8 Content Marketing Trends for 2016

Content and no end in sight: with the overload of stimuli, the final content shock is looming next year. Producing high-quality content will become more time-consuming and expensive. Brands that want to hold their own in the competition for digital target groups will therefore have to focus even more strongly on authenticity, quality and relevance in 2016. 8 content marketing trends will particularly shape the year.

A trend for years now, with no end in sight: 3.65 billion people now use mobile devices. More than half of our content consumption takes place on smartphones.

In 2015, Google’s Mobile Usability Update pushed numerous websites down from the top ranks of search results. In order not to lose the valuable mobile target group, companies are finally responding with a flood of responsive design relaunches.

In 2016, it is impossible to imagine marketing strategies without mobile. Responsive design, embedded video and other mobile technologies will become the expected standard. The importance of multi-device experiences – that is, the seamless use of several end devices by users – will continue to increase.

As available bandwidths grow, so do the expectations of content consumers. By 2017, video content will account for almost 70 percent of total online traffic.

At the same time, the distribution of user-generated content in the form of videos will increase disproportionately, not least due to ever-better smartphone cameras. New video-based technologies such as 360° video ads will also ensure that visual content becomes ever more varied and diverse.

This will put content marketing even more into the hands of users. For companies, the relevance of influencer relations is increasing.

At the same time, we can look forward to newsroom launches: with a focus on brand experience and storytelling, users will interact on more and more channels with further-developed formats such as interactive infographics, reports, explainer videos or interviews.

In 2016 more than ever: markets are conversations, and conversations are human. Stories too are told by people for people.

In this respect, the Cluetrain Manifesto is celebrating a comeback in 2016: "We are not seats or eyeballs or end users or consumers. We are human beings – and our reach exceeds your grasp. Deal with it."

What does that mean for storytelling? Brands, organizations, corporations will have to adopt a communicative attitude in order to differentiate themselves and be able to generate value – through stories, emotions, faces and dialogues. The days of self-congratulatory content are over.

No more search engine optimization without user orientation. Since 2015, Google’s Knowledge Graph has rewarded not only mobile-capable websites with better rankings, but, with direct answers to user questions, has also ensured more relevant quality content.

Pure keyword-driven link building and paid links, as well as classic Q&A portals, will continue to lose importance in 2016. Instead, Google primarily rewards those websites that have understood the importance of added value in content.

Website operators are therefore more well-advised than ever to publish original and high-quality content – because differentiation and standing out from the competition through value-adding content directly pay into traffic, reach, leads and conversions.

In 2016, we will discuss completely new SEO best practices – including the extent to which SEO expertise must be completely rebuilt and placed in the hands of editorial teams trained in journalism.

While print circulation and ad budgets are shrinking, content marketing will become the central channel for brand staging and perception in 2016. Companies that have understood this will further refine their content marketing strategies and optimize their monitoring.

The production of content became more time-consuming and expensive in 2015. Many companies complain that the ROI of their activities cannot be clearly measured. In 2016, we will see a shift in priorities towards conversion-oriented, qualified lead generation.

Content marketing will also grow out of its infancy here. In 2016, the focus will have to be on precise planning, management and documentation of all activities. An important measure will be the integration of classic KPIs and marketing metrics into pre-tailored content marketing strategies.

Our forecast: in 2016, content marketing will thus generate more qualified leads and conversions than ever before.

The so-called "advertising in a familiar environment" will continue to increase in 2016. Advertorials and viral marketing in the form of video, image, music and articles are reaching ever more recipients through ever broader distribution.

Whether on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, BuzzFeed or on blogs – we will read the phrase "The following content may also interest you" especially often in 2016. Worldwide, native ad budgets are expected to rise from 8 billion US dollars (2015) to an estimated 21 billion US dollars within 3 years. The reason is obvious: it works.

However, a content shock also threatens here due to market saturation. In addition, native advertising can also trigger exactly the opposite of the desired effect. Users accept native ads only if they offer real added value. If this is missing, readers quickly perceive content as hidden advertising and feel deceived by the respective brand.

So in 2016, this will also apply to native advertising: only those who offer high-quality, precisely tailored editorial content will be successful here.

The introduction of Facebook Instant Articles is still controversial among publishers. Media such as Spiegel Online, Bild or the Tagesschau are already testing the new format. One thing is certain: with its Instant Articles, Facebook has taken many of the publishers' fundamental wishes into account. 2016 will show how well the format works – both for publishers and for users.

But social media has long been more than just Facebook and Twitter. Since this year, companies can also use advertising on Instagram to boost reach. In 2016, brands must familiarize themselves with channels such as Instagram and Snapchat, which are particularly popular with young target groups.

Live-streaming apps such as Periscope and Meerkat will also become interesting next year as publishing platforms for companies. And here, too, the main focus is on tailored and high-quality content.