Liam Carnahan is Croud’s Director of Content in our Australian office. We spent five minutes with Liam, discussing his career path to date, why he loves content marketing, and to find out his 2019 industry predictions.
How long have you been working in content marketing?
I have worked in content marketing since 2008, starting out as a content writer at the Boston-based content agency, Brafton. I got in on the ground floor there, so to speak, and soon found myself in the position of section editor. Though I saw some of the horrors of early-days content marketing there, the job also brought me to Australia, where I worked for a year in their Sydney office helping them get set up in the Harbour City. After that project came to a close, I moved over to Croud, where I built up our content offering from the ground up over the course of two years, making it the amazing channel it is now.
I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing clients, across all sectors, including Thrifty, Virgin Money, QBE, Michael Page and more.
Why do you love content marketing?
When I was six years old, I lost my first tooth and was devastated that I couldn’t find it. In my heartbreak, I dictated my first novella to my mother about the experience. Since then, I’ve always used writing as a way to express myself, and I’m so happy to have found a career that lets me do that every day. Content marketing is all about storytelling, educating, and efficient communication – my three favourite things!
What are the biggest challenges that you think are facing content?
The hardest part of my job is around education. I have a lot of savvy clients who understand the value of content marketing, but there are just as many marketers out there who don’t understand how valuable a good content strategy can be. Too many marketers are in the mindset that all marketing must lead directly to conversion, but content is so much more than that. Sure, you can drive direct conversions with content, but you can also increase your brand presence, educate your audience, solve issues for your customers, make noise about your new products… the list goes on and on.
The other issue is that there just aren’t enough strong content creators out there! Fortunately, there are a lot of young, creative Australians making their way through undergrad and graduate school, and they are bringing with them incredible talents that will be a huge asset for the content strategies of the future.
2019 industry predictions
Google will get smarter when it comes to understanding visuals. We already see Google attempting to get better at understanding what an image is with their enhanced search announcement. Soon enough, I think the Google algorithm will improve, until eventually it can look at an image and know what it’s seeing without needing any text to explain it.
I also think we’re going to see some big shifts in the world of social media advertising, with both Facebook and Twitter cracking down on security in the wake of the 2016 political scandal.
Finally, anything else interesting about yourself you can share?
I founded my own company, Invisible Ink Editing, in my spare time. It is a fiction editing business.
If you would like to find out more about Liam, the content team, or Croud, get in touch.
