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The Best Content Marketing Strategies that Worked in 2017 and How to Duplicate Their Success
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DECEMBER 2018
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The philosophy of content marketing is to reach, understand and begin the lasting process of engagement with the “person” of a consumer. Just as the person changes and evolves, content marketing stays current by constantly studying consumer behavior and consistently evolving its techniques. The purpose is to build trust and inspire confidence without a direct sale pitch. That is basically what makes a content marketing strategy successful.
Whatever the strategy, the target of all content marketing is to engage with its audience and convert leads into customers. Here are some of the most successful content marketing strategies that were used in 2017. The goal of this overview is to present strategies that worked and how their success can be duplicated in the months to come. Since digital marketing is a field that changes quite rapidly, content marketers need to be always on-their-toes and need to keep an eye out for what worked before and what is likely to work in future.
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Illustration by Hvostik via BIGSTOCK
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Quality of Content: A No Brainer
2017 has seen a dramatic shift to making content more user-friendly, consumer-centered and transparent. Not that it has not been the intent all along, but parallel developments in search algorithms, for example, Google, has made it easier to collect metrics on what piece of the information sits more relevant with the consumer. For example, a post about healthy protein snacks on Greatist garnered 2 million Pinterest shares. This just goes to show that content in 2018 will have to focus on quality as that is the biggest reason why a particular piece of content is shared and distributed further. 2017 saw a more focused approach and use of articles, blogs and guest pieces that connected with the target audience and that maintained their interest and curiosity. Content creation in 2018 will require even more emphasis on quality and will require marketers to identify trending topics and use these topics to effectively engage with their target audience.
Influencer Marketing: A New Twist on an Old Trick
Businesses have been using influencers to build brand awareness for a long time. However, the twist on the old trick is to rely on a new genre of influencers, micro but many, produced by the rise of social media. These include the superstars of YouTube and Instagram from Justin Bieber to ‘King of Snapchat’ DJ Khaled to Loki the Wolf Dog. According to Musefind, 92% of consumers trust micro influencers more than endorsements by celebrities. In other words, the key to successful content marketing in 2018 is to capitalize on the “authenticity” of these influencers and not merely their following. There is no substitute for word-of-mouth advertising but in today’s digital era, this type of advertising medium has become much more tech-savvy. Content marketing in 2018 will require businesses to effectively identify the right influencers to garner the right response.
Customized Personalization of Content: Hitting the Bull’s Eye Every Time
Analytics, search bots and search engine optimization have made it easier than ever to segment customer groups much more efficiently. This can be location settings as well as hashtags. An excellent example is that of India’s largest coffee corporation Café Coffee Day. The way it engaged football fans during the World Cup in 2014 shows the power of customized personalization of content. The strategy remained popular in 2017 and was used by many industries. Tweeting live from conferences and seminars, streaming live presentations and making them accessible for the right people was quite successful in 2017 and is set to experience an upsurge in 2018 improving engagement, brand recognition, and competitive edge.
Content Format: Video Is Still Your Best Bet
While the use of videos is not new, research shows that videos are still relevant and enjoyed great popularity in 2017. Other formats such as e-books, newsletters, how to guides, infographics, blogs, case studies are still being produced but videos were extensively used and resulted in better engagement and consumer penetration. So much so that according to Forrester Research a minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. That statistic in itself indicates the important role videos played to support content marketing activities in 2017. This strategy will continue to be used and content in 2018 will see a healthy balance of text, images, and videos to ensure maximum customer engagement and positive response.
Social Media: Reigns Supreme
Social media is reigning supreme and there is no sign of its abatement. According to Statista, over 50% of users of social media also cite it as their way of staying on top of daily news and trends. Over 60% of digital marketers use Facebook to advertise their products and services. Similarly, a large majority of people in multiple fields and industries regularly use Twitter to communicate with their target audience. Social media has thus been a strong force in 2017 and is likely to be a major tool for content marketing in 2018. If you want your content to work, you need to make sure it is effectively distributed across all popular social media platforms. The more likes, shares, retweets, and comments you get on your posts, the better the exposure and visibility for your content.
Content creation in 2018 will be important for all businesses. If you have content marketing goals and need effective content writing for your online marketing activities, you can contact our content writers at Iris Content. Our team has years of experience in writing original, informative and interesting content for clients in many different industries. We know the things that worked in 2017 and the strategies that are more likely to bring you success in 2018. Our content writing services will be customized to your needs and to your specific target audience. Our writers will ensure the content is engaging, SEO optimized and original. We will also ensure your content creation efforts use a balance of engaging text, attractive images, and useful videos. Contact us today for all your content writing needs. We promise originality, timely delivery, and excellent quality.
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Annie has 20 years of experience as an editor and content creator and manager. With work in television and written media, she has dedicated her past 10 years to learning the ropes of online content creation, from writing to editing, from SEO to content management.
If you need a professional to handle all your content during the hectic festive season, Iris Content is launching a few holiday packages that you can take advantage of. Reach out to us and we will help your business shine this holiday season!
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