Content Marketing is used by a majority of the marketers in India (well, the smart ones). With 66% of the marketers investing in content marketing, this number is expected to grow. This leaves us with no choice but to know and adapt to the hottest content marketing predictions in 2017.
Top 10 Indian Content Marketing Predictions 2017
People have been talking about content marketing predictions in general. But what are the particular impacts of these trends on Indian markets? Here are some of the top Indian Content Marketing predictions 2017 you must know to help craft an unbeatable 2017 strategy.
Here are some of the top Indian Content Marketing predictions 2017 you must know to help craft an unbeatable 2017 strategy.
#Trend 1: Address Opportunities Across Buyers’ Journey
From acquiring new customers to retaining them, content marketing has played a major role. Now streamlining and understanding what, why, and how of content marketing, the Indian marketers are able to address opportunities across the buyer’s journey.
With the wide range of objectives, content marketing is accomplishing more than ever and is, therefore, becoming a mandatory part of marketing strategies. Here are some of the primary objectives for content marketing campaigns in India:
- 59% wish to be looked upon as ‘Thought Leaders’
- 41% of the content marketing campaigns aim at retaining customers
- 57% aim at lead generation
- 52% of content marketing campaigns wish to acquire customers
#Trend 2: Go for Multiple Attributions
The multi-faceted nature of content marketing has allowed it to meet objectives across the buyer’s journey. Unfortunately, marketers are unable to go above lower-funnel metrics.
In 2017, it would be important to plan how to measure results for content marketing campaigns. To have the best results, you need to set expectations and secure long-term investment from the boardroom in your initiatives by ensuring your goals and measurement metrics are aligned.
#Trend 3: Digital Buyer Penetration Rise from 43.8% to 70.7% by 2020
The internet is used by buyers to direct their purchase decisions. Therefore, marketers must employ numerous methods to share their content with the different target audience. This implies a strong distribution strategy is important to deliver desired marketing goals whether it’s awareness or demand generation.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
‘The same content ethos has to spread across platforms in the way the platforms are consumed. For example, content as a newspaper should be repurposed for viewing via an electronic medium – even an e-paper. Bedraj Tripathy, AVP Integrated Marketing, Godrej
He also adds “It is imperative that the user feels she gets content that is relevant to her and drives messaging seamlessly across platforms.”
#Trend 4: Social Media, Blogs, and Newsletters Dominate the Marketplace
The content marketing techniques like newsletters, blogs, and social media dominate the marketplace. Content and social are deeply dependent and interlinked with each other. Therefore, a strong native advertising strategy means social media and content together.
Brands will continue to invest in native ads, and actually improve the quality of their content as a way to increase engagement and close the trust gap. – Bianca Ghose, Global Head Content Marketing, HCL Technologies
#Trend 5: Getting Audiences to Share Brand Content
In 2017, more B2B marketers will focus on user behavior to identify what kind of content will resonate with their target audience and lead to a successful campaign.
You should remember that your messaging can be distributive. Hoping to appeal to professionals audiences, and engagements, your content must be informative, entertaining, and valuable.
User behavior [is] critical for a successful content marketing plan. It will become pertinent to study the buyer persona and behaviour in a hyper-local environment and serve content to them. – Meher Sarid, Group President, Oxigen Services India Pvt Ltd
# Trend 5: Don’t Forget Influencer Marketing Techniques
1 in 3 Indian marketers rely on influencer marketing techniques. Thought leadership will be an integral part of content marketing strategies and help lift awareness.
The content marketing strategy will now evolve to address challenges beyond showing thought leadership from a brand, create demand, or lift awareness.
Every prospect that a brand is willing to talk to across digital platforms will be treated as an influencer. This will lead to brands crowd sourcing or co-creating content with a wide audience. – Vatsal Asher, CEO, DMAi
He also added that “the influencer base of every brand will increase exponentially.”
#Trend 7: Infographics and Visual Media Will Rise
B2B marketers rely on data to gain the trust of prospects. The marketers will leverage data within messaging but will experiment with the format used to make the data comprehensible to the target audience. This will give a push to the adoption of visual storytelling.
Snackable content is small, mostly visual content, that is easily consumable and shareable. More marketers will turn stats and info into shareable infographics. – Apurva Chamaria, Vice President and Head of Corporate Marketing, HCL Technologies.
#Trend 8: Augmented Reality is the Future
53% of the marketers are optimistic about the future of augmented reality.
Who haven’t tried their hands on augmented reality games like Pokemon Go? Marketers are keenly watching this space with an aim to apply content marketing to it. Since customers are quickly embracing augmented reality real quick, content marketing predictions 2017 is focusing on AR and VR.
VR and AR will start getting adopted at scale, today it’s not possible due to cost and accessibility challenges. – Meher Sarid, Group President, Oxigen Services India Pvt Ltd
For example, almost no penetration of VR headset or cost of producing content is so high.
#Trend 9: Encouraging User Generated Content
41% of Indian marketers encourage user generated content.
Almost every brand today is developing their content. Going beyond their own organization to create content can lead to cost-effective techniques while maintaining brand strategies and delivering results.
We will see the growth of user-generated content. – Gulshan Verma, Chief Revenue Officer, Times Internet
He also added, ‘Historically brands have created the vast majority of content about their products. Now they are realizing that their customers’ feedback, comments, and content are also valuable.’
#Trend 10: Effectiveness of Video Content to be Examined
With video being extremely popular among the audiences, yet India lags behind other countries in the percent of video complete rates. Also, the cost of video content formation is the most expensive which makes it a top challenge for brands and agencies.
In 2017, marketers will look for tactics to decrease the production costs while simultaneously increasing completion rates.
Live Streaming is a great technology for brands, it is interactive and undeniably sticky – they allow people to comment, like, and share brand videos. – Apurva Chamaria, Vice-President, and Head of Corporate Marketing, HCL Technologies
Conclusion
Knowing these content marketing predictions 2017 will help you make a better marketing strategy!
