As a marketer, you know how quickly trends emerge. Eventually, the best of them become requirements and best practices.
The ever-changing nature of marketing is what makes our jobs at Content4Demand so fun! Being on the leading edge of the latest content trends, formats, tools and best practices, makes it easier for our clients to do their day-to-day jobs and see success.
But it is evident that some executives lose sight of how quickly the industry is moving, and how imperative it is to constantly innovate and try new things.
This week, we’re providing a variety of articles and resources that touch on the vast shifts in the marketing landscape, and offer some helpful best practices:
- Having a content strategy impacts your bottom line: OK, so having a content strategy may not be an innovative or groundbreaking concept, but it’s a big passion point for us, so hear us out! Research has pointed to content strategy as the element that separates the marketing winners from the losers. In fact, businesses that have an established content strategy find that their programs are more effective. But what makes an effective content strategy? That is the one thing we encourage marketers to rethink. How would you describe your content strategy? Do you simply have a checklist of things to accomplish for the week, month or year? Do you have a detailed editorial calendar that extends across the organization? This article provides a great foundation for describing the benefits of a content strategy and how to win buy-in across the organization. If you want to learn more about building a sustainable content strategy, we’ll be moderating a webinar for Demand Gen Report’s Strategy & Planning Series. Register for the session here.
- Change is the only constant in content marketing: New technologies are constantly being released — Apple alone releases new devices and updates to its operating system several times throughout the year. With these technological advancements, buyers’ information-seeking and consumption behaviors change, which impacts your content strategy. This article from Tracy Vides highlights some top content trends marketers should be on the lookout for.
- Content has transformed marketing and PR: We agree that content marketing has changed the way people consume information as well as the type of information and resources they gravitate toward. This article from MediaShift provides a great overview of how businesses can shift their PR to more content-oriented initiatives. It’s important to note that traditional marketing and PR do have their place, but content enables businesses to share more emotional and relatable brand stories, which is highly effective in the crowded digital landscape.
- Visual content can inspire your buyers: It’s no surprise that buyers are drawn to visual content. Think about how often you gloss over a text-heavy article or how frequently you close out of a white paper because you see it’s 20 pages of a tiny font. This presentation from Brian Honigman of Honigman Media encourages marketers to pause, take a step back and consider whether their content is truly visually compelling. Honigman also serves up some best practices for developing a visual identity that captures buyers’ attention and truly resonates with them.
Were there any other cool stories or compelling headlines that we missed? Please share them in the comments section below!
