Digital content is constantly evolving in an effort to keep up with the ever-changing technological world. This means your marketing strategy has to work just as hard to stay up to date. Small changes are often made in content that can make it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the changing trends. However, 2021 has proven so far to be a year of major shifts in terms of the content that is produced and the trends that drive it.
It can be challenging to produce successful content without a thorough grasp of the strategies that are being implemented. This is why it is so crucial to understand the current marketing trends and keep an eye out for shifts that could mark a new trend. Ultimately, this will allow your business to make the most of its marketing budget while staying relevant to its target audience. Having the ability to predict how trends will change in the future provides a strategic advantage over your competition. Before implementing a new content strategy, consider how the current trends could be beneficial for your business.
Go online or go home
The pandemic has proven how important it is for businesses to fully adapt to the digital landscape. As competition continues to grow consistently online, companies must continue to make themselves visible digitally so consumers will recognize their brand. If your business is not actively marketing itself online and updating its website, you will certainly be left behind in the realm of marketing.
An integral part of a digital footprint is search engine optimization (SEO). This tactic refers to the way that Google prioritizes similar businesses in an online search listing. Blogs are a proven way to elevate businesses’ SEO. If a company fails to increase its SEO, its website will not be listed as highly on a search, and several potential customers could be missed as a result. For example, if you were to search “plumbers near me,” several plumbers in your area would show up. A website that is updated frequently will be ranked higher than another plumbing company that neglects its website or provides few updates.
Short-form Content
Technology has significantly impacted attention spans to be shorter and more selective, making it increasingly difficult to reach a target audience with longer and more detailed content. Advertisers are adopting shorter forms of content such as infographics, short advertisements, and social media posts to quickly gain the reader’s attention. While long-form content is crucial to explaining an intricate topic and increasing SEO engagement, short-form typically produces more customer engagement. Since millennials are the largest age group of consumers, it is important to consider using short-form content to reach this particular group.
Interactive Content
Consumers will usually scroll past advertisements that are generic which causes a decrease in customer engagement and a loss of valuable resources. Content that is passively consumed by a potential customer, such as a commercial or a short advertisement, is very often forgotten about after it ends. This means the content will soon be replaced by new information in the near future. In an effort to prevent content from being passively consumed or missed altogether, advertisers have begun adding an interactive element to their content. Polls, surveys, emails, quizzes, and infographics can all be modified to create interactive content that will capture the audience’s attention and keep it.
Video Content
Content that is produced in video form is versatile and can be extremely beneficial for any business. As a result of the ongoing pandemic, in-person restrictions have reduced the tactics that can be used by marketers to deliver information. This is why video content is prioritized over other forms of content. Videos typically contain information that is quickly and easily processed. Because videos have the ability to create stories and convey emotions, they are able to connect to the audience in a unique way which is why they are a strategic tool that can be leveraged to gain more customers. When creating video content, consider where your target audience is most likely to see your content and how it could be changed to fit other platforms.
AI-generated content
Artificial intelligence is a newer form of technology that has revolutionized the world as we know it. It is a tool that is becoming increasingly popular in the world of digital advertising as more people recognize the positive effect it can have on a company’s marketing strategy. Artificial technology can be utilized to generate online content such as blogs or advertisements. It can also be used to create chatbots, initiate voice search, and track consumer behavior. Armed with the power of artificial intelligence, businesses are able to target their advertisements, manage their advertising budget, and create content all without lifting a finger.
Industry trends are always evolving and current digital marketing tactics are no exception. The easiest way to create advertisements that will have a lasting impression is to incorporate industry trends while staying true to your brand. Inner Spark Creative is able to effectively leverage the latest trends to help your business stay at the top of your audience’s minds. Contact us today for a free consultation to see how we can help you reach your business’s goals.