Marketers' best-laid plans can go wrong, which is why flexibility is necessary for every content distribution channel to succeed.

It’s tempting to take every single aspect of content marketing extremely seriously. The metrics, spreadsheets and plans you have for the coming quarter or year are helpful for coordinating campaigns, but remember nothing is set in stone – especially when it comes to social media. Any preconceived notions you have about Facebook or Pinterest at this very moment might be obsolete in a year.

Show some flex

One example of this is the changing demographics across different social platforms. According to a new eMarketer study, the age of the average Twitter user is going to rise in the next four years. Only 13 percent of 45- to 54- year-olds used the service in 2012, but by 2018, it’s expected 23 percent will. Even the 65+ crowd will go from 5 percent adoption to nearly 12 percent in the same timeframe.

This demonstrates how crucial it is for marketers never to take anything for granted. Twitter currently appears to be a young person’s platform of choice, but that won’t always be the case. Facebook is experiencing a similar aging curve: Whereas it began as a tool solely for college students, today 64 percent of adults check the site at least once a day, according to a Pew Research Center study.

Brace for changes

What does this mean for content? In a way, nothing. Content that companies produce for internet marketing shouldn’t really change, depending on the social platform or channel being used. It should still be sticky, shareable and useful. What they will need to develop are the methods for sharing content on different social services. 

As Brafton has discussed, Google and other online gatekeepers don’t necessarily know which platforms will affect how people use the internet to interact years from now. So create a focus on good content and identify the best ways it can be disseminated on social media. For Twitter, this may mean a short comment before a linked story. On Facebook, it certainly requires a visual element in every post. When it comes to the apps of the future, pay attention and make your content look its best for maximum shareability.

Alex Butzbach is a Marketing Writer at Brafton. He studied Communications at Boston College, and after a brief stint teaching English in Japan, he entered the world of content marketing. When he isn't writing and researching, he can be found on a bike somewhere in Metro Boston.