Marketing is a very dynamic industry and keeps evolving on a daily basis, so it´s always keeping me on my toes. Content marketing – one of the major developments of digital marketing from the past few years – is also subject to constant change. Business2Community compiled a list of content marketing trends you should keep an eye on, so I´ve noted a few of the key trends below, to help make sure you are on the right track with your online content marketing strategy:
1. Social media is the most popular channel for promoting content. Even B2B marketers prefer to use social networks for this, with 87% of them appearing as active users. In contrast 81% use website articles for the same purpose.
2. The majority of content is based on industry trends. This is hardly a surprise, as one of the key objectives of content marketing is to establish the publisher as an industry expert. Quite unexpectedly, however, is the fact profiles on industry leaders came second and company-focussed content finished third.
3. Around 63% of published content is original. Alongside this, 24% is curated and just over 12% is syndicated. This indicates that there is no need to produce original content 100% of the time, as high-quality content sourced from third parties can be equally as useful.
4. In-depth content is becoming more prominent. There is an increased demand for longer, more insightful content items which can help boost ROI.
5. Target users based on their personalities and interests. Sites such as Buzzfeed target people´s emotions and their identity, encouraging them to relate and respond to the content.
6. Diversify your content. While in 2011 content marketers only used an average of eight content marketing tactics, including blogs, white papers and newsletters, the figure reached 12 in 2012. This year, the trend is set to continue.
7. Utilise user-generated content. Comments, reviews and case studies are extremely effective at building trust and loyalty. Take advantage of content from satisfied customers to help drive engagement.
If you still need some help with your content marketing, why not give our team a call today?