“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting” is a quote Bill Gates wrote in 1996, and it has never been more accurate. The increasing role content brings to brand awareness, long-term ROI, and better leads is never more pertinent than ever. Last year was a year of adaptations and adjustments; COVID-19 has resulted in remote working, increased digital content, and financial struggles. As businesses, we must adjust our content to help and cater to your customers to endure this challenging time.
Here are best practices that are taking content marketing to new engagements with audiences:
1. AI is not just here; it’s more about what are you going to do with it?
The growth of technology and advances of AI tools such as GPT-3, Contentyze, and CRM have come a long way. These tools allow businesses to meet their customers’ needs faster and easier by building better-quality content by sourcing information, references, and simplifying complex data into relevant real-time data with dynamic and contextualized variables. Combining these tools with AI heightens the power of personalization and broadens what it means to understand your customers. AI allows businesses to answer the questions “how often does my customer visit other brands?” and “does this customer buy from the same brands?”
2. Building Content Communities
Building a community, especially when it comes to content sharing and creation, is crucial. It allows companies to increase personalization across customers and expand their reach with fewer resources. A simple welcome video or personal invitation to your Facebook, Linkedin, or Slack community extends your reach, creating excellent brand awareness and fostering an inclusive community that makes customers feel valued. Build a solid community by fostering an environment where customers can ask questions, help each other, and share information instead of just producing sale pitches and product updates. The more you connect, the more you give reasons for your customers to get involved.
3. Content that Influences Search Intent
How people phrase their searches online gives information about what they are looking for. To increase traffic, businesses must create content that caters to the need, matches the intent, and combines them with your search engine optimization strategy. For example, if a customer wants product information, you must develop content where customers can compare two products simultaneously and find which is best for them; if they know what they want to buy, have a “buy now” page.
4. Augmented reality (AR), content that makes it like you’re there (or at least, almost there)
With more content consumption via smartphone, create more content experience through the use of AR. With restrictions, AR gives customers real-life experiences of purchasing through digital try-on, product show-off, store tours, and more. It elevates customer experience and turns advertisements into an interactive and engaging experience. It’s an effective way to take your video content to new heights, boost your e-commerce traffic and lead to success.
People’s time for content is limited. The need for relatable, relevant content is needed more now than ever before. Using these latest trends can take your content marketing strategy to another level.
Start experimenting with your strategy and implement changes in your content marketing; start utilizing these trends to create high-quality and efficient content with fewer resources. While it is essential to stay on top of content trends, it is just as important to invest in a strategy that will still be relevant in the long run.
Contact us to start working together today and learn more about our services.
By Phoebe Yong, founder and content strategist, Magnolia Communications – a B2B demand generation full-service marketing agency headquartered in Vancouver, BC. We focus on engaging, nurturing and converting leads with PR programs, paid social ads, email marketing and marketing technology implementation.