Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Disruptive brands have been making headlines in recent years. Beginning with the emergence of the sharing economy, many companies have entered into markets and spaces that were previously dominated by legacy brands and companies and have completely flipped standards around. Beyond the innovation taking place in products, offerings, and services, many of these companies are embracing innovation in their marketing practices as well. Some of the strongest and most innovative campaigns are from marketers who have embraced content marketing and understand what optimizing a content strategy can do for their businesses.

At the 2016 NewsCred #ThinkContent Summit, Marty Swant of AdWeek moderated a panel called, “How We Innovate — Challenging the Status Quo to Disrupt Industries and Ways of Working.” Brand representatives that were involved in the chat included Eric Toda, head of global social marketing for Airbnb, Lauren Drell, director of content at sweetgreen, Mikaela Flynn, marketing manager for Uber, and Greg Fitzgerald, director of acquisition marketing for Blue Apron. These panelists dove into what was driving innovation across their companies as well as how marketing – most specifically content – is fueling their strategies to the next level....

Indeed, there are many myths regarding content marketing. Some opponents say it's going to perish soon, while other naysayers purport that it's ineffective. Whatever the case, it's a lucrative marketing method, and one that is being embraced by brands in various niches all over the world. It's no secret that content marketing, in a way, is still in its infancy period.

This means that we're continuing to learn new things about the way in which we produce this kind of content, distribute it and optimize the articles, blog posts, webinars, videos and infographics. Much like social media has been a boon for marketing, so has content marketing thus far. So far this year, there have been many studies and reports that have delved into the content marketing industry. Let's just say that some interesting insights have been made. Here are five of those statistics....

The world of content marketing is bursting with energy. Tech giants are recruiting screenwriters. Content agencies are flourishing. Companies can’t seem to get enough creative writing and design work. As marketing teams become more strategic with their content marketing plans, the ROI of blog posts and white papers is rising.

The digital marketing community has seemed to find something that is “sticking,” and the reason why is clear: content is, at the end of the day, a technique for keeping audiences engaged on a human level. Content helps us discover new ideas. It helps us master new skills. It inspires us to feel happier and more empowered in our work.

Content marketing, as a discipline, is going to become more powerful. Here are some predictions as to where the world of content marketing will be in 2020:...