Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash
This year we saw marketing trends in content personalization, visual content, interactive content, influencer marketing, and mobile-first content marketing, to name a few. So, what’s in store for the marketing world in 2017? We don’t have a crystal ball, but here’s what we project.
Visual Content
The majority of people today, prefer looking at colorful images while skimming the content. This means that marketers will get more creative with their visual content. In order to draw readers to the content itself, intriguing, unique, colorful images will grasp their attention. Bloggers, retailers, consultants and others will gain a bigger audience in 2017 by using more creative visual content.
Personalized Retargeting
Like most consumers, you find yourself shopping online, only to get distracted or give up trying to checkout, all because of a slow website. Were you surprised to find an email from the eCommerce store stating, “You left something in your cart.” This tactic is known as retargeting. As mentioned above, this has been big market trend of 2016. Expect this trend to continue throughout 2017 as eCommerce retailers look for ways to curb lost transactions. Moreover, with personalized retargeting, an accompanied percentage discount could entice you to return to the site and finalize your purchase.
Video, Video, Video
Expect recorded video to continue and grow in popularity. However, marketing trends show that live streaming continues to grow in popularity as well. With easy-to-use platforms on Facebook Live, SnapChat, and YouTube Live, look for an increasing number of tutorial videos, product launch events, tours, and content. The popularity of interactive content and video content is rapidly growing.
Influencer Marketing
Per the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), influencer marketing will be increasingly important. Using public relations and social media to find good influencers can be tricky. Before you hire or pay anyone to be an influencer, do your research to make sure their one million followers are legitimate and not purchased bots.
Mobile First
Consumers use smartphones and tablets more than they use a desktop computer. It is crucial that your blog or website is easily read on mobile devices. Designing for mobile consumption first is a marketing trend that will only grow in 2017. Vibrant images, fast load times, and a brilliant design will keep you ahead of the competition.
Native Advertising
Native advertising will replace push advertising. Ad blockers and an aversion for online advertising have made it more difficult to reach consumers using banners, pop-ups, and paid ads. With ad blockers and ad filtering booming in 2016, consumers were finally able to choose what ads they wanted to see and which they did not. Native advertising consists of relevant content that drives people back to your website. This makes it more valuable than push advertising.
Marketing Trends and You
In the age of technology, new types of content continue to appear, as well as new technologies to aid in utilizing this content. Don’t worry, the heart of content marketing isn’t changing. The content you produce will still engage, inform, and help you form a relationship with your readers and customers. Stay on top of what is trending, and continue to use the most popular marketing trends to reach them.