Content Trends for 2017
By Hallie Moser
Happy New Year! 2016 has come to an end, and we are welcoming 2017 with open arms! The new year is filled with hope and excitement of what’s to come, and we. are. ready.
Just like last year’s New Years blog, we are keeping you up-to-date with the important trends you should be implementing in your marketing strategy this year.
1. Keep your social media candid
As an overall strategy, working agile will improve your marketing services. Working agile through the scrum methodology is planning for the short-term in order to be more flexible and innovative in the long-term.
Mix scheduled posts with live feed for both an organic and large presence in the industry. You’ll notice whenever social posts stand out it’s when brands aren’t censored, they have fun on their channels – acting human like these clever examples.
Your content planning should be done in terms of sprints – faster in, faster out. You can’t plan a whole month of content ahead of time because you don’t know what will happen that month, or week even.Take a look at this guide to using scrum methodology for a better understanding on the methodology and how it can benefit your agency.
2. Interactive storytelling
According to recent data, people want to engage in a story – to become a part of something larger.
When you can tell a story about an individual person that we can relate to, empathise with, or admire, you will hook us much more than the company that is trying to sell us stuff. Interactive storytelling develops deeper connections with your audience.
It engages users in a meaningful relationship with your brand. Focus on three points (emotion, message, and morale) in order to tell a thrilling story that your followers will resonate with.
3. Influencers and sponsorships
Did you know Youtube is the second largest search engine? That instagram had 600 million users in 2016?
There are users who have millions of followers, posting content about their lives every day, who people CHOOSE to follow – and who can represent you better than half of the commercials you put out.
Why? Because people don’t trust companies, they trust people. The influencer you choose already loves your product (or will love your product after they are introduced to it) and they have a huge following of people that are similar or have similar interests, that already trust them.
With a simple email you can build a relationship with these users, who can then show your product to their followers for a huge ROI. Find someone who mirrors what your brand represents and let them reach out to the following you’re looking for.
4. Live videos and social networking
Get out your phone and start recording live feeds! All the big media gurus (Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook) let you post live videos, and there’s a reason – people love the candid, uncensored content!
You need to be present on social media channels, and evolve as they evolve. Social Networks are what television used to be in the 90’s.
Gary Vaynerchuk said it best when he said “the person who makes ‘the Seinfeld’ on social media wins.” Meaning don’t wait for the bandwagon to jump on, create original content and lead the wagon and you will have major industry power.
If you feel uninspired think of the fact that only a little over a year ago Snapchat was only snaps without filters, Facebook didn’t have a live option, and instagram didn’t have a messaging feature. Now businesses and publishers have their own geographical filters, live videos, and sponsored ads on all three! If your present on trending channels, you will evolve with the community and with that comes endless opportunities.
Best Wishes for 2017!
I hope these were beneficial tips to waking up your strategy! Download your free Social Planning Worksheet!