Last week, we shared some marketing opportunities on the horizon — but 2016 will also be a time of marketing challenges. Could it be that for every new content form or channel that is opening to marketers, an old one is falling in relevance or utility? Join us as we take a look at some of the challenges facing marketers in the coming year — and share some thoughts on how savvy marketers can combat them.
Have you been seeing recent articles about “content shock” or “content burnout”? First of all, it’s nothing new — some marketers have been foretelling the fall of content as the top marketing tactic for years now. And yet, content continues to be key to digital marketing. According to the 2016 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends report, today’s B2B organizations use an average of 13 types of content.
So let’s take a look at the facts. With 88% of B2B marketers utilizing content marketing, there is indeed more content out there than any prospect can be expected to consume. It’s true the organic social reach has declined, and that audiences are more discerning about the content they engage with than they were just a few short years ago. So what’s a marketer to do?
Fear not. Content is still a productive way to engage your leads and guide them through the buyer’s journey. You just need to get creative.
In 2016, commit to developing new types of content to entice your audience and offer value. Whether it’s using new technologies like virtual reality or tapping into existing technologies in new ways, such as through episodic content, your organization can cut through the noise with high-quality, innovative pieces. Be sure to rigorously track KPIs so that you can evaluate your new content’s performance and replicate your success.
If you’ve been paying attention to marketing and advertising news, you are no doubt aware of the recent, dramatic rise in the use of ad blockers. For marketers, this is a scary thing.
But ask yourself, would people block ads if they felt ads were delivering what they wanted to see? Let’s face it, too often marketers have alienated the very people they have wanted to woo with intrusive, difficult-to-close ads. Marketers should take the rise of ad-blocking as an impetus to do two things: adjust strategy to reach people in ways that are not affected by ad blockers, and create ads that won’t drive more people to adopt ad blockers.
Plenty of types of marketing content are not affected by ad blockers, including native Twitter, Instagram and Facebook ads. If you see a major drop in qualified traffic related to ad blockers, reevaluate where and how you advertise, and do some research on how you can continue to reach your audience. Moreover, consider taking some of your ad budget and repurposing it to organically reach your audience through tactics like SEO improvements and educational content creation.
When you do create ads in 2016, take extra care to create visually attractive, compelling ads that respect the viewers’ wishes. Avoid techniques like ads that mislead users who wish to close them. Base your ad strategy, like your content strategy, on offering value.
What other marketing challenges are you expecting in 2016? Are you looking for strategies to deal with them? Contact us — we’re always happy to talk.
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