5 Content Marketing Trends To Look For in 2017 :
1. Content Strategy
This isn’t so much of a trend but a Must. You should always start with defining an effective strategy for your content program, in accordance with the overall strategy of your brand.
Objectives need to be clear and well defined. To do this, ask yourself the right questions: Why a content program? The message? Who is the audience? Where to publish? How to present the content and timing?
Of course, you would need to throw in the mix intelligent content (check out trend #4 for more), while keeping in mind one very important factor: USER EXPERIENCE.
2. Visual & Video:
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, opt for HIGH QUALITY visuals. Not a good idea to flood your audience with a huge amount of irrelevant visuals. The right visual with a well-written paragraph (check out trend #4 for more) can make for a truly memorable user experience.
Most marketers agree that video is one of the biggest trends and this is true mostly since mobile usage has skyrocketed and Youtube dominates the market! (300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. – YouTube. mostly of cats playing pianos, just kidding.)
But here are some statics for you to keep in mind:
– 70% of marketing professionals report that video converts better than any other medium. – MarketingProfs
– Visitors who view videos stay on web sites an average of 2 minutes longer than those who don’t view videos – comScore
– Using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80% – Unbounce
– Depending on your budget, it can be an effective way to communicate information.
3. Personalized Content:
Create personalized content for a segmented audience. What does it entail? Understanding your core audience first. Spend time on CONSUMER PERSONA. The better you know your consumers, the better you will be at producing content that interest them.
The goal is to create content that delivers VALUE: helping consumers make better choices.
How can my content have an impact on the consumer behavior? Producing content of relevance to consumers, intrinsically builds loyalty.
4. Good Quality:
Each has its own definition of what good quality is? Let’s just say when you see good content, you know it’s good. Two ingredients: good writing and good design.
Trend #4 here we are: good writing.
One of my favorite people of all times, Mr David Ogilvy the father of advertising, once said:
“ People who think well, write well. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well.”
Or hire a good writer. Either way you get the point.
And it doesn’t end there. Good design is a big part of the User experience. So much so that UX designers are becoming a rare commodity.
But seriously good design has many advantages: it attracts attention, it makes you stand out in a huge crowd and it generates positive emotions!
Apple knows this secret: good design is good business.
5. ROI:
Here is a question on everyone’s mind: how do I measure the success of my content program?
A spoiler alert: building a loyal audience takes time. If you are in it for the long haul, a content program is the way to go. We don’t promise your miracles but hang on there.
Let’s get back to the serious stuff, three components to take into consideration:
– Cost: how much budget should I allocate to content? An audit is the best approach. Average cost? Competitors? Where I should I invest? Copy writing fees and design services? Advertising?
– Performance: we are talking here about page views, social shares, clicks, engagement rates and conversion rates.
– Usage: is my audience reading my content? This is obviously not easy to measure but good to take into consideration.
RECAP: Strategy, High Quality Visuals, Personalized Content, Consumer Persona, Good Writing & Good Design and Measure Results.
Our advice: This is a long-term investment. Gaining consumers trust doesn’t happen overnight. If you don’t see immediate results, keep at it, refocus your priorities and have coffee with your consumers.
Thanks for reading. Keep reading.