The buzz words of the conference season are not big , grand or yet unproven platforms. At AI-CMWorld 2018, we welcomed Joe Alleva (SVP, Director of Product and Strategy, Oracle Digital Marketing Cloud ), Mike Dean ( Executive Vice President of Ads Product, AppNexus), Marti Scoular (CMO, Zenith IP), Sami Lunma (Principal at Bain PR), Niall Conroy (Founder and CEO, Commva), Sarah Trellick (Chief Marketing Officer, B2B content marketing platform, Ignite) and Tony Wisniewski (VP of Sales, Verizon Business), among many others, to speak on the future of content marketing . The result was a lively, broad and clear roundtable session that touched on everything from the importance of being social to the better use of data and algorithms. It concluded with a couple of key tips and outlooks that speak to the best of what content marketing can achieve and what challenges remain. Reading the hype

One of the reasons content marketing is gaining so much interest from brands is that the results are increasingly becoming apparent. It is estimated that the industry will generate $2. 1bn in revenue in 2017, a 13% increase over 2016.

The truth is, data still matters. Which is why data-first companies like Target and Verizon are using data, and the more niche ones like Marketo and Involver are following, to extract better insights for their customers and future plans. Traditional marketing methodologies are no longer working. Data and analytics are simply more prevalent and effective now than ever. This means that there’s a wider range of channels where content lives and thrive. Even if a digital platform is new to your current engagement, or it already exists, it’s becoming more and more important.

The Upstart

One of the principles of digital content marketing is to create content with an algorithm that achieves your goal. Some analysts are predicting content marketing will generate $600bn in revenue by 2020. The problem is, in today’s world there are often so many other opportunities for brands to attract attention. In the US in 2016, there were 244 content marketing conferences hosted. As these are often focused on the marketing of different media, some of these conferences need to think outside the traditional conference format.

Who’s attending AI-CMWorld 2018? The bill is here. . . #CMWorld #CMI #AICMWorld pic. twitter.com/LEfIY5nfcY — Emmie Kishanti | Digital Marketing (@emmiekishanti) November 17, 2018

It’s all about the content, stupid

Data remains king when it comes to content marketing , as it should be. It’s the biggest primary asset for brands.

With all the data that exists today, people expect it to play a bigger role and some experts are even calling for a shift to data-first and analytics-first. However, the algorithms are n’t going to go away. The general media model is under pressure, and while publishers have started to invest in data, what does that mean for content creators? The role of data is most obvious in data-driven advertising, where marketers can target and deliver specific messaging to a specific consumer. But just because a data-driven model works does n’t mean it’s always the best for creative content. For one thing, data is better when it’s targeted and accessible.

This takes time, and it’s up to content creators to make them universally accessible. Although it’s all about the data, it’s also important to not overwhelm your reader with all the numbers. The only way for this to happen is by rethinking your ideal consumer journey. Measuring your content’s impact is an absolute must. Compelling storytelling acts as an emotional trigger, for some readers it’s like an explanation to decipher an ambiguous point of view, for others, it’s much more visceral. It’s far better to tell stories that matter more than everything else.

But numbers are the key to the future of content marketing . Responding with data-driven insights that boost a brand’s authority and provide clients with insights about the market. This is going to continue to become crucial. Scoring user experience

Users expect brands to use content to tell stories and in return they will move from the fold to other channels. They can be annoying or too attention-grabbing to be tolerated, and more likely to be dissatisfied or leave your brand. The result is more highly visual social posts and content, driven by user data, and it’s all about stats – just not too much.

It is the data which always speaks, so when you are delivering your content it’s likely that you will have goals and a strategy for what your readers can expect from it. Content plays an important role in this. You’ll want your ads to look engaging and engaging so they keep your audience on your site for longer, and people leave other social channels for the digital experience. You’ll want to tell your story and your brand to your audience by connecting to their emotions and stories. In some cases, with longer tail content you want to focus on stories which are related to your business but allow your audience to do something tangible, like buying. With categories like sports, music and travel this could be booking tickets, hotels or activities.

Today’s content in general is much more social-focused. People want to be a part of the story. They want to be part of a community around your brand, and engage with your messages on social channels. People might respond to one campaign, then move onto the next. With brands that have deep pockets, they are going to spend heavily on content marketing – the challenge is that they can expect to get their ROI back. Outwardly appealing, both in design and tone, but inwardly sharp and speak of your brand.

Some of the biggest successes of these ‘born social’ models are Facebook live videos, food and travel content. This evolution in the way people look at the world is a great example of how data can benefit not only your brand but also your agency and agency partners. Brands are increasing their investment in data – data produces actionable insights and gives the creatives of the team great insights into their audience and their buy preferences. For content creators, this means you need to start recording data as a part of your content-creation process, not just as something you do when you publish. Social analytics tools now have personality profiles to help you understand who your audience are. Admittedly, audience segments have always existed – but today they are much more aware that what they are sharing may affect who they ’re connecting with.

Content creation

From personalisation, target an approach that’s personal for your audience. Consider how you can create and promote content that’s more highly relevant to each individual, no matter how long you’ve been around or where you live. Contextually relevant

Consumers do n’t like ads – and by ad I mean commercial content. They want to find out who you are as an individual, they want to feel like they know you, and you should start with that. If a post is relevant and engaging, it will get the attention it deserves, and just because your audience is digital does n’t mean their attention is limited. People are searching for videos and images that have human qualities in them, that showcase your brand in a personal way.

These days content is more targeted, but there’s something still missing – the emotion. Blogging is n’t necessarily about sharing a rant or what your worst break up experience is, it’s about sharing a story and conveying emotion. A key part of getting your message across in marketing is to be personal and engaging in conversation. People do n’t associate links with stories. Two key actions you should be taking are looking at what content you ’re already posting, and review posts – and whether your audience will resonate with those concepts.

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