Marketing is a fickle industry that is consider by most to be an ever-evolving realm. The manner in which a business markets its products and services must be flexible and capable of adapting to changing technology and consumer opinion. What worked as a marketing tool in 1999 undoubtedly did not work in 2009. In fact, the tools that worked in 2013 are not guaranteed to be equally effective in 2014. With 2014 already past its halfway point, what are the trends that have dominated online marketing?
Content Marketing is Surging
One thing has been true of business websites since 2010: content is king. Consumers want fresh, relevant content when they surf the web in search of products and services. If consumer demand isn’t enough, the fact that Google punishes websites with bland, generic content should be impetus enough to get ahead of the game in content.
Content marketing is a huge tool that offers benefits to any business that uses it effectively. When used in conjunction with social media, content marketing drives traffic to your site and gets eyeballs looking at your company’s offerings. Content marketing is an effective tool for establishing your company as a thought leader in your niche. The more unique and insightful your content is, the more respected your company becomes in the marketplace.
Best of all, content marketing has the power to drive new and repeat sales because of the boost it provides your company’s status. A helpful tip: use talented copywriters to develop your content in order to give it that little something extra that draws people in.
Read More: Understanding the Power of Content Marketing
Video and Images are Vital
There is always going to be a place for text in marketing and advertising. In fact, videos and images alone get less attention from Google than videos and images with unique text attached. The battle is on for the limited attention span of consumers on the web, and video and images are a great way to grab their attention.
Images such as infographics and tutorial videos are a great way to get noticed, but don’t forget to include rich content to go along with it to attract the attention of search engines as well. The inclusion of text in video and image content can be tied back into effective content marketing strategies. When used properly, these two factors combine to lead to the final point.
Read More: How to Use YouTube Marketing for Your Pay Per Call Campaign
Content Sharing Will Continue to Increase in Importance
When you effectively use images, video, and text in your content, you are more likely to get your content noticed and have consumers share it with others via social media. Everyone has that friend that uses their Facebook page or Twitter feed to incessantly bombard their friend list with retweets and shares of their favorite infographics, memes, videos, and other consumable content. People love to share, that much is a given. When your content has fresh, relevant text and rich images or video, people are more likely to share it on social media than text-only content.