One of the greatest things about my job and industry is that it never stands still – there’s always something new to learn, adapt to and master. This is something I look for because it stops me getting bored and allows me to push for better results every time but that doesn’t mean it isn’t stressful or confusing sometimes. As quality content continues to gain importance, it’s just as important to look at where our content goes and how it’s used. Those who do this can come up with something unique and original that will catch on like wildfire and spread throughout the industry.
Utilising new mediums and technologies
The value of blog posts, images, videos and infographics are widely well known. Used correctly, with proper planning and distribution channels and times, any brand or person can gain some good traction and this raises authority and awareness. These are two important factors, and if you choose the most suitable medium each time, you get an audience that keeps coming back to you.
There are more things becoming available to wider audiences as technology continues to advance and spread and this opens up new options for marketers to really interact with their audiences – and that’s the real key here: interaction. If my blog gets over one hundred views a day, then that’s okay because there’s probably something drawing that number of people to it but if it gets comments and discussions around what I’ve said, or even the topics I’ve covered as well as shares and other social traction, then that’s better, yes?
Making content more friendly for smaller screens on tablets and smartphones – and even wearables such as smartwatches or Google Glass for example – is something that many people haven’t gotten to grips with yet. A blog post of 700 words on a smartphone is going to be a lot of scrolling and people might get bored so it’s going to be finding new ways to communicate with this audience that becomes important.
As gaming continues to become an acceptable medium for education, informing and entertaining, should we focus on this to get people engaging with the content we have on offer and potentially explore other areas of the brand? It changes for everyone and depends on the time and resources you have available.
That is not to say we should abandon current formats. They do provide value and allow for more in-depth discussion than what mobile devices can offer.
Quality or quantity again…
One thing is clear to me – content is still important and it will continue to be for some time. There are thousands and thousands of articles being published online every day, and thousands of blog posts every month so standing out from this crowd is not going to be easy by any means. This means that, while you need regular content and a content strategy, it has to be exceptional and as much as possible feature something new and unique and engaging (either through the content itself or the medium) to really keep your audience.
Posting five blogs a day, for example, is not always feasible and if there’s very little value in the content there’s no point. Put that time into researching for one blog and keeping social channels active and responsive. Research new things you can try, carry out some experiments and get some feedback on your ideas. If you really want to stand out, then this is what’s going to have to happen over the next year or two as we try to keep up with technology, mediums and audiences.
Once again, it all seems to come back to engagement and this is just as important as quality content.
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