Struggling to follow all the trends and fads in the digital space?
The online world is developing so fast, that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the tempo.
You may want to start advertising on Instagram, introduce a Messenger Bot to improve your customer service, or even consider marketing on Snapchat?
Attempts to adapt to new trends, however, can be exhausting.
But have you ever asked yourself if you really need to be everywhere and do everything experts are advising?
NO, YOU DON’T.
You only need to be at the right place and do the right thing.
And that’s why I decided not to create one of those long top-10-somethings lists and rather write about the digital marketing trend that is relevant to every online business in 2016.
Can you guess what it is?
TURNING YOUR BUSINESS INTO AN INDEPENDENT MEDIA CHANNEL
Yes, that’s right.
What I mean by that is simply producing educational or entertaining content about the industry you’re in, the products you’re selling or the services you’re providing..
You should find out what your buyers are interested in and add value to your audience through engaging content. FOR FREE.
If you’re selling wine, teach people how to distinguish a good wine or what food goes well with different types of wine.
Your goal here is to build trust in the consumer’s mind through free content. It demonstrates that you know what you’re talking about and that you’re not simply trying to push your products on them.
People are, in fact, sick of push-advertising in the digital space.
According to MediaPost, more than 82% of web users already ignore your online ads
Therefore, businesses are starting to focus on more organic approach of first giving away valuable content for free and then trying to capture value from customers.
Depending on your preferences and type of business, there are various paths you can take .
Here is what we recommend:
PRODUCE VIDEO CONTENT
Video is booming right now.
Many world renowned experts even believe it is the future of content marketing. And they might be right.
I bet you have already noticed the interactive way news publishers are presenting information across their social media accounts.
Take Tech Insider, for example.
They are regularly posting entertaining and informative videos, all 30-to-90 seconds in length. And guess what?
People love them. This post alone has over 1.5K shares.
Another great example is the Facebook page which you may have already heard of – Tasty.
It was started by Buzzfeed just 10 months ago and they have already achieved the staggering 60M fans just on this platform.
Have a look at this post.
Notice how they first tease you visually and then they invite you to visit their website to read the full recipe presented in the video. Genius, right?
Imagine how much traffic they get.
START A PODCAST
Podcasting is great way to build loyalty in your audience.
It is extremely convenient for your followers, as they can listen to your episodes anytime, anywhere, which is not the case with blog posts or video content.
Podcasting also helps create a deeper connection with your audience, as listening to your voice for hours is a much more personal and intimate experience than reading.
London Real, for example, is a popular YouTube channel about personal development and transformation.
Brian Rose, an ex-Wall Street banker, started the podcast in 2013 and so far has interviewed over 200 amazing people who have achieved success in life – from entrepreneurs and business mentors to fitness gurus and spiritual leaders.
The Result? over 160,000 subscribers on YouTube. Recently, Brian also launched the so-called London Real Academy, which quickly gathered over 500 paying subscribers.
START A BLOG
If you are not the kind of person who likes to show up or talk in front of other people, starting a blog might be a better choice for you and your business.
It is not by any means less efficient than the previous two. There is, however, much higher competition on this “battlefield”.
According to the best source I could find, there are currently over 450M blogs on the web.
This shouldn’t scare you, though. Why? Because good content works and will help you stand out from the crowd.
CONCLUSION
In the end, it all boils down to the reciprocity principle – nurture your relationships with customers by delivering value through free content, and when the time is right capture value from customers in return. And the new digital age brought about plenty of opportunities for this.
The more you give, the more you will get.
Do not forget, however, that just producing great content is never enough.
What’s the point of publishing high quality articles on your blog if nobody knows about it?
That’s why, you should spend at least as much time promoting your content as you do producing it.
But don’t worry…
We will cover this topic in another article.
Until then, do your research and think about how you can add value to your customers with free content. Can you entertain them? Educate? What problems of theirs can you solve?
Let’s take advantage of the digital era we are living in and share as much knowledge as possible.
Don’t focus on making money.
Focus on driving value. Money will follow.
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