According to the Chinese, 2015 is the year of the sheep. But here at lotus823, we believe it’s the year of content marketing. Last year, we had a pretty good run within the “marketing” realm, but 2015 is going to be life changing for all you marketers out there.
2014 Content Marketing Trends
Incase you forgot, here’s a quick recap of what was trending in 2014; let’s face it, we know two months can feel like a decade in the marketing stratosphere.
Diversity and social media marketing
While Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn were the most popular social sites for content marketing, it wasn’t good enough. In order to stay afloat with some of the top contenders, brands needed to adapt a diverse social media marketing strategy. This is the one case where, more was better.
It’s all about that visual content
Image-centric content was huge in 2014. Consumers are much more engaged with an appealing image, then a descriptive caption. Need more proof? Sign into Pinterest and the rest is history.
Less is more
With hundreds of brands entering the marketing world on a daily basis, consumers are starting to get annoyed with all the marketing material floating around. If you wanted to be the one they loved in 2014, you had to keep it short and sweet!
Retargeting is part of the permanent process
2014 showed us; just how powerful retargeting ads could be on the consumer. Now you had the opportunity to be a constant reminder to all potentials in the market.
Marketing Predictions in 2015
Now that we’ve taken care of old business, let’s begin with the items on the new marketing agenda.
Videos will rule the content marketing throne.
It only seems fitting to start off with one of the hottest trends for 2015, video content. While video is nothing new for most brands, however, everyone is realizing that video content is no longer a luxury and needs to be part of every strategy. Still need a little more convincing on the new adoption? Keep in mind that YouTube is the second largest search website!
Give your guests a proper goodbye.
You might have thought guest blogging would be a great way to gain links; well 2015 has a new prediction for that one. This year marketers are encouraged to stick a fork in their guest blogging tactics; it becomes to “spammy” otherwise. And nobody really appreciates a can of spam. In order to get noticed, brands need to become the storytellers, rather than pushing out content solely for links and impressions.
A blast from the past with link building.
We never thought we’d say this but basic link building is back. This is just one thing you can’t cheat the system with. This basic solution really comes into play if you’re a local business. Link building is extremely important to utilize if you’re looking to get your story out!
Bloggers, say hello to social media.
Bloggers will have much more success if they have a large social following to back it. We all know how important social media has been, and this year is no exception. If you’re looking to work with some of the top brands on the market, your UVM (Unique Visitors per Month) isn’t going to cut it anymore. You’ll need a strong social following for additional support.
Mobile content is a must
On average, most Americans’ spend a grand total of 3 hours a day on their mobile devices. Marketers need to account for this popularity to make sure they’re meeting the consumer’s demand by creating quality and engaging mobile content. SnapChat took a leap of faith, earlier this year, with their new Discover feature; and it’s pretty obvious the risk is definitely paying off. Key takeaway: keep you viewers engaged with endless opportunities via their smartphone.
Given the clear shift toward content marketing, this year is going to be a creative one for most marketers. We are officially two months into 2015 and it’s starting to feel crystal clear as to what the new direction will be.
What marketing predictions are you preparing for this year?