Social media presents an opportunity for companies to push their brand and launch digital campaigns to build bigger, more loyal fan bases. Implementing content marketing strategies is becoming more widespread as marketers build in-house teams that are more in tune with digital trends.

These findings were present in our annual Future Content Report where we reached out to 100 marketers from 18 different industries to better understand content marketing in Asia.

The industry has come a long way since the first survey we ran in 2015. Back then, only 1 in 3 marketers actively used content marketing strategies.
 
(Moving) visual appeal
Videos and infographics have gained prominence as content mediums. One in three Asian marketers rate videos as the most effective lead generation tool for 2018. Google stats shows that half of all web users look for a video before visiting a store as quick 6-second videos are the new gold standard for video ads.
 
Your Facebook page is just the first step
Apart from videos, social media is also a highly effective lead generation format (54%). Our survey results also show that one in two Asian marketers use branded posts that are organically shared to reach consumers.

However, social media is evolving. The algorithms of traditional social media platforms are changing–it’s no longer enough to just post free branded content.

Facebook, the top medium for digital marketers (77%), now favors personal posts to branded posts on News Feeds. This algorithm change is making it that much harder for marketers to engage with potential customers. Competing with cute photos and dog memes, businesses face the risk of being dismissed or ignored with the algorithm working against them.
 
Pay to play
Social media companies are now pushing for paid posts to be boosted, so they reach a wider audience. This is an obvious shift towards businesses needing to pay to play. Surveyed marketers found that Facebook boosting (65%) and online media placement (59%) are the most effective paid promotion methods.

To maintain and expand engagement online, marketers now need to treat social media like they would any other marketing medium–by setting aside a budget. In line with this, our survey results found that 68% of Asian marketers are increasing their marketing budgets this year.

But how do you maximize the reach of your social media content?

The solution is to know your customers. What channels will your customers be on? What do your customers need?
 
The journey matters
It is essential to keep in the mind the buyer’s journey. This is the process where a consumer goes from “Do I have a need?” to “Yes, I am ready to spend now!”

But our survey found that, alarmingly, only 21% of Asian marketers aligned themselves with the buyer’s journey. According to Kissmetrics, 79% of marketing leads never convert into sales due to a lack of lead nurturing.

This dissonance between businesses and consumers weakens the strength of marketing campaigns and saturates social media feeds with mediocre content. Companies need to better align themselves with the buyer’s journey.

Marketers need front-line awareness to ensure the content they are creating is both reaching and engaging their customers.
 

*To learn more about our findings on content marketing in Asia, email hello@3degrees.asia to get the latest Future Content Report.