For the past couple of years in digital marketing the narrative has largely been the same: “Content is King!” All businesses from large corporations to small non-profits were told that they should manage their audience effectively, advertise when necessary, but above all else never compromise frequent content! Not only is this now false, but we tell you what your number one priority should be in digital advertising for 2017.
It’s said that content can increase you search engine rankings, generate more social media views, drive potential clients to your website, and generate free publicity for your brand. This is all true! However, this only works if your content is unique and different than the rest of the Internet and people actually care about what you have to say, which are both significant barriers for companies of all sizes.
As a result of marketers pushing every company for more content, the Internet and our social networks have become inundated with very similar written and visual content that provides very little novel value to readers. No one could possibly read all of the interesting content on their newsfeed! The effect of this problem is that content no longer becomes a differentiator for companies; it’s simply a requirement for digital marketers that doesn’t carry very much weight.
We are seeing a regime change in the social media and digital marketing sphere. Content is no longer King! It has been replaced by engagement, which shows to be much more effective in building relationships and providing value to clients and cohorts alike. It’s incredibly important that we change our focus toward reacting to posts, pictures, videos, and more by commenting, sharing, retweeting, liking, favoriting, following, and subscribing.
Changing the direction of our efforts from creating content to engaging with others and their content will take time, but those that embrace it first and see the value in building these online relationships within their social network can expect to see much better growth compared to competitors who subscribe to the old regime of digital marketing.
Questions? Ask our company’s digital marketing expert and engagement specialist: Dylan DeClerck – dylan@pablow.com.
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