The Strategist

10 Main Trends of Content Marketing in 2015



03/09/2015 - 15:28



Developing the strategy and tactics of internet marketing, many people forget that they need a comprehensive approach to reach a goal. Any, even the most important component, if cut off from the complex, will not give the expected result, but will only burn resources. Here are nine effective internet-marketing techniques that will help build a strategy in 2015.



The main component of a comprehensive Internet marketing is content marketing. Running it and constantly maintaining the proper level are not easy. This work is volumetric and continuous. It requires creativity, expertise and constant desire to learn new things. Yet, it is important to combine content with all possible channels and platforms, where the target audience is. If the brand is bright and recognizable, and work of content marketers is built correctly, the result will not be long in coming.
 
Internet marketing good old ways and innovations
 
1. Buyer’s portrait
Think about buyers you would like to attract. This is a portrait of your target audience, but not general, like, for example, men and women from 20 to 60 years with an average level of income. It tells nothing. There must be recognized a specific person, the one who is important to you, someone you want to see among our clients first.
To create a buyer’s portrait a marketer needs to figure out the basic details:
Who your buyers are?
What they do, where and how they work, what positions occupy?
How comfortable are they on their present-day workplace or in their business area?
What is their ability to purchase?
What are their goals, whether there are ambitions, fears, and what are they?
What would cause their interest and what would they turn a deaf ear to?
 
Creating a buyer’s portrait is like fishing. If an angler wants to catch a certain fish, he should prepare a bait. If a marketer wants to get a particular client, he should create content aimed at target audience.
 
2. Inbound Marketing - content behind the scenes
The complex of works on Inbound Marketing is the development, optimization, placement and advertising content aimed at the person of the buyer. It is always the same, regardless of your advertising goals and activities. Its mission - to draw the buyer in person dialogue where you specify the topic. It is like creating a movie or staging the play. What the viewer sees is a content marketing, but there is a lot of work (the costumes, the scenery, and the selection of the actors) behind the scene. Without it is impossible to get the result.  And what the is the Inbound Marketing is.
 
3. Be multimedia
If your company has an interesting and attractive blog, then it is your advantage against competitors. However, a marketer cannot stop there and limit himself with articles only, no matter how useful and valuable they may be. Visualization is very important. Pay attention to the animation, infographics, photos and videos. They are very important for your buyer too.
 
Use all the multimedia features, get acquainted with new things, explore the channels that have successfully used your colleagues. Look at this list and answer yourself whether all the channels you use today?
They may be:
Footage
Webinars
Mailing lists
Blogs
Podcasts
Social media (they are not limited with Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter etc. If your audience is hanging out in the gaming communities or narrow focused forums, go there)
Guest blogging
Landing pages
Visual content: infographics, photos
Presentation and promotion of offline events
 
Does the list look too long? Think about the fact that your competitor may use each opportunity that you have missed today.
 
4. Contents to be mobile
 
If your site is easy to view and work with via the mobile, it does not mean that you have mobile content. It is important that the user can enjoy interesting website content in any moment convenient for him. I am sure that many of your clients can not imagine their life without the services of deferred reading like Pocket or Instapaper. Make the pages adapted for them, and much larger number of people that you require will read your content.
 
All the popular applications, services and networks will work for the promotion of your site if your content is interesting, useful and properly served only. In this sense, content may be compared to laying the table in the restaurant. Every little detail adds a special flavor the dish. Correct, tasty content should be mobile, easy and pleasant perceived and sharing. If there is a visitor's burning desire to share it with friends, and he does it for 1 second, then you are on the right track. It is important that the same visual materials without any errors were displayed on the screens of every kind of device. Remember, the simpler, healthier, brighter your stuff, the better for your promotion. By the way, usage of flash animation is not recommended, as not everyone will be able to see everything.
 
5. Follow geeks
Be in accord with users, adapt every part of your content for different devices, and let it be easy to find the site through any device. If a retailer uses geek finds, he will only win.
 
Remember the story of the QR-codes. Not so long ago they were unknown secret code, and today they are used by client-oriented company all around the world. QR-code may be seen on a clothing label, advertising bank products and even pizza packaging. Follow what is new in the world of IT, and it will help you continually grow your business.
 
6. Love at first sight
 
A purchaser, irrespective of sex, loves with his eyes. Visualization is the main engine of development in many multimedia formats. Nowadays, various types of gadgets transmit animations, photos and videos with the highest resolution available. It is important to use modern technical ability to send images when creating your content. When a customer sees a beautiful picture, he often wants to buy what it offers, and it means that the visual content works.
 
Use infographics, animation, metrics and even memes when creating visual content (of course, taking into account the interests and sense of humor to your audience). Try to get close to the customer, to be pally with him. Be not a brand but a friend.
 
7. Video rules
According to Cisco, in 2017 video content will cover about 70% of Internet traffic. Nowadays YouTube occupies the top of popularity. The number of unique users per month has already exceeded 1 billion! Marketers believe that the future of advertising is video.
 
8. Harmony inside
Good internal optimization can significantly save on marketing budgets. If the site is well presented for both search engines and users, it can naturally go to the top of search results. However, in commercial subject areas, such trick will not work, but it will significantly increase the loyalty of your resource. Paying for a large-scale content marketing is no good, if the platform itself knocks.
First, place the order at home.
 
9. User-generated content
 
User feedback is the most important content for B2C companies on which they may build a successful strategy. Nevertheless, if earlier companies only worked hard to get more positive user feedback, in 2015 the task is much more difficult. It is to put the user at the center of the company. In fact, there is nothing new in this, and Philip Kotler had already talked about it. In addition, the business before was not so convenient system for collecting and analyzing user data, which each company can get through its own site today. Find your power-user (an image of your dream client). This user is not just a customer, and would become the best adman of your brand. Solving their problems, it will promote and develop you.
 
Whatever happened, we all expect more intense and very interesting work on catching customers to the content. So, carefully prepare tackle and bait, and go ahead.