Check out our latest blog post about Content Marketing Trends for 2018

Content marketing is a long-term strategy which helps to build a strong relationship with your consumers by providing them valuable content. If you want to stay ahead in the online business, then content marketing should be the technique employed by you as it can create an immense impact on the readers regarding your business. That is why as we have entered in the year 2017, content marketing has become more important than ever. However, with the advancements in technology, marketers are continually finding out different methods to develop fresh and unique content and use it effectively.

Presented here are the top content marketing trends that will be prevalent in 2017:

1. Getting Your Content in the Google SERP’s Featured Snippet

Google SERP is a way to meet the demand of users by providing them immediate answers right within SERPs in the “featured snippet” position, i.e. above the top organic result and below the paid listing. Online marketers are striving to get their ecommerce websites featured in this place because snippets present them the golden opportunity to rank for informational queries and enhance their site visibility. In order to get your content featured in SERP, you need to optimize your website which can be done by analyzing the sort of keywords that users type into Google’s search box. You can also track the questions people ask on social media such as Twitter or Facebook. You can also add a single or multiple sections on your site that answers related questions.

Rich Snippets provide a visual layer to existing results and when Google is providing the answer to a question that isn’t in the core Knowledge Graph, it may try to seek the answer in the index. This develops higher CTRs than regular organic results.

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Last year, marketers began experimenting with content that was machine-generated and this topic caught a huge amount of attention. In 2017, machine-generated content will keep on developing so that artificial intelligence (AI) can be perfected according to the needs of the customers. The day is not far when a human-machine conversation will replace the marketing conversation. However, there can be various types of AI with regard to ecommerce such as content marketing, automated translation, predictions about writing and much more.

3. Make Content That is Highly Targeted

Currently, billions of websites, blog posts and articles are present on the internet and due to this immense amount of content; it becomes hard to make your content noticed. If you want that to happen, first and foremost, you must desist writing about topics that are generalized because it is highly likely that there exists an article or blog post that matches to yours. So, keep seeking out topics that are related to the current affair or cater to your target audience. In 2017 content that is more comprehensive and detailed can positively boost your marketing performance and it will be very valuable when written cautiously with information that the audience is unable to find anywhere else.

4. Focus on Reader Retention

Always keep in mind that retaining a loyal customer is easier compared to the one who is new that is why it is important to consider reader retention if you already have an audience that uses your website constantly or goes through your mail. Presenting steady amount of content that has both relevance and quality is one of the best ways to maintain the reader retention. You can develop a relationship with your users by getting in touch through the comments section or Twitter. You can also use email marketing to do the same. When the content is easy to subscribe or use, readers keep coming back to your website. Another way to reinforce the readers is providing incentives such as competitions, giveaways, discounts or vouchers on products and services.

Content Marketing Trends to Watch in 2017 – An Infographic

Infographic Source: www.business2community.com

5. Video Will Begin to Dominate

It has been found through a recent YouTube study that around 35% of people favored YouTube over the traditional television which has only around 18% of user’s choice. It was also found that around 74% of those people preferred to see videos of brands, companies, or institutions that are uploaded on the YouTube. So, it is evident that this considerable number of people is familiar with content marketing and like it. Thus, although content marketers have already understood the video marketing trends, though in 2017 this trend will increase even more.

6. Mobile-Friendly Websites

Many reports have suggested that in 2017 all Internet usage in between 65% to 75% will be generated from mobile devices. People are increasingly using mobiles to surf the internet. In 2017, this shift will grow even more and shoppers who use mobile devices for internet usage will keep growing in number. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to marketers when the emphasis is given more to mobile friendly content formats. Marketers can also use accelerated mobile pages (AMP) or develop mobile apps of their websites.

7. Combine the Written Words with Visual Content

The competition has increased so much that it has become crucial for businesses to come up with creative ways to display the content. And in order to do so, various kinds of content are necessary to make a website stand out in the crowd. For instance, incorporating text with videos, audio, interactive components and visuals can enhance your blog posts or content. You can also include infographics to highlight the statistics or have an introductory video talking about the article. The usage of interactive elements and presentations, maps and graphs can provide a way to become more interactive with the visitors.

Furthermore, when you provide various kinds of visual content, the users find it more attractive and tend to share the article on other platforms. Your images can be uploaded on Snapchat, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram whereas, the videos can be shared on Vimeo or Youtube or Facebook, Twiiter too. All this will surely develop the reach and engagement on your website.

8. Increased Content Investment

As online marketers become increasingly aware of the importance of content development and promotion, the amount of money invested in this particular field has become important.

According to an estimate, around 80% of content marketing budget in a regular business must be invested in content creation and the rest 20% will be used to promote or advertise the content. 

This improved confidence of marketers in content marketing will surely keep increasing as we go further ahead in 2017.

In 2017, the majority of the content marketers are focusing on developing innovative methods to promote their content. If you want to stay ahead in content marketing race, contact us now for a FREE consultation.