The 5 Most Incredible Content Marketing News Stories of the Week

December is traditionally a time for reflection, analyzing, and improvement. There’s no better time to dive deep into your blogging metrics for 2013 and determine how you’ll change and pivot in the year to come.

If you’re in need of some inspiration on new tactics and forms of measurement to elevate your content marketing strategy, look no further. The 5 most remarkable content marketing news stories this week are all about how you can stay ahead of the curve, track ROI, and utilize brand new platforms to their full advantage:

 1. Content Marketing Institute Releases 50 Content Marketing Predictions for 2014

Described by content superstar Joe Pulizzi as “the longest running content marketing predictions source on the planet,” Content Marketing Institute’s annual predictions report is one of the most-anticipated compilations in the industry.

Featuring luminaries such as Pulizzi, Val Swisher, and Michael Brenner, next year’s predictions include:

• At least 3 Fortune 500 brands will hire a Chief Content Officer
• Better brand-publisher content advertising partnerships
• More bite-sized, visual content like Vine videos and high-quality Pinterest pins

While it’s anyone’s guess whether these predictions will turn into content marketing news in the next 12 months, it’s certainly a thought-provoking report that’s well worth the download!

 2. How to Create a Content Marketing Mission Statement

The mere mention of mission statements makes many seasoned professionals shudder. Many of us have suffered through meetings to develop mission statements that are “filled with meaningless buzzwords and empty jargon.” However, entrepreneur John Hall believes that mission statements can be incredibly valuable - and you probably need to define one for your content marketing program before you grow a strategy. If you don’t know your core audience, how you’ll convey value, it’s probably time to pen your organization’s official mission.

 3. Content Marketing with Instagram Direct

Facebook responded to Snapchat’s decision to turn down their $3 billion buyout offer with a similar product - Instagram Direct, launched December 12th. The feature is an extension of Instagram, allowing mobile users the ability to directly message images to a recipient of their choice. Within 12 hours of this content marketing news, clothing retailer Gap initiated a contest. Their fans won entries by direct-messaging images of themselves on Instagram Direct. It seems the sky is the limit for this new and fascinating platform.

 4. 11 Most-Measure KPIs for Content Marketing Success

Think it’s hard to prove the value of content marketing? Think again. With the help of blogging metrics, any marketer can quickly evaluate, analyze, improve, and report on the success of their program. In one of the sharpest pieces of content marketing news to cross our feeds this week, Dave Snyder of Search Engine Journal released a list of 11 KPIs to track the success of your content, which fit neatly into the categories of referrals, engagement, social sharing, and conversions.

 5. Gary Vee Believes 97% of Marketers are Doing it Wrong

Following the recent release of his book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World, uber-famous marketer Gary Vaynerchuk sat down with HubSpot’s Dan Lyons to share his thoughts on the state of content marketing. His consensus? If you’re in the majority, you’re doing it wrong. Vaynerchuk is a firm believer that most brands fail to establish trust by providing sufficient value, and instead try too hard to sell their product on different platforms. Perhaps more importantly, Vaynerchuk believes that it’s increasingly important to change your messaging and tone based on the context of your platform - don’t try and use the same marketing tactics on your blog as you would on your Pinterest!

What are the most surprising pieces of content marketing news you’ve encountered recently? What aspects of your content strategy do you hope to change and improve in 2014?