#5 Content Marketing Ground Rules for 2018 A thorough analysis into the influence, authority and efficacy of content market makes one thing abundantly evident - the longer the content, the greater its impact

If you're looking to create resolutions in January to influence your content marketing strategy for 2018, here's some reality check — you might be too late already. January is the month for action, not reflection or introspection.

Here are five content marketing resolutions for 2018 that you must seriously consider; now.

Long is In

A thorough analysis into the influence, authority and efficacy of content market makes one thing abundantly evident: The longer the content, the greater its impact. More specifically, blog posts that are more than 1,000 words long are more effective than their shorter counterparts. If this is scaled up to 2,000 words, the effectiveness amplifies even further.

But Why?

The answer is simple: It is easier to positively correlate longer posts with better performance because such content obviously has a better chance of touching upon a gamut of allied topics. In turn, this allows a piece to achieve a higher ranking for multiple key phrases across search engine results.

Needless to say, creating long form content (without compromising on quality, of course) is a must-have component on every marketer's content agenda next year. Even if you create content at a lesser frequency, that's okay. Make sure the content that you produce is worthy of people's time and attention.

Instead of spending time and efforts on creating multiple pieces that are mediocre at best, why not channel those resources into creating fewer but infinitely more powerful items?

The amount you'll be investing in these resources will be the same, but the returns will surpass your expectations.

Revisit the 5% Hub

Marketing analytics and software player Beckon made a rather contentious statement around this time in 2016: merely 5% of branded content generates 90% of the entire engagement. Inevitably, the skeptics and the naysayers latched on to this staggering claim.

Market commentators followed suit and didn't think twice before quickly asserting that content market doesn't work. And, they had numbers on their side to substantiate their claim.

But as expected, they missed the moot point – that 5% of content marketing is incredibly effective in catapulting the efficacy of brand engagement, and the rest need to get their act together and up the ante.

What this conversation did achieve was to dispel the egregious myth that labeling any communication initiative as "content' translates into heightened engagement levels. Clearly, most marketers know better and have become wiser.

The message is loud and clear: Study the notable traits of the prestigious 5% club. Understand what they do right and you'll be on your way to joining them.

Ace the Blogosphere

Let's face it. Your blog is the glue that binds your social media channels together. It's the platform that you can proudly call your own; an interconnected network from where you can unleash content in practically any format of your choice.

More importantly, having a deftly crafted blog strategy makes it easier to focus your efforts on building a relevant, actionable and loyal audience base.

When your blog does a good job, it's more than likely that your content marketing initiatives are yielding the right results.

It imparts a seamless impetus and rhythm to your content strategy. For all practical purposes, it accentuates your brand's impact by providing a regular dose of content that you can confidently amplify on myriad platforms.

Beyond everything else, once a content piece manages to meaningfully engage audience via your blog, it's a fairly accurate indication that it's worthy of putting, or at least considering media.

Play the "Video' Game

Videos are literally calling the sho(o)ts in the digital marketing era. According to Cisco, videos drove more than 70% of all internet traffic, and this figure is likely to scale up to 82% in 2021.

But there's more than what meets the perennial eye. Even as videos are increasingly accommodating a gamut of content types, the need of the hour is to identify your audience's interests in order to hit the bull's eye in terms of zeroing in on the correct video format.

But how do you determine which video type is likely to be more effective?

As a thumb rule, narrow your focus on your buyer's journey and tailor your strategies accordingly.

As forward-driven content marketers, you may want to connect different video formats with the different stages of your audience's buying journey after understanding their informational needs.

Video content is the best bet for B2B players to nourish their audience with the information they're interested in, all the while retaining their attention.

This step is paramount in order to provide your customers with the right kind of content that will lead them through the sales funnel and get them on your side. According to Unbounce, videos, when used well, can boost conversion rates by as much as 80% on landing pages,

Drill Down Deep on Employee Advocacy

Over the past few years, companies' organic reach on social media has reduced drastically. As a result, numerous brands are pouring in more money on creating actionable ads on social media. However, employee engagement is now being recognized as a great way to organically catapult your reach.

To that end, here's some interesting data point: In a given company, only 3% of employees share content related to their company. Yet, they account for spearheading a massive 30% spike in the content's shares, comments and likes.

We've always known that employee evangelism doesn't hurt a company's success. If anything, it helps the company gain credible and quantitative attention.

But employee advocacy has become increasingly important because social media has emerged as the go-to buying podium for both individuals and brands.

Employee advocacy addresses two critical domains with aplomb.

• It increases the number of people who consume company messages. More messages means more people consuming it and eventually, greater visibility.
• People would rather trust content shared by employees as opposed to a brand, or even experts. Employees seem to have the coveted credibility that is necessary for spurring meaningful action.

When you churn out great content, it only makes sense to give it the best opportunity to influence your audience and bring them closer to you. And there's nothing like leveraging the reach of your own employees through the infinite potential of that wonderful thing called sharing.