The latest numbers show that “Snapchat has 150 million daily active users,” “Pinterest has 100 million monthly active users,” “Instagram has 500 million monthly active users,” “21% of Americans age 12 or older say they have listened to a podcast in the past month,” and “51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone.” One thing that is clear from these figures? Massive amounts of people are online, and are ready to interact with your content. However, as platforms and interests change over time, the way the tech industry (and every other industry) approaches content marketing must also shift.
Although not yet at the end of the year, 2018 has already brought numerous lessons and changes to content marketers. Explore three of the biggest that have happened this year thus far.
GDPR has changed the way we deliver content
One of the most significant changes to content marketing in 2018 is due to GDPR (or General Data Protection Regulation). For those who are unfamiliar with the new European regulation, the law “is meant to protect consumers who give companies in Europe their personal data. It is meant to prevent companies from using that data incorrectly or in a way users hadn’t consented to.” Whether you run a blog or a tech company, “any company, big or small, that operates in the EU and collects user data must comply with the new law.” As a result, content marketers must now be aware of how they deliver content and collect data in EU countries.
Facebook advertising has made it more challenging to reach customers
2018 has been a major year for marketing-related changes over at Facebook. In short, the biggest change to Facebook advertising this year was to the algorithms that prioritize what content is shown to users. The changes make it harder for businesses to be seen by users, in favor of content that is more “relevant” (i.e. posts from friends, family). This change has forced content marketers to become more savvy in the content that is used in their Facebook ads.
AI is leading the way in customer interactions
One study found that “15% of respondents said they have used a chatbot to interact with a business in the past 12 months.” In terms of making businesses scalable and improving customer interactions, AI is taking over the world of content marketing. What are the specific ways tech businesses are using AI to enhance the user experience? Top uses include “interact[ing] with website visitors,” and to “personalize the [user] experience.”
