January is traditionally the most popular month for such unfunny topics as detoxification, clearing out and losing weight. This year, the trend is not just about avoiding unhealthy foods or resolving to exercise more: in the face of increasing information overload, more and more people are prescribing a"digital detox". They set up online time slots, filter their news feeds and reflect on the value of offline activities.
Last year, awareness of content marketing reached even the smallest B2B companies. The number of corporate blogs and company accounts on social networks increased proportionally. 2020 will show which companies will continue to reach their target groups with which strategy in the content competition.
Here are five tips on how to maintain a good connection with your target groups in the new year:
1. Print is experiencing a renaissance
Anyone who thinks print is dead is on the wrong track: Circulation, especially of daily newspapers, has certainly fallen steadily in recent years. But the daily flood of digital information makes picking up a magazine a real experience again. Well-researched articles with real, informative added value from well-founded, pre-selected sources: Fake news, attempts at manipulation and hate speech remind readers of the value of good journalism. This must also be the basis of content marketing.
2. Personal encounters are becoming more attractive again: but online and offline are coming together
We have now tested the advantages and limitations of digital communication sufficiently. One thing is clear: personal contact cannot be replaced. If you really want to reach your target groups, you cannot do without the personal offline experience. Organizing events is becoming increasingly popular. Whether it is a workshop, lecture, trade fair stand, eSports event or user meeting - digitalization is coming offline: one can no longer do without the other.
3. Emancipated reception: Users specifically search for relevant content
Nothing bores us more these days than irrelevant blabla. Users search the web with a specific goal in mind and also have a good sense for the right content. The search usually starts on Google - and it usually ends at the end of the first search results page at the latest. That's why more and more companies are relying on Google Ads in addition to search engine optimized websites: With ad texts that are to the point for precisely defined search queries, they can reach people who are potentially interested in their offer right at the beginning of their search history. It is important for advertisers to note that clicking on the ad is only the beginning of a good content strategy.
4. Brevity is the soul of wit
No matter which channels companies use to offer content: Today, nobody has time to read long texts. The trend is towards keywords, quickly understandable lists and manageable graphics. And from the point of view of search engine optimization, the secret to success does not lie in the number of characters in a homepage text. Rather, it is about uniqueness, quality and added value. And content managers achieve these best by taking the reader's point of view: What does the user need, when and in what form?
5. Micro-influencers as sparring partners
Until now, the secret to success of good influencer marketing was to cooperate with accounts that had as many followers as possible. More and more companies are now relying on so-called micro-influencers, who deal with a niche topic with a manageable number of followers. They are credible, reach the right target group and act more as a supportive partner than as an advertising medium. Micro-influencers are becoming increasingly important, especially in the B2B segment.