It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. It feels like just yesterday we were getting ready to celebrate the fresh start that was 2018, but here we are preparing to do it all over again.

As content marketers, now’s a great time to reflect on the year’s successes, but also be forward-thinking about strategies for 2019. It should come as no surprise that the industry is constantly changing, so it’s time to reflect, review and discuss what’s working and what can be revised for better marketing outcomes in the new year.

In this week’s Content Marketing Weekly, we’ll take a look at some of the popular trends other influential voices are talking about:

Content Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2019

Video isn’t just a fun way to mix things up in content delivery. It’s also becoming a strong demand-generation tool, according to EContent magazine. A study by the Content Marketing Institute found that videos are among the most effective types of content to impact a buyer along his or her journey. In 2019, start thinking about how often you can use video to promote your brand and engage with your audience.

Other trending items are smarter distribution methods and emotional case studies.

Read the full article here.

7 Top Content Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2019

In 2019, step away from the clickbait titles, reeling readers in only to annoy them as soon as they open the article to something way different than they were expecting. Consumers are becoming more aware of clickbait and are learning how to avoid it, which could potentially cost you readers, clicks and content shares. Creating the most unique content should be top of mind, as readers want to be respected.

Micro-influencers are becoming more relevant too. There’s no reason to stress out if you don’t have a celebrity to help promote your content. Instead, think of the brand leaders within your industry who can advocate for you and help you achieve a smart influencer marketing strategy. Micro-influencers can help you better connect with your target audience and gauge brand awareness.

Even podcasts are becoming more popular. Brafton decided to take this outlet for a spin in late 2018 with “Above the Fold,” and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. It’s a fun and personal way to showcase your industry expertise, so it’s a route worth considering in 2019 if you want to mix things up.

Brand storytelling, data-driven decision-making and testing new content formats are among some of the other trends address by Business 2 Community. Read the full article here.

Five Predicted Trends for Digital Content Marketing in 2019

As businesses continue to make content marketing the sole focal point of their marketing budgets, 2019 will be the year companies look to grow their content teams, whether through in-house or contributing writers.

Businesses need to understand that a team of writers is not a content marketing department. Marketing at scale also requires graphic designers, photographers, web developers, strategists and project managers.

Forbes also talked about voice search, creating robust strategies over simple content calendars and live video making waves in 2019. Read the full article here.

7 Interesting Content Marketing Trends to Look Out for in 2019

We’ve talked about the power of artificial intelligence in the past, but this discussion is only becoming more relevant as the new year arrives. According to CMS Wire, brands are going to rely more on machine learning and AI technologies to create and deliver personalized content.

“As automation becomes more sophisticated it will also incorporate more ML and AI,” Jeffery Vocell, senior manager of product marketing at HubSpot shared with CMS Wire. “While these buzzwords are the talk of the industry, in 2019 we will start to truly see success from using these technologies. The more data we have from a CDP (customer data platform), the more we can leverage ML to determine what is effective, and start to tee-up new automation opportunities automatically.”

Omnichannel content delivery, AR/VR device deliverability and content that focuses on Generation Z are other trends for 2019. Check out the rest of the article here.

Check back next week for more content marketing news and updates – and have a Happy New Year!

Chelsey Church is a senior writer and editor at Brafton. When she's not turning her thoughts into copy, she's enjoying a craft beer, playing with her dogs or listening to her favorite metal tunes. A Cleveland native, she'll never let you forget that the Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead.