#ContentWritingChat Recap: Content Marketing Trends for 2017
Express Writers

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Content Marketing Trends for 2017 with Dennis Shiao

by | Sep 1, 2017 | ContentWritingChat

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Content Marketing Trends for 2017 with Dennis Shiao

Are you up-to-date on all the latest content marketing trends? In this week’s #ContentWritingChat, we shared all the hottest tips and trends you need to know for a successful content marketing strategy.

Does that sound like just what your brand needs right now? Keep reading for the recap of our latest chat! It’s filled with some amazing advice that you’ll want to implement ASAP!

#ContentWritingChat Recap: Content Marketing Trends for 2017 with Dennis Shiao


Our guest host this week was Dennis Shiao. Dennis handles content marketing at DNN Software. He shared some great tips with us throughout the chat, which you won’t want to miss! Let’s dive into the recap for everything you need to know on content marketing trends for 2017.

Q1: Why is it important to keep an eye on content marketing trends? How can it impact us as creators?

Not feeling convinced that you should be keeping up with the latest when it comes to content marketing trends? These tweets will show you why it’s important for all content creators:

Keeping an eye on the trends will help you plan your strategy. As Dennis mentioned, sometimes you ride the trend and sometimes you go the other way. When you understand the current content marketing trends, it can even give you ideas on how to start a new one.

His general advice is not to follow just just follow them. Dennis feels there’s value in being different, so make sure you embrace that.

Julia knows that knowing the latest trends is essential for content creators. You want to stay updated on the platforms, tools, and SEO to better serve your clients.

Content marketing is something that is constantly evolving and you need to keep up to appeal to your audience.

Being aware of trends also helps keep your content fresh and relevant.

As Lexie said, knowing the trends shows your clients that you stay on top of all the latest information. It’s going to help them see that you really know your stuff!

Maureen brought up a great point about testing. When you monitor and try out new trends, you can test to see how it works for you. You’ll know what’s the right fit for your brand and your audience.

As Ray said, part of reflecting and planning your future growth is looking at the past and present when it comes to content marketing. It’s important to reflect to see where things have been, where they’re going, and how you can adapt.

Q2: What have been the top content marketing trends to implement into your strategy so far this year?

Have there been any game-changing trends you implemented into your strategy this year? Our chat participants shared a few that were essential for them to incorporate:

For Dennis, he knows that high-quality content is a clear winner. He’s been focusing on publishing less, but striving to produce even better content.

The team at Netvantage is doing the same. Quality always beats quantity when it comes to the content you’re producing.

When you’re creating content, you also need to deliver what your audience wants. Bill is committed to focusing on his existing customers and learning what they need, instead of guessing on what he should be creating.

Kristen knows that recycling content is a big trend that is really paying off these days. It helps you make the most of what you’ve published in the past. She also said testing new content formats, such as podcasts, is also beneficial.

Even Dennis knows podcasting is a trend that’s still on the rise! Although he hasn’t started one of his own yet, he does listen to a lot.

For Shelly, it’s all about making sure the content she produces leads back to her bigger business objectives.

People are certainly getting more visual with their content this year, which is something that won’t be going away any time soon. Whether it’s graphics or video content, people are loving great visuals.

Interactive content is certainly a great way to engage your audience and get them to take action.

Q3: Many marketers have stepped up content production. What are your tips for managing the content planning and creation process?

With more people taking their content seriously, it can sometimes get tricky managing the content planning and creation process. If you need some help in this area, check out this advice:

Dennis knows the importance of having clear processes and software to help teams, both big and small. He also mentioned how crucial it is to have a great plan in place. It’s definitely going to help you stay on track in the long run.

Julia also recognizes the importance of great team members, as she’s managing a remote team that’s all across the world. When you have an amazing team behind you, you can really see major growth when it comes to your content.

Maureen suggests having a calendar coordinator or a content manager to help bring everything together. Having someone dedicated to this role will help everyone stay on track and meet deadlines.

However, you aren’t doomed if you don’t have a team behind you. As Brittany mentioned, there are plenty of experts out there that can provide information that’ll help you out.

Kristen encourages you to map your content back to your goals. She suggests planning quarterly goals and/or themes to guide your content.

And editorial calendar is certainly helpful when it comes to the planning process. You need to determine how often you want to publish and what topics you’ll be focusing on.

Megan is also a big fan of having an editorial calendar in place.

As Lori mentioned, it’s great to have a plan, but you also need to be flexible. Be open to making last minute changes to create content for the topics that are relevant in the moment.

Natasha outlined some key steps that are essential to success! It all goes back to listening to your audience and understanding their needs.

For Bryn, repurposing content is a must. It’s going to help you make the most of the older content you’ve already published. All you have to do is find ways to make it fresh again. She teams up with other departments to make this happen.

Q4: What should a content marketer do when they just aren’t seeing the results they hoped for?

If you aren’t seeing the results you hoped for, it’s important that you don’t just give up and quit. You need to figure out how to fix the situation. Here’s some great advice for you:

First, Dennis said you need to resist the urge to give up. As he pointed out, content marketing is a long-term endeavor. You have to hang in there and keep moving forward, despite any failures you may encounter. He suggests taking some time to reflect because you’ll return feeling refreshed and with new ideas.

Dennis also said to consider your distribution efforts. Could that be where you’re going wrong? You can’t just expect people to find your content. You have to be proactive about spreading the word. He also recommends talking to your readers, customers, and industry experts to receive feedback on the work you’ve done.

Lexie also agrees that seeking feedback is a good idea. It’s going to help you deliver the content your audience truly wants.

Varun’s advice is to stop, analyze, and restart. You can take inspiration from your niche and other industries, plus take feedback from your audience into consideration.

Lex said you need to ask yourself if you’re monitoring the right goals with the best metrics. You also need to know why those are your goals so you know that you’re working towards.

It’s also a smart idea to look at what IS working for you so you can focus on those platforms/formats/etc.

Going back to the advice Dennis shared, Danielle also recommends focusing on distribution. Find new ways to spread the word about your content so more people will check it out.

For Kristen, she’s found sharing her content via email has always been effective.

No matter what, you have to keep plugging away. You’ll see results in time if you don’t give up.

And finally, don’ forget to be patient!

Q5: How have you seen content marketing change in the past few years?

Wondering how the content marketing world has changed in recent times? Take a look at these responses from the chat:

As Dennis pointed out, there’s all kinds of content floating around these days. It’s not just about blogging because others are turning to live video, podcasting, and so many other formats.

The expectations of your readers have also never been higher. You have to make sure you’re delivering something that’s worth their time.

There’s no denying that we have to work harder to get our content noticed these days.

To stand out, Debi suggests focusing on expertise, authority, and trustworthiness in the content you publish.

Video continues to grow in popularity as the years go on. It’s something that won’t be going anywhere, whether it’s on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

Max also agrees that video has taken off in recent years, especially on social media. You want to have a winning strategy for creating and promoting the video content you produce.

Content creators are expected to do so much these days. They have to be skilled not just with writing, but also with SEO, marketing, social media, and video among other things.

For Ray, he’s seen more small businesses take content marketing seriously. He says it’s made it easier to educate them on it.

Q6: Where do you see content marketing going in the next year or two?

Do you have any predictions on the future of content marketing? Here’s what some of our chat participants had to say:

Dennis sees content moving to non-traditional platforms, such as smart watches. As he mentioned, your content needs to appear when and where your audience needs it.

Kristen predicts advanced personalization that provides a customer-centric approach will be the future of content marketing trends.

Bill predicts that people are going to focus more on their owned channels and use others to drive traffic back to their home base.

Lexie definitely sees video continuing to skyrocket. She thinks live videos that include customers or brand advocates will be the big thing.

As for Jeff, he predicts artificial intelligence will be used to deliver the right content to the exact target audience.

Virtual reality could also play a huge role in content marketing, as more companies are adopting it.

Julia sees even more brands appreciated the growth that content marketing can bring.

Q7: What are your favorite tools for managing your content marketing strategy?

Are you looking for some good tools to manage your content marketing strategy? Check these out:

Dennis relies on Google Analytics and Excel to manage his content marketing strategy. He also likes to get on the phone and chat with customers. It’s a great way to learn more about them.

Evernote is a fantastic tool for storing content ideas and keeping them organized.

Like me, Brittany is also an Evernote fan. She also likes to use Excel for creating an editorial calendar.

Julia relies on SEMrush for ranking and SEO tracking, Mangools for keyword discovery, and BuzzSumo for finding hot topics.

From Google Docs to Evernote and others, Ray has a plethora of tools he likes to use for content marketing. They’re all worth checking out!

BuzzSumo is a go-to for Shelly.

Keiana likes to use Google Analytics and Hootsuite.

For email marketing, Max sticks to MailChimp for sending content to his subscribers. He also likes that their analytics are easy to understand.

Jenn’s list of tools includes: Google Analytics, Moz, Asana, and Curata.

Q8: Do you have any top resources for learning the latest in content marketing trends?

If you want to learn more about the hottest content marketing trends, where should you go? Check out these amazing resources:

Dennis likes to read posts from Content Marketing Institute, Contently, and Orbiteers. He even mentioned Express Writers!

Social Media Today, Social Media Examiner, and the Jeff Bullas blog are all great sources.

Lexie is spot-on with this answer! We can learn so much from the Twitter chats we join.

For Jenn, she’s learned a lot from our own #ContentWritingChat and Content Marketing Institute’s #CMWorld.

As Zachary said, it’s not just about sharing your answers. You can also take in the responses people share and learn from them.

Cristy likes to use Digg to find new blogs and publications to check out.

Another great way to find new resources is to search Feedly or podcasts for information on content marketing.

Ready to join the fun? Follow @ExpWriters and @writingchat on Twitter and join #ContentWritingChat every Tuesday at 10 AM Central!

Enroll in a content strategy course

Tags: content marketing | content marketing trends