing. This form of ad targeting is booming and showing no signs of decline. Why? Because it works. As data shows, more and more marketers are dropping serious coin into remarketing.
If you have existing user data from your site visitors, you can start a remarketing campaign using these platforms:

• Google Ad Remarketing: Google’s remarketing solution that works from inside AdWords. All you need to do is add the remarketing tag to your website, build your ads, and set up your campaign.
• Facebook remarketing: You can retarget customer list, website traffic, app activity, and engagement on Facebook.
• AdRoll: AdRoll works with Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft, allowing you to reach a majority of your audience.

Voice Search

Consumers are more excited about using smart assistants than ever. NPR and Edison Research revealed in a 2017 report that 42% of Americans called smart assistants like Google Home “essential.” Their popularity is on the rise and they are introducing dramatic changes to how consumers act and use them.
In 2019, look for more online publications using audio content to keep up with their followers’ demand, and this includes new advertising platforms. If you are not yet crafting your SEO strategy to include voice search, now is the time to jump on board. With the rise of smart assistants and their overwhelming popularity, voice search and voice-activated content will explode.
What trends do you see in content marketing for 2019? Share your thoughts and insights with us in the comments below.