It Must Be Content Marketing
Prediction Season

A lot of people start out their New Year by joining a gym or going on a diet, but from the looks of it, marketing writers aren’t doing any of that. Instead, they’re dead-set on helping brands get their content marketing in order. Here are some of the best articles discussing the trends likely to dominate content marketing in the next 12 months.

50 Content Marketing Predictions for 2014

by Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Institute

Let’s start out with some of the more bold predictions for 2014. Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, admits that he isn’t always right with his forecasts, but enjoys going out on a limb with some interesting possibilities.

Pulizzi’s three biggest and boldest predictions for content marketing in 2014 are that Microsoft will purchase a media company, Red Bull’s movies will debut on Amazon Instant Video, and at least three Fortune 500 companies will hire chief content officers.

The Top 7 Content Marketing Trends that Will Dominate 2014

by Jayson DeMers, Forbes

Pulizzi’s last prediction about CCOs may not be so far-fetched. DeMers agrees that many companies will move towards hiring directors of content this year.

According to DeMers, as organizations start to see the success content marketing brings, they will start to allocate more resources to that part of the organization.

“Greater departmental and company-wide support will mean more of the budget being designated for content creation and dissemination, and companies being willing to invest in dedicated content marketing managers,” he writes.

5 B2B Marketing Trends To Watch In 2014

by Tim Asimos, Business 2 Community

Content marketing will officially dominate marketing strategies in 2014, according to Asimos. He believes that content will soon serve as the core of brand marketing. The big driver? Executives finally waking up to the realities of the age in which they live.

“Misconceptions still exist in the marketing community at large about what content marketing really is,” writes Asimos. “And many companies have failed to put together a true strategic foundation for their content marketing programs. Nevertheless, in 2014 there will be a greater awareness of content marketing at the executive level and more pressure on marketers to not just create content, but establish strategic, sustained and measurable content marketing programs.”

2014: The year content marketing finally grows up?

by Andrew Davies, Econsultancy

Davies calls out marketing “experts” who have made the same predictions about content marketing year after year: more native ads, an increase in storytelling and knowledge, etc.

So what does he want to see out of content marketing this coming year? Maturation.

Among the things he says need to happen for content marketing to grow up? It should be used for customer insight; it has to become more personalized; success needs to be measured by conversions rather than engagement; and marketers need to embrace pre-targeting and retargeting.

We’ll be publishing our own predictions later this month, but in the meantime, tell us @Contently on Twitter.