2014 was a year of change in the content marketing industry. Last year, the majority of marketers were still trying to define and implement content. But by now, most marketers understand the crux of content marketing and are therefore asking, “How do I actually do it?”
Here are some of the year’s most game-changing advancements that are helping marketers improve their content strategies and connect with audiences organically:
LinkedIn releases Dynamic Duo It’s safe to say that the publishing platform of the year belongs to LinkedIn, which released its cutting-edge Dynamic Duo service this past spring. Dynamic Duo is one of the most comprehensive content delivery networks on the Web, as it provides both a content marketing score and a trending content ranking. Marketers can now see exactly what topics readers are clicking on in real time, as well as whether their content strategies are working.
Big data is getting smaller Big data analysis can help brands gain a clearer picture of customer habits and spending patterns. But now, big data is “shrinking” in the sense that marketers are breaking down information and using it to steer their content strategies. Big data, in other words, can now be used to create more-specific buyer personas and highly targeted content.
Long-form content is coming back Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable output of short content on the Web, meaning blogs that range anywhere from 300 to 1,000 words, or videos that range anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute in length. But now, readers are demanding long-form content. Long-form content—which can be anywhere from 2,000 to 7,000 words— is typically much more comprehensive and includes several different types of multimedia.
Surprisingly, the resurgence of long-form content is being seen on mobile devices, in addition to traditional Web copy. Consider Buzzfeed’s article “Why I Bought a House in Detroit for $500,” which received over a million page views despite being more than 6,000 words long. Phone users spent an average of 25 minutes reading the piece.
What’s the benefit of long-form content? By increasing the length of your articles and creating highly compelling material, you will keep people on your site for longer periods of time, thus reducing bounce rates.
Although businesses will undoubtedly continue to search for new ways to deliver content to their customers in 2015, keep in mind that quality and engaging content are at the root of any strong content marketing program. Use this year’s advancements as a way to better understand your audience and tailor your content accordingly.
Susan Levand, senior product marketing manager of InterCall.
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