Just like fashion, marketing trends change from year to year.
Content marketing has been around for a while, and it is not going anywhere soon. However, like everything to do with the Internet and online marketing, content marketing trends change and evolve all the time, and you need to stay on top of these trends to stay relevant and effective.
Here is what you need to know for 2016/2017.
You Need to Have a Deeper Message
Content marketing has always been about connecting with people, rather than about sales. In the coming year that is going to become even more important, and companies that don’t focus on conversations and engagement rather than sales are going to find their content marketing efforts fall flat even more frequently. The bottom line? To compete in content in 2016/2017, you had better care about something more important than sales!
Knowledge is a Commodity
The old saying ‘knowledge is power’ has been replaced. In the content marketing era, knowledge is your greatest asset. It’s a commodity you can leverage to reach customers and create loyal fans of your brand. Content marketers who are great at sharing their knowledge with their followers will rise to the top.
Short is Sweet
Consumers have a short attention span, which means that successful content marketers need to keep up a regular, frequent content posting schedule. To do that, many content marketers are turning to so called ‘micro content.’ These are short articles or videos little more than bite-sized nuggets of information, designed to remind your followers you are still around. Intersperse these with longer, more in-depth pieces for best effect.
Don’t Forget to Collect Information
Content marketing is not about selling – but it is about getting customer information so you can contact them when you choose to with offers and soft-sell, information marketing. Make sure you include a call to action in your content marketing pieces, which directs visitors to an offer or signup form. Building your list and engaging with customers is the single most important goal of content marketing.
Let Your Personality Shine Through
Successful information marketers like Neil Patel are effective successful precisely because they let their personality shine through in their content. People want to connect with people and companies they trust. They want to know who you are and what motivates you, and you need to make sure your content marketing is infused with personality to make that happen. Tell personal stories. Create a narrative your customers feel something about. Connect, if you want to sell.
These changes will be important to your content marketing next year, but the most important thing you can do is to embrace this type of marketing. Consumers no longer want to be sold to. They want to be a part of the process, to be educated and to make their own choices. So while content marketing will change and evolve, it’s not going anywhere, and it will remain the fastest growing type of inbound marketing out there. You can’t beat them. Join them instead.
