In this new blog series, we’re going to explore some of this year’s hottest social media trends. First up is content marketing.
- CONTENT MARKETING
Content, content, content. You’ve heard this buzzword over and over again when it comes to marketing trends. But what does it really mean, anyway?
It means that consumers no longer want to be pummeled with meaningless and worthless advertising (did they ever?). They’re now demanding content, information that they can use and derive value from. Now, instead of trying to avoid your message, consumers actually want to see it because it provides them with some kind of benefit.
Content marketing usually takes the form of blogs, videos, infographics, podcasts, webinars, books, etc. For example, maybe a yoga studio puts out a podcast about meditation. It definitely provides valuable content to users–a lesson in meditation–but the ultimate marketing purpose is to drive new customers to their yoga studio. Or a chiropractor may distribute a white paper about common back ailments. Yes, it’s informative to people but more importantly, the people that read the paper may come to the office for more information.
Here are some facts that might help convince you:
- In 2016, 67% more leads will be generated by companies with an active blog (Content Marketing Institute)
- Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to achieve a positive ROI on their efforts (The State of Inbound 2014-2015 Report)
- 51% of digital marketers will increase their content marketing budget. (Content Marketing Institute)