The influence and relevance of content marketing was brought to the forefront of SEO in 2012, part one of our ‘Content Marketing – Top Tactics’ post featured popular tactics currently being used in different content strategies. But what does the New Year hold? Here are our trend predictions for 2013.
Budget & Investment: Content marketing in 2012 has proved to be a more effective channel due to its ability to generate results long after initial investments are made. Because of this many businesses appear to be re-allocating marketing budgets toward content marketing strategies this year.
Quantity: Successful content marketing demands storytelling, quality, and originality, meaning there is increasing difficulty for marketers to keep producing fresh engaging content. With businesses trying to keep quality standards high and not exhaust their in-house resources, 2013 sets to see an increase in the amount of content creation being outsourced.
Social Media: Social Media’s major influence will continue this year. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Linked In will hold their reputation as the most popular channels for content distribution. These types of sites are fantastic for people to share and discuss content they have found so always remember to host the content on your own blog as well as Social Media sites.
Measurement: 2013 will see an increase in the importance of measuring results. There will be a move away from using traffic as the main metric measurement, while growing numbers of marketers will look to sales and leads as more tangible results.
Mobile: In 2012 content use on mobile devices exploded with the rate set to continue to climb this year. It is now more important than ever that your content is mobile-friendly, it’s the perfect chance to get an edge over old-fashioned competitors. You should create mobile layouts for your blogs and websites, add click to call and try making them location aware if appropriate. Make sure all content is usable on mobile phones, including e-books, case studies and videos.
Content Curation: Set yourself apart from your competitors this year; make sure you portray yourself as relevant and expert in your industry. One tactic is to collect and collate valuable content and distribute it through your various Social Media channels and/or newsletters. Finding a balanced mix between your own material and curated content from partner and competitor sites is the best strategy.
Catch Their Attention: Engage your audience in the initial stages of interaction. Use short videos and infographics to draw your audience in and keep them browsing your site. This will lead browsers to more demanding content this will ultimately convert to leads and customers.
Personas: This year spend your budget wisely. Take the time to understand the motivation of your potential customers, this in turn will help you create stories which connect and engage. Research and interview your target audiences, find out why they buy. This will allow you to target content that meets user’s needs and demands.
Re-Distribution: 2013 is the year of maximising content; marketers will use more formats, more tactics and more channels to distribute content. Using a distribution strategy will stretch the lifespan of a piece of content. Refurbishing older content and keeping tabs on periodically repeatable topics will lighten your content creation load.
Content marketing in 2013 is targeting relevant and most importantly authoritative sites, making sure content is placed where it will create and retain sales but also, create wider discussion about your company.
If you wish to discuss our own approach to content marketing, please feel free to contact us, info@searchseven.co.uk