While we all have read a lot about content and how it reigns when it comes to strategizing marketing assets, building any branding collateral, or simply reaching out to global target audience; it's time we learn the science to do it right. Content that helps you as a businessman or a marketer make an impact over your target audience. Or in crude words, content makes you sell. So, here's sharing some content trends for developing an effective content strategy in the coming New Year:
Content Curation
With so many social media handles and other content sharing avenues including website, blogs, etc., available on the World Wide Web, it is flooded with fresh content every day in various forms. People from diverse ethnicity, experience and scholarly fields share their findings and views on subjects, which are laid to access on this very wide platform. And, a content curator who continually seeks, authenticates, and then shares the best and most relevant out of this content abundance offers a high value to audience at large.
Work as an Extension
Content has grown and become a part of every department, every division of a business, with special focus on marketing. To tell the world about your product, lure new customers, or even take care of existing audience, you need to convey your message and that message needs to be perfect, impactful. And to make them work, it is better for the content team to work as an extension to marketing team. By that we mean being there, part of strategy, what and how marketing team plans to convey; and then writing it out accordingly.
Cut the Clutter
There was a time when people used to talk lengths about their product and services, be it a website, marketing collateral, or a brochure, everywhere you could find anything to everything. You can and should do the same even now but only at the specific places, not all. For instance, a big NO on a social media handles. Rather given the allowed tweet space, Twitter doesn't allow you to do that and people don't prefer that on Facebook either, but you can explore a better, briefer explanation on LinkedIn's showcase page. In short, your content needs to match the medium, platform you choose to explore.
Say it with a Story
Stories have something magical about themselves. Everyone right from a toddler to a retired personal always has an ear for good, informative story. And undoubtedly, stories are one of the best way to connect, so why not use them here too. Yes, say your brand story, or a customer story, or a story which inspires the reader, connects with him/her, and passes on your message. Make sure your stories are connective and in sync with your branding.
Marketing V/s Advertising Content
Something which quite a lot brands get confused - marketing and advertising. Both of them are quite different and thus should be handled differently. While Advertising is more of persuasion, promotion about the product and services, and letting the target audience know about it; marketing is a lot more. It is a mix of business activities starting right from defining your audience, research, product development, pricing, distribution, sales to customer satisfaction. And since the goal is different, make sure their content also differs.
Express it Visually
Haven't we all read and believe in, picture says a thousand words. What might take a page to explain, can be better expressed through a picture and if facts are to be believed than better retained too. Reinforcing the fact is upcoming and growing popularity of social handles like Pinterest and Instagram, or you could also say growing image, video, storyline, or simply visual apps on Facebook.
Emphasize Learning
Last but certainly not the least, the learning curve. How much ever bigger scholar you might be, whatever degree, accolades you might have attained, you need to be watchful and prepared to your changing, growing surroundings and audience. With so much competition, you need to keep updating yourself to serve only the best to your perspectives.
While above are certainly few cash points, but what matters a bit more in addition to these is dynamism. Be alert and vigil to know and produce what your target audience demands right on time.
About Author
A creative person Sundeep Pardal leads the team of designers at http://www.webstarttoday.com, which is a Small Business Website Builder. He likes to experiment with websites, online stores, online marketing, track their performances and share his insights with readers.
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