Buzz-worthy content is in a constant state of change, but one fact always remains the same; content is a critical and necessary component to every marketing strategy. It’s no longer enough to create the same type of asset that has garnered you tons of engagement results. You have to consider what factors are driving trends, such as new design styles, how your audience consumes content, and what platforms are being utilized to share and promote these resources.
Design styles and trends
Graphic design is one of the most powerful tools you can have in your toolbox. Design allows you to communicate your message and brand’s personality, while engaging your audience in a visually compelling way. Staying ahead of the latest trends enables you to remain aware so you can provide resources that reflect the ever-changing content needs of your audience.
Audience engagement
Consumers want to engage with content in formats that align to their personal preferences. For instance, some people prefer an in-depth study with loads of statistics. Others want just the high-level facts found in an infographic. Some may give you a few seconds to watch a video while others want to dive a little deeper. That’s why it’s vital to have several forms of assets that can reach a wide audience.
Platforms for exposure
How your company started sharing content versus how they currently share it is probably very different. Today’s digital landscape allows countless ways to give your content the exposure it deserves, while new print methods are proving that print is most definitely not dead. When it comes to social media, there are numerous platforms and you don’t have to post content to each one, though it’s wise to find 2 or 3 that align with your audience.
Digital:
- Social media: On your company’s business page and have employees share and repost to their personal pages
- Emails: In your signature, as an attachment, or linked buttons Website: Available as a resource throughout your site or create a dedicated page around the same topic for more context
- Campaign-specific landing page: Host gated or ungated content to collect metrics on a specific marketing campaign.
Want to learn more about the pros and cons of gating content? Explore our infographic
Print:
- Mailers: Did you know postcards have evolved into a beautiful interactive artform that allows recipients to unfold, pop up, pull tabs, and host videos? Postcard possibilities are endless.
- Collateral: Professionally customized marketing assets come in a variety of sizes and shapes to make a big impression.
- Business stationary
- Sell sheets
- Infographics
- Stickers
- Door hangers
- Book marks
Here are 5 of the latest content marketing trends we’re seeing so far this year:
Short-form video
As audience attention spans dwindle and more people watch videos on their smartphones, short-form video is creating an exciting new buzz. With high engagement rates, short-form video leads to quick conversions and delivers enhanced ROI through bite-size, sharable chunks of information.
Don’t worry, your existing longer-form video content can still be used with the short-form video trend! By editing your content into short segments, they act as teasers for your full-length video.
SEO
Having an online presence is vital but making sure you’re able to be found online is what will garner attention for your website. Sure, you can add a bunch of keywords and hope for the best, but with algorithms and search engines getting smarter and more efficient, you need an SEO strategy to support your efforts. This includes using the right keywords, making it mobile-friendly, and filling it with resources that position you as an authority.
Personalized content
Using manufacturer-provided content may be quick and easy, but it doesn’t make you stand out or memorable in the minds of your audience. Personalized content does both. It provides a way for you to speak to the wants and needs of your target audience and can be repurposed into a variety of formats (infographic, video, ebook, social media, etc.).
Authoritative and high-quality content
*Fake news* Consumers don’t care about research or statistics anymore. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. With an overabundance of content available on the internet, it’s essential to have the data and stats to back up your research. In addition, using industry standard terms and turning complicated ideas into digestible chunks of information enables your assets to speak to your audience and be viewed as high-quality resources.
Consistency
Building a content library means not only having a quantity of quality collateral, it also means sharing those resources in a consistent manner. Having an editorial calendar broken into weeks, months, and quarters will give you a clear view into what’s coming down the pipeline, so you know when production needs to start and when things will be ready to be shared.
The needs of consumers will always change and having to change your process for reaching them grants you the opportunity to adapt and grow your design and marketing capabilities, which can be very exciting.
However, writing a message, designing content, creating a go-to-market strategy, optimizing performance mid-campaign, and nurturing leads that come from your efforts can be time-consuming and overwhelming. That’s where we come in. We’re always up to date on the latest consumer trends and can help you create and plan a content marketing strategy that engages your chosen audience.
Schedule a discovery call and we can show you how you can get your content up to speed with the needs of your audience.
