Content marketing is a powerful and growing trend for all kinds of businesses on the web. Forward looking marketing professionals are getting a great return on investment from their efforts.
The key trend is toward greater creativity in the propositions that engage your audience over the web, build the personality of your organisation and meet the customer, supporter or collaborator in the online space they frequent.
Here are 10 content marketing trends for 2015 to consider when planning the year ahead.
1. Make Customers Smile with Tongue in Cheek Narratives
Branded sketch video content and comic animation has been an increasing trend in TV advertising for many years – some of it quite strange, some of it not actually funny but some of it stella. In the modern world it’s not beyond you. Key Tip – follow the genre rules and remember the script is everything. It doesn’t matter how serious your subject there is an alternative angle that grabs attention.
2. Guest Content
Open up. Bring in your partners to write for you, host your suppliers work – you’re bringing business their way after all. Show you are part of something bigger. Open the opportunities to yourself to return the favour. It’s good SEO too.
3. Micro Content
Content that is easily and quickly shared through social media, in particular through Twitter and Linkedin but also through Instagram and other networks not so typically associated with business and brands but where customers nonetheless live online.
4. Video, Video, Video
Clips, vlogs, stories, interview. If it moves it’s growing massively across the web. You don’t need to be left out. Follow the most important rules of the genre: keep it short, open with impact, learn how to do a soundbite, get the light right, edit and remember it’s the sound that let’s you down.
5. Personalised Content
The bigger brands continue to develop their web experiences (in which we include for the sake of space/time and pedantry mobile apps) to fit the customer/viewer. Being able to return to where you left off, to be able to input your sizes and push-notify possible products was once the stuff of only the biggest, but as ever technology trends put personalisation in reach of smaller players.
6. Find Niche Publishers
As traditional news media implode and paper publishers panic the barrier to entry inhibiting niche media are lowered. There’s a niche publisher out there presenting the stories you value. Interacting with them can bring you traffic, interest and credibility.
7. Tell Stories with Visuals
Showing people how to use the products you produce, showing potential customers how users have got a return on their investment or building an episodic marketing campaign that build awareness and web traffic – it’s all stronger when it is visual and cross-media. It’s becoming more practical than ever to punch above your weight with smart use of cost-effective technology.
8. Your Brand as a Publisher
All you have to do to start is to see yourself that way. You have expertise so be an expert and connect with your customers by providing something useful – less hard-sell, more value-added and credible.
9. Interactive Content
People like quizzes. People like surveys. People love games. OK, not everybody, but most of us who live online will admit to enjoying at least some of this stuff. The tools to create interactive content are more accessible than ever.
10. There’s a Blog Community for Your Business
Find like-minded bloggers, exchange direct links and create a larger audience. It’s been around for a long time but it still works and enhances both your credibility and your SEO efforts.
Maybe you can’t do all of these things, but you can certainly do some. Public Impact can advise on what tactics are best for you, what it should cost and how to best manage your content programmes. On global trend that is sure to continue is the move toward mobile computing through smartphone, tablets and phablets, so as well as checking out the trends above get the basics right and maker sure your website performs well on multiple platforms by implementing responsive web design.