Now that we are all just about settled into the New Year, it is probably a good time to further discuss what content marketing trends you should be expecting in 2018.
Following on from Part 1 of this article in which subjects such as personalisation, super niche content, and voice searches were explored, here are a few more trends that will be worth knowing about over the next 12 months.
1) Pillar Pages
You may have heard of the concept, you may have not, but pillar pages are the latest content marketing technique to come into practise. They are resource pages that cover a topic in depth and lead to high quality content. They provide a thorough overview of a topic and then include hyperlinks to cluster content which focuses on a specific keyword surrounding said topic in more depth. An example of cluster content could be a link to a blog post. They are also a great source of inbound links, and are a prime place in which visitors are converted to leads.
2) Live Content
Live streaming marketing is fast becoming a very real, and very viable way for brands to get their products or service seen and heard. It is not only attractive, appealing and engaging to your current customer base, but it is also a fantastic way to reel in a fresh new audience.
Live content's unique selling point is that it has a very personal sense about it, meaning your customers will feel like they really know you and are a part of something. The intimate and unscripted moments from real people are what will ultimately market your products or services as viewers will be captivated by the sincerity of live content. Many positives will come from this, a couple being the customer loyalty and repeat sales.
According to koeppeldirect.com, 80% of people said they would rather watch a live video from a brand than read a blog article, and 82% of people said they prefer a live video to social media posts. Sharing live content can also become great market research as the instant connection means instant feedback.
3) Short Term Content
Do you ever find yourself routinely flicking through your usual, go-to social media platforms so quickly that you don't mentally take in any of the content? Now, ask yourself this question - would you do the same if you knew the content was only temporary and at some point, soon it would vanish? That's the powerful effect short term content has on people. It has a feel of exclusivity meaning people pay much more attention because they know there's no way of them going back to view it once more later.
We have the Snapchat powerhouse to thank for this, with the social media's leading platform Facebook quickly imitating these actions only meaning one thing: there's a lot of value in short term content.
Hopefully this article has helped inform you of all the things you need to know about the upcoming content marketing trends for 2018. If you have any queries, please comment below or call us on 01332 343 281 for an informal chat.
