How to Keep up with Content Marketing Trends

When it comes to trends, a lot of us think of the easy stuff like fashion, food, or automobiles.  But if you’re in marketing – any type of marketing – trends in content marketing are one of the most important ones you should keep your eyes on.  

It’s no secret that in marketing, trends change faster than the latest shoe craze or eyeshadow color, so how can you win? The answer is simple – pay attention to the people who pay attention to whatever you’re marketing, and tweak your strategy to speak directly to them. Here’s our best ways to keep up with the ever shifting marketing trends;

 

Know your audience

For example, if your target group is between 20 – 35 years old, you can be certain that they’re internet savvy, and expect your company to show that they are, too. Live, streaming content is one of the marketing methods that’s gaining ground, so it’s a truly important one to pay attention to.  Currently, it’s mainly seen on social media sites such as Facebook – but that’s where your audience is, so you should be there too.

 

Utilize the user-generated content

When customers create content for your website – like reviews and Q and A, they’re doing your job for you. One of the best ways to take advantage of this content is to feature it on your website, through your social media, or by reaching out to those satisfied customers for testimonials.

 

Make sure you have a clear goal

You need to pay attention not just to trends, but to trends that are relevant to your marketing goals.  If you don’t have a good idea of what your end goal is, try to understand what your metrics are telling you in regards to the goals you’ve set, so you know what you need to work on the most.  This is how you can figure out what you need to focus on to get your marketing strategy on track.

 

Collaborate with your stakeholders

Get your marketing team and your stakeholders together to discuss what each one is doing. Most of the time, your stakeholders will be able to supply a fresh perspective on what your marketing campaigns look like from an outside viewpoint, and will be able to supply you with constructive criticism.  This outside viewpoint may be a stepping stone to success in your campaign, and give your marketing team a better idea of what they should focus on.

 

Beef up your social media

If you want to get a better idea of what your customers really think, social media is the way to go.  It makes your brand seem more approachable, give it a more human touch, and invites your customers to give you a more unedited view of who they are and what they want from your company. Much like user-generated content, building your social content is giving your customers access to help shape your content for you.

 

Become a Master Storyteller

If you want to show your up to date on the latest, make sure you can tell a story.  Storytelling, telling a customer a short tale or an anecdote about your brand helps to keep the customer interested.  In addition, these stories don’t need to necessarily be with words; sometimes the more abstract you get with it, the more interesting figuring out the story can become to your audience. Colors, pictograms, emojis, and logos can all take the place of words. Don’t be afraid to make it as visual as you can – after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.