What’s the most critical factor in a company’s online marketing success? According to a recent survey, it’s creating original content.
Social Media Examiner recently published the results of its annual Social Media Marketing Industry report, which solicited views from 2,800 marketing professionals around the world. The main goal of the survey is to assess trends in digital marketing, particularly as they relate to social media. The main takeaway from the survey? Most of the industry agrees that original content is the foundation of digital success.
Following best practices is critical to maximizing results from digital marketing efforts. At DBC Digital, we know that the virtual landscape can change in an instant. Google’s search ranking algorithms can change, social networks can revise their practices and policies, and new data constantly produces new insights into efficient marketing operations. Staying on top of these trends is vital to remaining relevant and efficient in pursing an online consumer base.
No one knows what the future may hold for digital marketing, but the smartest marketers will steel their focus on what they can do to promote a brand today–not tomorrow. Here are some other key insights from Social Media Examiner’s report.
Emphasize Written Content
Original content distinguishes one brand–and its digital properties–from its competitors. Original content can come in many forms. According to Social Media Examiner, though, written content remains the most valuable form.
There are many reasons written content may hold higher values than other forms of original content, such as videos and infographics. For one, text can be crawled by search engines, making it easier to discover than other types of content. Written content is also easier to consume, particularly when on-the-go or with limited Internet bandwidths. In many cases, it’s much easier to read a written tweet than it is to watch a 15-second video. All of this might contribute to digital marketers seeing written content as offering the best value.
Deploy Social Media for Content Promotion
Social media remains a very valuable, and highly utilized, method of promoting original content. In 2014, though, the hierarchy of this content promotion is changing. Organic views through Facebook are being gradually curbed as the network looks to encourage more paid advertising. For marketers seeking the best ROI, free content exposure and distribution is the better channel for reaching consumers.
This is why many respondents reported a declining use of Facebook for promoting original content, while Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other competing social networks have elevated in value. Facebook is still a worthwhile platform for promoting original content, but other social networks should also be integrated.
Analyze Performance, Adapt Your Approach
The industry’s best practices offer general guidance to help any business. But the greatest value of digital marketing comes when strategy has been highly customized. Every business has different needs, and consumers will respond in their own unique way to content and other components of your strategy.
Analytics tools are a dime-a-dozen nowadays, and they offer essential insights into how digital strategy is performing. As you publish content and track the performance of your efforts, you might find that certain types of content perform better than others. It’s also possible that other types of content will outperform original written content. When your data feedback delivers these insights, it’s wise to listen and adjust your strategy accordingly. Written content may be the gander’s key to success, but this trend promises nothing to the individual goose.
Whether you need help producing written content, implementing a social strategy or jump-starting other aspects of your digital strategy, contact DBC Digital to get started on a better path.
