When I’ve taught content marketing over the last few years, it’s been all about strategy. I’ve done multiple sold out training programs with a price tag of $3,000 to $5,000 per person.

The reason is simple. It’s strategy that’s typically missing from content marketing efforts, and the reason why content fails to convert as well as it should.

According to the Content Marketing Institute, only 41% of companies already doing content marketing have a documented strategy. Add to that the rush to digital marketing that the pandemic has caused for companies that have been slow to switch, and a lot of people need a lot of help.

That’s a big opportunity for you. But creative writers need to ensure that they’ve got the right “killer” skills as well.

I don’t consider myself the best writer in the world, but I’m really good at strategy. And while I haven’t retired to a castle in France yet, things have gone pretty well.

Here’s the thing ... put me up against a better writer, and I’ll still win with a better strategy. That’s because a smart content marketing strategy forces you to truly understand the audience so that you can help them become who they want to be.

When you’re able to guide your prospects on the journey to success with content and ultimately with your product or service, you’re great as far as they’re concerned. And that’s all that matters.

But don’t get me wrong. Without my artistic side, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in today.

Being a pure “killer” too often leads to bland content and copy that panders to the audience. Not to mention using automation and personalization technology in a way that creeps people out instead of adding value.

You need to guide the prospect along the buyer’s journey in a strategic fashion, absolutely. But it has to be done in a creative, unexpected way so that you surprise and even delight the audience along the way.

Again, a killer and a poet. You need both strategy and art in your marketing.

With that combination, just think about how valuable you’ll be in the marketplace. Remember, about 60% of companies currently doing content marketing have no documented strategy, so they need way more than words.

What they need is a killer who can write.

And they’re willing to pay you exceedingly well for it, if you position yourself correctly. This isn’t even counting the rush of digital marketing newbies who don’t have the first clue of how to use content for strategic digital marketing.

Now, add in the empathetic use of technology, and you’re an even more valuable asset in the marketplace. Artificial intelligence won’t replace you; it will enhance you.

When you can strategically put automation and personalization technology to work in a way that enhances the experience of the audience, you’ll have all the clients you want. Or better yet, ditch the clients and create your own products and business model.

We’ve talked about AI, but there’s a whole host of powerful emerging technologies that are converging this decade. It’s going to be a wild ride in general, but I want to discuss one other technology that will be an asset to content creators soon.

I’m talking about augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). We were already on the cusp of it as we entered 2020, and then the pandemic accelerated the “virtualization” of not only business, but life in general.

Take Zoom for example. For many of us, it’s just the way our meetings get done. Then the pandemic hit, and all of a sudden, everyone’s on Zoom. The stock took off, big time.

Thing is, Zoom was a good investment before the pandemic. That’s because what looks like a simple video conferencing service is primed to be an augmented reality platform.

All it will need is the right hardware on the user end. Where will that hardware come from?

Those who follow the space might say Facebook, after the acquisition of Oculus, a nerdy VR headset. But no ... it will come from Apple, and it will eventually be what replaces the iPhone.

Apple has been quietly priming outside developers for AR applications with a suite of tools. Plus, they acquired Akonia Holographics, a company that makes thin, transparent lenses for smart glasses.

Those glasses may arrive as early as the fall of 2021. One can easily imagine the combination of the Apple Watch, AirPods, and stylish AR glasses (unlike Glass, Google’s exceptionally non-stylish attempt back in 2014) becoming a smarter interface for information and communication.

I can already hear my Gen Z kids telling their own kids about how they had this ridiculous rectangle they had to carry around:

“It was called a phone, even though no one used it for calls except for when your grandpa was looking for me. And instead of just seeing what you need right in front of you like now, you had to stare down at the rectangle -- which was really dangerous and made you look like an idiot!

Augmented reality will be a $133 billion industry this year. And it will pave the way for another technology that has been long promised but slow to arrive -- virtual reality.

At this point, you may be asking yourself, why do I care?

You care because AR and VR will completely change the way digital marketing is done, not to mention online education, conferences, and sales presentations. And the time to start thinking about what role you might play in this is now.

What kind of change am I talking about? Well, think of the website.

The WebVR project started as a technology standard to transform the web to its next stage. It’s now morphed into the powerful WebXR API that is capable of representing both virtual reality and augmented reality in a web browser.

In other words, the website isn’t dead. It’s about to grow up into something truly powerful -- a content and teaching environment with immense potential compared with what we’ve been dealing with as marketers and content creators.

The tech right now is on the fringe, as it always starts. But as soon as Apple releases its glasses, look out ... the world will change drastically again, just as it did because of the iPhone, except more.

The time to get involved with this technology is now, before it breaks big. If you think you missed out on something, like the start of blogging, or podcasting, or whatever ... you haven’t missed anything in reality (no pun intended).

We’re on the cusp of one of the biggest revolutions in digital marketing, online education, and virtual events in the history of the internet. And you will be an indispensable part of it all, as long as you start paying attention and taking action now.

But before you can take advantage of something like augmented reality, you need to take another step first ...

You need to start augmenting yourself. More on that tomorrow.

Keep going-

Brian Clark
Founder - Copyblogger