Being a content marketing professional means that you always have to look toward the future. Previously, this focus on the unknown has led to some innovative new types of content, and that trend shows no signs of slowing down. As a result, anyone working in the field needs to be prepared to handle the unexpected twists and turns the industry takes. Are you prepared for interactive marketing?
What’s next?
Scott Brinker, the creator of a popular marketing-technology blog, recently spoke to Venture Beat about the future of content marketing. He noted that, in the past, the industry has seen waves of text, photos and videos, and personalization, but he believes there is a fourth wave on the horizon: interactive content.
While there are many directions this could go, Brinker sees it more as a way for websites to show off much of their creative content without giving too much away for free. Paywalls, lead gen forms and other types of blocks can dissuade some consumers, but if you’ve already shown your worth, you can still recruit users.
“It moves us beyond take-it-or-leave content,” Brinker told the source. “Most content marketing today has either been completely free and open, such as websites and blogs, or completely gated behind a lead generation form… With responsive web marketing apps, we can mix these two models. We can engage someone with the content right away, with no barrier, and then offer them a gated reward or bonus once they’ve started to engage with the app and see its value.”
What can you do?
Of course, the prospect of this “freemium” model may sound alluring, but it is harder to put into practice. You’re going to have to start by revamping the type of content you invest in – but you shouldn’t lose sight of the efforts you’re currently doing that are successful. For example, consider maintaining the same level of free blog posts, interesting interviews and similar insights. However, you should supplement these with content that has a bit more of an interactive edge. This could include workbooks, assessment tools or contests, Venture Beat recommended.
Because some of these items bring a higher value, it makes sense for them to be behind some type of paywall. You should be cautious, though, about placing too much of your content behind blockers that will prevent your brand from spreading its message.
