In the world of content marketing, it’s either sink or swim. It’s a live or die, by-the-minute business, and the only way to stay on top of the water is to keep abreast of the latest and greatest technologies. Giving readers the type of content they want, when they want it, in the means that they want it, is one of the most challenging tasks in this industry. Keep ahead of the curve by knowing the technology consumers want—before they even realize they absolutely have to have it.

1. Tablets: It is predicted that by the year 2015, there will be more than 500 million tablets in the market. This is clearly how consumers want to get their news and information, therefore making it one of the most vital technologies in the industry. One of the best ways to adapt content marketing to the tablet is to create iPad apps. According to Switched on Media, Net-a-Porter is one of the best iPad apps for content marketing, giving fashion-forward consumers the latest fashion news at their fingertips, via videos and interactive articles.

2. Interactive e-books: Gone are the days when consumers used e-readers to simply read books. E-books now have the challenge of adapting themselves to become more than just words on a screen, and transform themselves into interactive applications. Al Gore’s “Our Choice”, available on the iPad and created by Push Pop Press, is an example of an interactive e-book. In addition to the book itself, this e-book includes animations, photographs, interactive graphics and more than an hour of documentary footage. This is a game changer when it comes to the creation of e-books and the way readers wish to use them.

3. Chartbeat and Newsbeat: In the world of content curation, success is measured in numbers—and there are no better numbers than real-time web traffic updates. This service allows you to see in real-time when people are visiting your website, what they are clicking on and how long they are staying there. It also allows you to set alerts in order to figure out when peak times are, and when web traffic is slow. This kind of data is essential to surviving in this ever-competitive industry.

4. Recommendation Engines: This technology is an essential tool to any content platform, giving readers more reasons to keep digging within the site and providing them with relevant information. Recommendation engines provide consumers with additional articles, multimedia and photographs they might also enjoy on that particular website. Patricia Seybold Group predicts that nearly every content platform will have recommendation engines incorporated into them within three or four years—but the fact is, consumers want them now, so it’s a great technology to add to any content platform.

5. Community-Generated Content Platforms: User-generated content is an ideal way to have a constant stream of high-quality content available for your platform. For instance, if a company has a Facebook page—consider allowing the top fans to take over blogging and updating. Consumers will consider the company more reliable, as third-party sources are confirming the quality of the business, and the company’s top promoters will feel a sense of engagement with the company. This creates a loyal following that will help the brand grow into the future. Citizen journalism cannot be ignored any longer, as it is a valuable way to develop intrinsic relationships with consumers and customers alike.

What types of new technology are you using when it comes to content marketing? What are the positives and negatives of the ever-changing industry and its reliance on technology?

Catherine C is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch.