Content marketing is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing areas of marketing today. According to research by Statista, content marketing revenue globally has reached USD 65.66 billion, with 97% of organizations surveyed having a content marketing strategy.
But you can’t keep up with the latest trends if you don’t know where to look and what to watch out for. Keep reading to find out how content marketing is changing, why it matters, and how you can use it to your advantage.
Feel the Power of Social Video
You’ve heard it before: video is the most engaging and shareable content type. More people watch videos than read text, and they’re more likely to share videos with their friends, family members, and colleagues.
Video is a great way to reach your target audience, and if you’re using Facebook Ads or Google AdWords, or any other targeting tool, you can make sure that it’s only those people who see your videos.
Video is also an excellent way for companies to build trust and credibility with potential customers because viewers tend to believe what they see over what they read onscreen.
Finally, videos increase conversion rates because users can easily understand what benefits come from buying something after watching it. There’s no need for any additional explanation since everything was explained beforehand through audio-visual cues alone.
According to Search Engine Journal, the top content types that B2C marketers used in the last 12 months are short articles or posts used by 83% and videos used by 61%. Short-form video content like that on Instagram and TikTok are the most effective type of social media content.
Focus On User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is a great way to boost your brand’s credibility and reach a wider audience. Users who have used a product or service will be able to share their experiences with others, allowing them to see what you do from the perspective of an actual customer.
User-generated content also helps build trust between you and potential customers by showing that real people are using your products and services, not just paid actors or spokespeople in commercials.
When someone sees other people saying positive things about your business, they’ll feel more comfortable researching further before making a purchase decision themselves.
According to a recent consumer poll report on PR Newswire, authentic User-Generated Content (UGC) is the most trustworthy content, followed in order by Creators, Brand Content, Influencers, and Staged UGC.
Content Creation Is Still Key
Content creation is still key to a successful content marketing strategy. For that, it’s essential for content marketing services to create useful content by first understanding the target audience and what information or solutions they are seeking. They can do this through research and analysis, such as surveys, focus groups, and data analysis.
Once the target audience and their needs are understood, the content is developed to address those needs and provide valuable information or solutions.
Additionally, content marketing services can create useful content by staying current with industry trends, news, and events, and creating content that is relevant and timely.
Another approach is to create a mix of different types of content that may include blog posts, infographics, videos, podcasts, e-books, and case studies, which cater to different learning styles and preferences of the audience.
Live Stream Your Events
Live streaming your events is a great way to get more people involved and build brand awareness. You can use live streaming to promote your event, but also other events in the future.
People are always looking for something new and exciting, so if they see that you’re doing something cool with live streaming, they might be more inclined to attend another one of your events later on down the road.
Live streaming also has the potential of becoming a valuable tool for promoting other products or services that aren’t directly related to content marketing (e.g., an e-commerce store).
Interactive Content Is King
Interactive content is a great way to engage your audience and give them something to do. It’s also a way for you to get more out of your content marketing efforts because interactive pieces tend to have higher engagement rates than traditional articles or blog posts.
Some examples of interactive content include:
- Polls
- Quizzes
- Videos with clickable elements (such as animations or sound effects) that drive users directly back onto your site
Personalize Your Content
Personalization is important. If you’re not using data to personalize your content, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with your readers and make them feel like they’re part of something special.
Personalized marketing also plays a role in this. If you want people to buy from you again and again, and who doesn’t, then it’s essential that they feel like they have some sort of connection with your brand or product.
Personalizing content can be as simple as making sure the same person sees different ads depending on what browser she uses or showing additional messages based on how much money someone spent last time she purchased from you (and even offering her discounts).
Get Your Customer Involved
You can also get your customers involved in the content creation process by asking them to share their experiences or stories, opinions, and reviews.
This could be as simple as asking them to submit their photos or videos for use on social media. Or it could be something more involved, like creating an ongoing contest where users are invited to submit ideas for new product features or improvements based on their own needs and desires.
Conclusion
We’re living in a time when content marketing is more important than ever. With so many brands competing for our attention online, they must have something unique to offer to stand out from the pack. The companies that succeed will be those who create quality content that resonates with their audience.
