Remember in the early days of the internet when you could publish a blog article and expect to see it on the first page of search results? That was also back when you’d only get a handful of search results pages (if you were lucky) instead of the hundreds of pages Google shows us today. Times have changed, and we’ve embraced a lot of tactics, techniques, and platforms across three decades to get noticed. So, what else is left?
Most marketers say it’s getting harder to rank in search, especially for commercial or popular keywords. And despite reports hailing content marketing’s effectiveness, marketers are still struggling to bridge their efforts with results. Attracting quality leads is the number one challenge for content marketers, closely followed by the ability to create content that resonates with the audience.
To fix both of these challenges, content needs to be more scroll-stopping, more relevant, and more differentiated. In other words, disruptive. But has disruptive content marketing become a unicorn leading marketers on a hopeful-yet-far-reaching chase?
Many signs point to yes. But there’s hope.
First, let’s define —
What Is Disruptive Content Marketing?
We hear a lot about disruptive technologies, the things that forever change life as we know it — the internet, for example. It’s the thing that flips the status quo on its head and shows us there’s a better way.
We can apply a similar definition to disruptive content marketing — it’s a new format, approach, channel, or style that stands so far out from other content it’s hard not to notice.
Or, to put it another way, disruptive content is any content that can break through the internal ad blockers we’ve developed over the years. It’s content that offers an upfront reason to stop, engage, and appreciate.
Like electricity and plumbing, content marketing can become so ingrained on our radars that we as consumers don’t notice it any longer. Having working lights or flushing toilets isn’t something most of us think about, it’s something we expect. Our minds start to ignore these “disruptions” to the point where they’re no longer disruptive: they’re simply part of the ecosystem in which we exist.
And yet, more marketers say they’re pouring more resources into content creation. Nearly 70% of content marketers planned to increase their content marketing budgets in 2023. The majority of businesses across industries are creating and using content. Naturally, the more there is of something, the harder is it to spot a specific something.
We’re drowning in a sea of sameness, and that’s a problem for marketers and their audiences alike. While there’s no doubt content marketing has evolved over the years, it’s worthwhile to pause and ask: How much more disruptive can content marketing get?
Traditional Content Marketing is Losing (Some of) Its Luster
Remember going all-in on listicle blog posts, Buzzfeed-style quizzes (what kind of sandwich are you, anyway?), and eBook marketing? People ate ‘em up. We still see examples of these in today’s content marketing, but let’s be honest, the novelty just isn’t there anymore.
That’s not to say that listicles and ebooks aren’t effective; they certainly can be. But without the disruptive factor, marketers will struggle to build excitement, engagement, and ultimately conversions, if that’s the goal.
We’ve since moved on to influencer marketing, the video era, the rise of TikTok, and AR/VR experiences, to name a few recent trends. These new battlegrounds stoked the fire and gave marketers plenty to experiment with. But to our knowledge, there’s yet to be a “content marketing trends roundup” for 2023 that isn’t a carbon copy from 2022. (Sorry, but saying something like ‘UGC continues to dominate’ isn’t a new trend.)
Part of the problem is likely a focus on the wrong priorities. Search rankings, keywords, and organic traffic seem to have taken precedence over creativity, ingenuity, and gut instinct — all things that disruptive content requires.
And part of the problem is digital fatigue. Data shows 64% of consumers feel exhausted by too much screen time. The shift to remote work is putting more people in front of screens for longer periods, too, with 49% of remote workers suffering from digital fatigue. Daily internet usage is on the decline. More people are breaking up with excessive screen time, especially as reports surface about the negative impact of screens on physical and mental health.
Put simply, the sea of content continues to expand, but there are fewer explorers to discover its treasures.
In a practice that’s losing its luster, marketers need to shift gears and learn how to restore the shininess that makes content marketing appealing in the first place.
Our 3 Predictions for Disruptive Content Marketing
Being in the content marketing business ourselves, we’ve seen numerous trends play out and how different businesses and industries apply them. We’ve been privy to the results our clients’ content receives to learn more about what works and what doesn’t. Most importantly, we’ve developed a superpower of being able to spot new trends a mile away and predict how they’ll apply to disruptive content creation.
Here’s how we believe content can continue to be disruptive:
1. Shift to Short-Form, Easy-to-Digest Content
Given what we know about digital fatigue and screen time breakups, it’s safe to say that short form is about to have its moment. While long-form content has historically performed better than shorter counterparts, the average person spends only 37 seconds reading a blog post.
Long-form content takes more time, energy, and money to create. In that same 37 seconds, your audience can absorb more of what you have to say if you can say it shorter.
As an added bonus, short-form content can be created faster and at a lower expense. This can help marketers stretch their content budgets, produce content faster without sacrificing quality, and stay connected with their audiences.
How exactly does this make content more disruptive? You’ll still need to figure out what topics, visuals, headlines, and formats will make your audience stop the scroll. But short, to-the-point content is easier to consume, and your customers may be more likely to engage, share, and act on your content as a result.
2. Leverage AI to Create Better Content
We won’t get into the ethics of copying and pasting AI content directly into your blog or the lack of fact-checking or the contradictory statements that AI sometimes makes in the same paragraph. What we must mention is that many marketers are missing out on the real benefits of AI and don’t even realize it.
Technically speaking, AI can write content. But marketers shouldn’t be so enthralled by automation that they forget to hone, edit, fact-check, and refine the outputs. Remember, ChatGPT trained on data ending in September 2021, so its “knowledge” of anything recent is nonexistent. Things change quickly in the digital realm, so whatever AI comes up with should be used sparingly and selectively.
And truth be told, content writing isn’t AI’s best work. Marketers should look beyond the actual writing to leverage its ability to enhance content quality. This includes:
- Creating comprehensive outlines
- Generating content ideas
- Suggesting images, videos, or other visuals for “eye candy”
- Compiling information into tables or charts
- Coming up with analogies or examples to put content into context
- Optimizing content with keywords
- Finding inconsistencies in known facts
- Summarizing research papers, articles, and web pages in simple terms
- Drafting social media headlines
Humans are experts at creating content; AI is an “expert” at collecting facts, sorting data, and stringing together findings into coherent sentences. Know the difference and leverage each to its potential.
Tying AI into disruptive, quality content is what gets people to act. AI can be a workhorse in content creation. Anyone can throw together a blog article, but it takes a commitment to quality and detail that separates disruptive content from institutional sameness.
Many marketers leave serious opportunities to enhance their content on the table because it’s time-consuming to source facts, create images, pull stats, and come up with compelling analogies and angles. But doing so means you’ll ultimately come out on top with disruptive content that’s better than anything else being produced.
The best approach: hire a content agency to do some of this heavy lifting for you. There’s a learning curve to AI and, contrary to popular belief, using AI can take more time to create content than not using it. Preserve your precious minutes.
3. Put Context on a Pedestal
Most content excels at answering the question “What?” But so much of it lacks the answer to the inevitable follow-up question, “So what?”
In the world of content marketing, context is key.
It shows and tells.
It helps readers connect your content to your brand and objectives. It shows them immediately that this content was created just for them.
And for content to be disruptive, it must deliver context immediately.
The prediction here is that more marketers will start prioritizing context in their content to differentiate themselves from competitors. They’ll trade vague ideas for concrete examples. They’ll explain the what and the so what in one fell swoop. The days of content for the sake of content are numbered.
How to Make Your Content More Disruptive
Disruptive content is certainly harder to come by. We’ve reached the point where the amount of content being created is outpacing our ability to consume it. But not creating content isn’t an option as companies beef up their budgets and creation efforts — businesses need to keep pace to at least maintain their online presence.
Working with a dedicated content team supercharges your content marketing efforts with industry-leading expertise, expert writing and editing skills, and experience with cutting-edge tools that can make your content stand out. Get in touch today to learn more.
