It’s a new year and that means many of us marketers are getting ready to launch our 2019 marketing strategy. And, for those of us who’ve done our research, we know that content will remain a pillar of that plan through the next 12 months.
But with us and our competitors constantly churning out fresh content, simply creating content for the sake of it is not enough. Every year it becomes even more necessary for each piece of content we publish to be eye catching and memorable, as well as designed to add significant value to the lives of our consumer.
Doing all of those things can be a challenge while you’re trying to keep up with a fast-paced editorial calendar. But it should be a priority, especially if your goal is to create content that encourages engagement and gets results. If you’re on board with taking on the great task of making your content more enticing in 2019, we’ve got a few suggestions for shaking up your content strategy.
Make Video a Priority
Stats show that 92% of mobile video viewers share the content with others. What that mean is that what you’ve heard time and time again is true — video has huge potential to both engage and help you reach new audiences. So, if video is not yet part of your content strategy, you need to make 2019 the year you start experimenting with it.
Producing video marketing content doesn’t have to be scary, expensive or time-consuming. Apps on our phones, such as iMovie for iPhone, make it easy to shoot and edit video straight from your mobile device. Although today’s mobile devices produce pretty good quality video, you can get yourself a tripod and microphone if you want to improve the overall quality.
Encourage Your Audience to Interact with Your Content
Blogs are a great way to encourage community building/dialogue, and the age-old tactic of adding a question at the end is still a great way to spark a conversation with your audience. The great thing is that even if many of your audience members are not willing to give their two cents, they can still read through comment threads, which will inspire them to become better acquainted with the subject and what you do.
However, you should also aim to find ways to make your audience interact with content that you distribute beyond your website. You should create pieces that make your customers stop and think so they don’t just skim through without getting the full scope of what it is you can offer them.
For example, a worksheet or short quiz is a great way to get your customers to learn more about what you do and reflect on why they need your product/service. Try using an adaptive form on your website to make it simple for customers to provide you with information while consuming content.
Collaborate with Influencers and Key Figures in Your Industry
I’m not just talking about offering influencers your product or service and having them give you a quick mention on social media. You should aim to build relationships with influencers and key figures in your industry, and collaborate with them on projects that will benefit you both.
Act-On’s very own Senior Vice President of Marketing, Nina Church-Adams, employs this tactic on her weekly LinkedIn videos and has seen huge engagement. She is collaborating with other marketers and partners doing interesting work in marketing, which has helped her start interesting dialogues that engage a wider audience and bring recognition to our brand.
Be Prepared to Respond to Micro-Moments
In 2019, one of your main goals should be to create content that satisfies your audience’s “I want to…” moments, or micro-moments as Google likes to call them. These are the moments when your leads and customers have a pressing question or need a quick solution to a problem, and you should be prepared to rescue the day with content that helps to meet those needs.
Not sure how this plays out? You should start by thinking of the questions your customers will likely be typing into their search engine that will lead them to the solution they need. Then craft content aimed at answering that question and enabling them to see how your product/service is what they need.
Check out this blog post if you want more tips on how you can use micro-moments to engage your audience.
Take Advantage of Untapped Markets
Is there a particular target segment that can benefit doing business with you that remains untapped by your competitors? You can take advantage of this by creating content specifically for this audience.
Why is this worthwhile? Well, to start, being the first to tap into a market can enable you to establish yourself as a thought leader within that particular industry or audience base. And your new customers can act as ambassadors for you, spreading the word to their peers.
Get Creative with Your Distribution Efforts
Housing your content one your website alone won’t do the trick if your goal is get more views. The quality of your promotional efforts is as important as the content piece itself. To ensure your content gets seen, you need to make sure your distribution efforts are strategic and consistent.
If it isn’t yet, social media should become an important part of your content promotion strategy. In fact, 61% of B2B content marketers have upped their social media as part of their content marketing efforts, so that’s an implication that it works. Using a social media content management tool is a great way to schedule out your content promotion posts without having to think too much about it.
An automated campaign is another great way to distribute a new content piece. There’s no need to make your new content piece the center of attention in every single email. Instead, provide customer segments with various opportunities to get a taste of what’s ahead, so they feel more inclined to fill out a form, download and engage with your content once the appropriate email comes their way.