You’ve probably read that content marketing has topped the charts as a marketing trend for another year. It’s influence is impressive; according to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing leaders who create compelling, valuable content experience 7.8 times more site traffic than non-leaders. But creating great content is just part of the puzzle. Now companies must focus on getting the distribution of content right. Having read a report published by the World Economic Forum, personalisation, content fragmentation and partnerships will be key areas to tackle over the next decade.
Personalisation:
With an abundance of content out there, customers decide within a matter of seconds whether they like your marketing message or not. In our era of instant gratification, that trend isn’t likely to subside. So how do you differentiate from the crowd? Companies should be investing their marketing dollars on behavioural data. That involves integrating data from a number of sources: company websites, customer service interactions over the phone and in-store purchases. Analysing this customer behaviour, you can create triggers to entice your customers back. The top players, Amazon and Ebay for example, use personalised marketing methods very well (think about their ‘recommends’ or ‘still considering’ email marketing messages). It’s a strategy that takes time, investment and patience. This manipulation of consumer data will also raise privacy and security issues that will need to be carefully managed.
Content fragmentation:
Just a few short years ago, multiple screens at work were a novelty. Nowadays they are the new normal. Add a smartphone or tablet into the mix, and that’s multiple devices to target. Has your marketing adapted for the multi-device era? If not, you are missing out a large segment of your target audience.
Partnerships:
Facebook, LinkedIn, video, independent blogs, the number of content platforms to feature on could go on for paragraphs. Many of us thought that an increasing number of communication channels would increase our reach. That’s not what we’re seeing. Instead it’s created a great deal of fragmentation within the media industry. Your audience is hanging out in more than one place online. Therefore partnering on the production and distribution of content has become more important than ever before. Taking that a step further, the more you can leverage reciprocal online linking, the better your search engine ranking.
Final thoughts:
Blast marketing messages are becoming less and less effective as your audience is, respectfully, tuning out. Personalisation, multi-device targeting and partnering requires a rethink away from the traditional marketing calendar. It can seem daunting, but even the most successful players start small. Engaging with a digital agency can help point you in the right direction. Contact us for more information.
