Content Marketing In Demand [KNWLG] The next PPC, UI/UX, or HTML/CSS?

Michelangelo's Daniel with an early "content marketing" depiction... are we reliving history?

To find demand for Content Marketing, start talking with business and technical professionals. From ones who simply need a web site to support their marketing efforts, to ones building highly technical product and want to leave their content completely up to a marketing writer. Content Marketing is getting attention. Not too long ago focus was on social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. Just before social media a trend of blogging was all the rage. Before blogging, we saw simply a pleasing graphic design or informative product site in demand. Somewhere in parallel there were corporate trends in e-commerce (eBay, Amazon) and SEO/PPC (Google, AdWords) with strong emphasis on massive content writing and link building. Somewhere along the way there are less predominant phases of interest in affiliate marketing and advertising (especially in niche products). All these internet marketing trends rely on writing effective texts. Some need more quantity and some need more convincing or alluring copyrighting. But until recently, content played a minor role in the business of internet marketing. The position of the lowly writer, editor and copy optimizer seems to be changing for the better.

What Changed? Current State of Affairs in Content Marketing

Continuous changes in search technology and search sites policy is driving content to become more crucial to a site's promoter. Strong and consistent use (and dependence) on social networks is also forcing site promoters to seek more personal and more direct content writing. Social media sites in the form of small groups and connections among peers is replacing the traditional e-Mail marketing and even blogging. All these combined are creating a new trend: essentially giving readers more precision in their searches and content written specifically for a small interest group. These changes are creating a more narrow (and useful) communication channel. Eventually creating a faster word-of-mouth viral message spreading.  Younger users are preferring short comments and "likes" over blog comments and  or forwarding e-mail messages to friends. Add to this mix the Tsunami adoption of mobile devices, from messages in Twitter, to picture and video posting and sharing in Instagram and YouTube. All this buzzing is turning into very fast micro-viral behavior, with messages spreading quickly. But it's also limiting audience reach, most messages are only getting to a narrow channel, the audience can now filter most messages. Political writers are no longer exciting to technology readers or literary buffs. WhatsApp is a great example how users sometimes prefer a narrow channel and personal sharing with a small group not a public one like Facebook and YouTube.

What changed in the market to make content writing a mainstream technique? Some changes are related to technology (mobile & small devices) and large site policy changes (i.e. Facebook definition of overactive or abusive use). Some changes are related to how people adopt to new communication use (quick, instant, short messages). Both mobile and small devices are convenient, cheap and fun. Apple's iPad and Google's Android devices are hot items. The trend of developing applications and content for small screens is growing faster and faster. The trend of sharing messages is growing even faster than the adoption of small devices. What some people thought was "just another crazy fad" is turning out to be actually significant. This not only means writing short articles, but also breaking long ones into series of small pieces, keeping a flow of new ideas and interesting pieces going (Seth Godin's blog is a good example). Connecting your messages in many different ways, not just your other content (inside your own site or other sites), references to current and older content, but also social media groups. There seem to be demand for more content about these changes. People want to know not only how to influence and connect better, they also want to know what is happening all around the world with this connectivity craze.

In the professional sectors, there are people who want to know how to tap into these changes. Not only the nuts-and-bolts of how to create effective Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Linked-In connections, but also what to say and how to eventually develop complete strategies. This interest in new promotion (i.e. influence, inform, interest) techniques comes with every new internet trend. This time there is something new, interest from direct marketers, especially small and medium size companies. Social media and mobile devices are bringing customers directly to promoters NOT through ADVERTISING channels. For the first time, not just bloggers, but simple Facebook and YouTube users are reaching their customers quickly and directly. They can also imitate (i.e. emulate, copy) marketing techniques used by large companies. Even promotion and direct sales techniques can be used today more efficiently than ever before. Most small product marketers have not tapped into this new world yet, but they are eager to start. Here is where content marketing demand can be found.