Marketing in 2016 – Quality Content to Improve your Content Marketing Strategy
“The Biggest Trend in Marketing” is buzzing – again. With new technologies and systems being developed, marketing trends are constantly changing, causing teams to re-invent and evolve their current strategies to adapt and stay relevant. This year, CMOs and marketing leaders are paying close attention to the importance of content marketing and how they can create and push content to grow their customer base, their brand and their online presence.
When it comes to content, more doesn’t necessarily mean better. To capture your current audience and attract new customers, your goal should be quality over quantity. Collaborating with your team to create both engaging content and a strong content marketing strategy will generate win/win results – your customers will be satisfied and you will be improving your SEO and maintaining your company’s reputation.
Network, Network, Network!
User-generated content is a simple and cost-effective way to gain new customers and have authentic content. When people are looking to switch to a new brand or try a new product or restaurant, they are likely to turn to customer reviews. Instead of just hoping people will find positive reviews of your company somewhere online, use your network! Contests are a great way to get your current followers involved. For example, your company could host a social media contest and encourage followers to take pictures of themselves, tag your company and use a contest hashtag to be eligible to win a prize – for free, your brand reaches the followers of your followers, increasing your brand awareness. Further, sharing the winner’s picture or top 5 on your page shows that you are engaged with your customers and will be known as a genuine company.
Similarly, another way to leverage user-generated content is to create partnerships with a network of influencers. If possible, your company should allocate a budget to hire well-known and well-liked influencers, as people are more willing to give a new product a chance if a celebrity/influencer promotes it.
Show me a Story – I’ll make it go Viral
A viral video is like hitting the content jackpot. While it’s common to resort to skimming an article, people are more likely to watch a video in full, especially if it is captivating. YouTube is one of the largest search engines and if your current followers like what they see, they will share the video to their own networks – your video will go from being seen by your employees to being seen by millions or more.
Further, with platforms such as Snapchat, Periscope and Vine it is quick and simple to capture a short clip of content and share it to your network. With Periscope your followers can watch your experiences live and will make them feel as they are part of the journey, and Vines are entertaining and are popular for sharing. Short clips also create the opportunity to tell a story as you can create ‘episodic’ videos, enticing viewers to come back to see what happens next.
This year, the International Performance Management Institute is hosting the Digital Marketing Leadership Institute from September 25th – 27th at The Ritz Carlton, Naples FL. Here, digital marketing leaders from 3M, Unilever, HSBC and many more will come together to discuss the latest marketing trends and how to strengthen their current strategies. Don’t miss Bill Rancic keynoting the initiative speaking on "How to Succeed in Business and Life". Join the inner circle of the brightest minds in digital marketing leadership today.