When it comes to digital marketing in this day and age, content means everything. Today’s content isn’t a standard five hundred word blog post with stock photos and a call to action. In order to come close to the golden viral numbers, you have to stand out from the crowd.
Let’s walk through some of the most recent game changers in the digital marketing world.
Infographics
Over the past few years, any company living up to the trends in the digital marketing era has released some sort of infographic. Infographics are highly sharable, catchy, and are more fun to read than a generic blog post. But, with the more companies releasing these, the competition to stand out continues to increase and companies are left searching for a new unique and sharable piece.
Gifographics
If you’re looking for a type of content to “one up” your infographics, the best option could be the gifographic. This is a mix between an interactive and a static infographic. If you don’t have the budget to go all out with a custom interactive, a visually moving infographic is your best bet. These stand out amongst the static graphics and are more likely to be shared around the web. After all, if it’s good enough for Google it should be good enough for your business!
Live Streams
With today’s technology it is so simple to live stream. UStream has been around for quite some time and now companies like Meerkat and Periscope have jumped in the mix creating apps that can be launched at the tap of the finger off your smart phone.
How does this help set the bar above your competitors? This tactic is real-time, gives content urgency, allows viewers to be involved, and is ready to share at the tap of a button.
Podcasts
This one is a throwback that is really starting to find its niche in the content space. Who is to thank for that? Money and technology. Today’s consumers are all about finding value, and today’s technology is perfect for podcasting. Podcasts are the perfect combination because they are relatively low-cost to create and, with the variety of recording and playing options, it is something almost anyone can do. Not only that, users love the break from reading a blog post or digesting a graphic. A podcast is easy for users to listen to and provides a ton of value.
Additionally, smartphones make podcasts accessible and easy to share. A podcast could be a perfect investment for your company if you’re looking for another way to reach your consumers. Not only can you offer entertaining and valuable information, but you can reach a new audience that your blog articles or infographics are not touching.
Involving the Fans
As you can see, the trend for content is moving towards interactivity and this means not just engaging your target audience but also allowing them to interact with the content. This is also evidenced by the growing technology trends and two-way communication between brands and consumers. In order to keep up with competition you should consider how you can create content that involves and interacts with your target audience.
For instance, Marc Jacobs ran a campaign on Instagram during NYFW this year to actually let the fans help choose their new models for their spring 2015 ad campaign. They only chose eleven of the submissions directly through this social media platform, but gained over seventy thousand submissions. Talk about margin.
To sum it up, it’s time to think outside of the box and get ahead of the game in today’s digital marketing trends. This doesn’t always mean coughing up more money, it’s coming up with a more creative way to hook your followers and encourage them to pass along your content.
Don’t get stuck in your traditional content strategies, sometimes taking a risk and trying a new type of content can bring huge dividends!
What other types of content have you seen that break the mold?
This post originally appeared on CopyPress, and is re-published with permission.
Featured Image: violetkaipa via Shutterstock
