Introduction to Content Writing in 2019
Content writing has become a crucial part of any modern digital marketing strategy. As consumers spend more time online and across various digital devices and platforms, businesses must craft compelling content to capture attention, build trust and authority, and drive people to take valuable actions. According to research by HubSpot, 90% of consumers rely on online content to make purchasing decisions, and those who consume six or more pieces of content from a brand are 3x more likely to purchase from that brand. Therefore, creating high-quality, useful content has never been more important for gaining new customers and increasing sales.
In 2019, content writing best practices are continuously evolving to adapt to changing consumer behavior and new technologies. Top content marketers at HubSpot and other leading companies share that certain content formats, topics, styles and strategies are proving most effective for engaging audiences and meeting business goals in the current digital landscape. This article provides an overview of some of the most important content writing trends and tactics for 2019 based on research and lessons from top content teams.
Key Content Formats to Focus On in 2019
When planning out a content strategy and calendar for 2019, start by considering which formats will work best for your audience and business objectives. Here are some of the top performing content types marketers are focusing on:
Blog Posts: Written, static blogs continue to be a pillar of content marketing. Blogs provide a steady stream of material to build thought leadership, demonstrate expertise and drive organic traffic over time through search. Focus on valuable, shareable topics broken into concise, skimmable pieces.
Video Content: From tutorials to interviews to product demos, video engages audiences like no other format. As mobile video consumption spikes with platforms like Instagram Stories and Snapchat, creating high-quality, YouTube-optimized videos should be a high priority. Video improves content sharing 7x over text-only posts.
Infographics: Visual content performs much better across social channels and is easier for busy audiences to digest. Spend extra time crafting emotionally intelligent, visually pleasing infographics that tell compelling stories with data.
Ebooks/Guides: In-depth, curriculum-style resources help qualify leads by demonstrating your authority on a topic. Promote downloads of quality ebooks and guides to build trust and capture contact information from interested prospects.
Podcasts: The popularity of podcasts continues to grow rapidly as a medium for information and entertainment on the go. Consider launching a branded podcast to engage audio-loving audiences with your messaging.
Case Studies: Authentic case studies showcase real customer results and successes with products/services to increase social proof and trust among potential buyers. Highlight key industry partners, customers or clients.
Beyond traditional writing, marketers advise embracing new formats like video, social posts and conversation as they increase in importance across channels. Continually experimenting helps keep content fresh and match changing user preferences.
Top Content Marketing Topics & Trends for 2019
When scoping content topics, analyze search and social data to discover high-intent keywords related to common customer questions, pains or problems within your industry. Also consider weaving in some of 2019’s hottest emerging topics relevant to your niche:
Artificial Intelligence: How AI applications are enhancing experiences and changing the future of different verticals like healthcare, transportation, education and more.
personalization at scale: As algorithms improve, audience expectations for individualized service and recommendations rise. Discuss personalization best practices from targeting to messaging.
Voice Commerce: With Alexa, Google Home and other voice assistants booming, explore opportunities for natural language interactions in marketing, sales and customer service.
Blockchain beyond Bitcoin: Blockchain will disrupt many businesses – look at non-crypto innovations in supply chain management, healthcare records, loyalty programs and other enterprise uses.
Diversity & Inclusion: Representation matters to today’s conscious consumers and workers. Highlight diverse teams, inclusive policies and accessibility initiatives.
Sustainability & Social Impact: Consumers want to support companies with eco-friendly practices and a clear social mission. Discuss environmental commitments and community partnerships.
Wellness & Self-Care: Under wellness lies a wealth of subtopics from meditation to nutrition. Promote products or services enabling healthier lifestyles.
Future of Work: How automation, remote working arrangements and collaboration tools are changing workplaces and the global skills gap conversation.
Beyond trends, focus content on proven high-intent keywords that indicate customer questions and challenges through search volume data. Analyze your analytics for top-performing evergreen posts as clues for future topics too.
Content Writing Styles That Resonate in 2019
As for writing style best practices, focus on these proven techniques that drive better engagement and conversion rates according to recent HubSpot research and industry recommendations:
Use Conversational, Approachable Tone: Strike the right balance – be friendly without being too casual. Make content sound like a helpful friend speaking directly to the reader.
Focus on the Reader: Ensure every word relates back to the reader and answers the questions “What’s in it for me?” Use benefits and solutions-driven frameworks.
Optimize for Scannability: Break up blocks of text with subheadings, bullet points, short paragraphs and visual elements. Busy readers want to scan, not read deeply.
Layer in Emotion & Storytelling: Weave in human emotions, anecdotes and stories to bond with audiences on a personal level versus dry facts alone.
Optimize for Search & Social Sharing: Incorporate target keywords naturally and write with the goal of people wanting to share your content across networks.
Promote Credibility with Data & Sources: Back up claims with studies, statistics and trusted expert quotes to establish yourself as a thought leader. Include useful resources and further reading.
Keep it Current & Ever-Green: Write for the present with fresh angles while maintaining evergreen quality for future discovery in search and social surfaces.
Test & Refine: Continuously experiment by testing different titles, structures, visuals and topics to optimize top-performing formats based on analytics insights.
Prioritize Simplicity & Skimmability: Paragraphs should average 5-7 concise sentences maximum for easy absorption on mobile screens and in high-paced environments.
Following modern style best practices leads to dramatically higher engagement metrics like views, shares and conversions according to research. Customize your voice to best resonate with specific target personas as well.
Leveraging Social & Shared Distribution
While search remains core, distribution through social channels has become table stakes for reaching potential customers in 2019. Top content marketers use these social publishing techniques:
Schedule Publishing: Use editorial calendars and content distribution tools like Buffer to effectively publish at optimal times for each network.
Target Multiple Networks: Distribute to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more based on where your personas spend time versus a single channel.
Leverage Hashtags: Include 2-5 relevant, trending industry/topic hashtags with each social share to boost discoverability. Rotate tags frequently.
Promote Top Content: Identify and double down on consistently high-performing posts with targeted promoted social ads that align with seasonal events or expertise hubs.
Social Copy Variation: Tweak copy, images and calls-to-action slightly per network to match different social norms and algorithms.
Curate Valuable User Generated Content: Engage followers by sharing and commenting on third party content, not just self-promotion. Build community.
Follow Influencers: Engage with relevant influencers, experts and industry leaders by commenting on and sharing their conversations to gain exposure. Avoid overt selling.
Mastering these sharing techniques alongside quality content development exponentially increases the number of prospective customers exposed to marketing messaging in high-intent social platforms aligned to buyer journeys. Paying close attention to social analytics helps refine strategies over time as well.
Emphasizing Value & Measurement in 2019
Finally, focus content efforts on proving quantified business value according to your company’s core KPIs like lead volume, conversion rates or overall revenue. Develop systems and processes for:
Tracking & Attributing Content to Leads/Sales: Understand which content assets and topics are driving the most qualified opportunities through your sales funnel to justify resources.
Surveying Readers: Regularly poll readers to gather feedback on how content is helping them and what they want to see more of for constant improvement.
Launching Targeted Lead Gen Campaigns: Promote high-performance or new content through paid social/search ads specifically aimed at capturing leads.
Benchmarking Industry & Competitors: Analyze competitors’ content strategies and consumer behavior to uncover white space opportunities and spot best practices.
Testing Content Formats & Ideas: Launch split A/B content tests to iterate your strongest asset formats based on hard analytics.
Reporting Content ROI: Communicate clear value metrics in reports covering campaign success versus the cost of creation to prove effectiveness.
Being accountable for business results is critical in 2019 as marketing and content teams face pressure to prove their worth. Clearly demonstrating value and an eye toward continual testing and refinement secures ongoing support and budget.
In Conclusion
Businesses can gain strategic advantage over competitors by building a culture around high-quality, audience-centric content and embracing the newest formats, topics and sharing tactics appealing to people in 2019. Focusing efforts on proven approaches while continually evolving and testing new ideas based on data ensures relevance and connection with
Andrew Stroud