The past couple of years have been extremely dynamic for content markers. The biggest challenge is that almost nothing remains constant for too long when it comes to an online existence. This means they have to constantly upgrade their tools of the trade, and in some cases take a complete overhaul of what they have and what they know.
In that case, there have been so many lessons to learn. In our modern digital age, there are things that have to be done in a completely different way, while others will mostly be a pick up from what has been happening over the last two or three years. The following are some of the important content marketing trends we anticipate to will make a greater impact.
Video Gains Prominence
In a fast-paced world where people seem to have less time for just about any activity, video has become a preferred way of communication. Marketing videos are often precise, to the point and make an effort to be interesting.
A common trend used by marketers is using celebrities and well-known personalities to push for brands. For this, You-Tube has become a tenet in the content creation platform, and the trend is bound to continue this year.
Today brands will engage more in creating video content for websites and social media pages. It is engaging, easy to follow and hooks the audience quite easily.
Vector Illustrations Gain Popularity
The use of cartoon-like images to enhance content for the web has come of age. People like them, they are fun and easily send out the message. Several big brands have embraced this trend to really great results. For now, this trend will make it to mainstream content marketing in good measure.
Vector illustrations are hilariously creative and not easy to ignore. They can be used to insert humor or comic relief on messages that have serious tone upon them, hence their growing popularity.
Blogging
Blogging is, of course, one of the oldest methods of content marketing. Marketers love it because it offers an opportunity to send out lengthy and elaborate messages. It is also easy to incorporate other elements such as photos, videos, and infographics.
This technique forms a standard cornerstone for content marketing. Content marketers who capitalize on effective blogging techniques will hit the right spot. It is one of the best ways to understand audience behavior.
Email Personalization
Talking about audience behavior, emails offer yet another great platform. The winning approach for this is to ensure that emails have a personal touch. This is seen in the language, the templates, the frequency, and general communication that marketers will use to reach their audiences. Emails still rock and should help content marketers, even more, this year.
Multi-Channel Messaging
The modern content consumer uses multiple channels to get their dose of whatever it is that they are looking for. The growth of social media platforms presents the marketer with the challenge to ensure that the message is scattered across the most effective platforms, to allow maximum effect.
Luckily, apps such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, and Twitter continue to be important tools in the marketer’s bag. It is no longer enough to depend on a single channel as a marketing tool, even if the brand commands a great following on that particular channel.
One of the most powerful ways of doing this is by creating catchy brand stories that can be shared across platforms. Several companies have managed to craft convincing messages that go-ahead to sell the brand through social platforms.
Use Of Voice Search
Voice-search has grown immensely and continues to be a space to watch. In fact, it is estimated that up to 50% of online searches this year will be done on voice-based. This niche has grown so much that business is now able to turn their entire catalogs to voice-enabled spaces. With this, customers with voice-enabled devices can place orders and navigate catalogs with easy voice commands.
People are always looking for the easiest ways of going around their challenges and voice search presents a good solution in navigating complex eCommerce websites.
Mobile-Oriented Content
How best is your content tuned for consumption through mobile devices? If you are being left out mobile –device functionalities, them your content could be reaching just a handful of consumers.
As the primary devices of connection to the web, mobile devices provide the easiest avenue to the masses. Therefore, as you create your content ensure that it is mobile- ready. Be it videos, blog posts, graphics, info graphs and so on, ensure that they are easily accessible through mobile devices because that is where most audiences are.
Predictive / Speculative Marketing
Content marketers in this decade should take advantage of the overwhelming data within their reach. This refers to the use of data to project and anticipate consumer behavior. A good example is the use of national and international occurrences to market products.
The hospitality industry provides a perfect example of using predictive data to market their services. They can anticipate an influx on particular days or events and so on. Somehow, this is an unconventional way of marketing and one that requires a deeper insight into market behavior and uses data to make it achieve the end goal. However, it could be very fruitful when used accordingly.
The recent elections in the United States and Tokyo Olympics are two notable events that could help marketers this year. A wide range of industries can benefit by coining a message that relates to these and other events.
Content Marketing Conclusion
There are both new and old tricks to use for content marketing this year. Marketers must get more creative with their approach and be on the lookout for what the competitors are doing.
Online competition is getting stiff, as new untested methods come to the playground. It, therefore, requires that marketers employ several methods and keep on experimenting with new techniques. An important element of the online marketing approach is the need to maintain the audience that currently exists. It will be hard to win back one that has been lost to competition.
