5 More Digital Marketing Tactics That Will Give You an Edge in 2019—Part 2
In Part 1 of this article, we outlined 7 digital marketing trends that will help you stand out in 2019. In Part 2, we are offering 5 more tactics, this time focusing on those that center around content.
Let’s look at these content marketing trends now…
1) User-Generated Content
User-generated content has been leading the way for a while now, but it should certainly be a top priority for your company in 2019.
Honesty and authenticity are what sell in today’s market, especially where millennials are concerned. It’s human nature to trust humans, not brands, and when content is authentic in the eyes of your customers, they consider it to be influential.
According to Stackla, people are 3 times more likely to feel that content created by a consumer is authentic versus content created by a brand. User-generated content is content that your fans put out and it’s what will win over consumers. It’s essentially another type of word-of-mouth advertising.
Social media has made it very easy for consumers to check out a brand not by what the brand says about itself but by what its customers have to say about it.
Influencer marketing, in which companies pay influencers to promote their offers, plays off this idea as well because people trust the influencers they follow. Other examples include getting people to make posts related to a topic you are promoting, encouraging people to post photos at your event with a hashtag, and running contests on social media.
2) Shorter Content
Blog length has been growing and growing over the past few years since longer content tends to rank better. Don’t get us wrong—long-form content is not going away. But attention spans don't match that trend, and in many cases, it's not what readers want, especially millennials.
There is something to be said about short content that people actually want to read all the way through. Not every topic warrants a 1500-word article. Some topics can be short and to the point, and as long as they are powerfully written, they are likely to be read more frequently and get more engagement. In 2019, we suspect companies will create a combination of long and short articles depending on the topic.
3) Personalized, Interactive, & Branded Content
There is no shortage of content on the web, and the noise is only going to get louder. Content marketing has been one of the most important digital marketing tactics for several years now, and more and more companies are jumping on the bandwagon by creating blogs. That’s why it is critical that you differentiate your company through your content.
Give people what they want.
What they don’t want is another dry article on the same topics they can find everywhere. What they do want is unique content.
They want content they can relate to.
They want content they can interact with.
Make Your Content Personalized
Personalization is certainly nothing new, but that doesn’t mean it’s old news. Far from it! In fact, consumers now expect a personalized online experience. When we are surfing the web, reading email, or engaging on social media, everything we consume is our choice… and we have lots of choices. The ones we land on and interact with are the ones that speak to us personally.
Here are some ways you can create a personalized experience for your viewers:
- Reach out and get customers engaged after they take some kind of action (such as an email after they've used your app).
- Create a calculator or quiz, and email them the results.
- Show different content based on their preferences and purchases.
- Email different content to different people based on purchases they have made or actions they have taken.
Make Your Content Interactive
The more you can get your viewers to interact with your content, the more engaged they will be and the more likely they are to convert. Not only that, but it increases engagement, boosts site traffic, attracts an audience, and improves your exposure and credibility.
So, what is interactive content? According to Jeff Bullas, “usually, it contains the most relevant and actionable information that encourages and compels users to buy products immediately.” It might include things such as…
- Live videos
- Infographics
- Podcasts
- Calculators and quizzes
Make Your Content Branded
In 2019, your content needs to reflect your branding, which includes your voice, your values, and your mission. That’s what makes your content stand apart from the rest. This comes back to authenticity and honesty. Your readers want to know you and what your company stands for. They want you to take a stand and be unique. By setting out to provide incredible value with your content, instead of just writing an article to keep Google happy, your content will naturally be authentic.
4) Voice Search
If you aren’t planning on making voice search part of your SEO strategy in 2019, you’re leaving money on the table, and potentially lots of it. With personal assistant apps and smart speakers growing at a fast rate, it is obvious that voice search is here to stay. ComScore predicts that 50% of all searches will be voice searches by the year 2020.
Marketing for voice search is very different than marketing for regular search. Learning those differences and adjusting your digital marketing tactics accordingly is highly important if you want to stay ahead of your competition. Here are the most important aspects to consider:
- Use Conversational Long-Tail Keywords – When people search using their voice, they tend to use longer, more natural phrases such as “what is the best refrigerator to buy in 2019?” Include more of these type of keywords in your content to improve your rankings for voice search by creating articles that target this type of keyword and by writing in a conversational tone. You might also create an FAQ that addresses these keywords.
- Optimize for Local Search – A large percentage of voice searches tend to be local searches because they typically come from people looking for quick answers when they are on the go. To do this, incorporate local keywords such as “where to buy the best refrigerator in Philadelphia” into your content. Having a presence on sites like Yelp and other local directories also plays a role.
- Know Your User’s Intent – Different searches have different intents, and you need to make sure you are providing the right content based on that intent. For example, a user might be looking for information, searching for a product or website, or preparing to buy a product or service.
5) Instagram Stories
Statista states that the number of daily active users of Instagram Stories has doubled from 200 million in April 2017 to 400 million just 14 months later in June 2018. That’s a massive increase in such a short amount of time.
Instagram Stories are so effective because they disappear after a set time, so they are the perfect scarcity marketing tactic, engaging people to watch them because they don’t want to miss out. Plus, they are short and fun to watch.
When you use this tool right, you can build brand awareness, attract new followers, and gain new sales. The surprising thing is that the majority of the content posted as Instagram Stories is product promotion, i.e., self-promotion (something that doesn’t usually work this well), per Brandwatch. This type of marketing is definitely worth the investment.
What’s Your Content Approach Going to Be for 2019?
By implementing some of these digital marketing tactics into your content approach for 2019, you’ll gain a competitive advantage and elicit more interest in your products and services.
What changes do you need to make to your content marketing in the coming months?
At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.
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