Content marketers must diversify the formats that they use and embrace a mixture of strategies to remain relevant to their target audiences and convert more leads into buying customers, according to the latest State of Inbound report published by marketing specialists HubSpot.
The annual study surveyed 4,500 marketers from across the globe and found several key trends, including a widespread desire to produce more blog-type content and grow an organic presence. However, there appears to be an asymmetry with what end-users and customers want from the content that they consume.
HubSpot claims that customers now want to watch more videos and read social media posts and news articles, which means that marketers should prioritise investment in content diversification. It also states that blog posts and written forms of content should be easy to digest and reflect a growing need to skim-read for the major points.
Mobile search optimisation
It continues by saying that content marketers must also push beyond their websites being the central hub for their content due to the fact that audiences are now pulling information and articles that they are interested in from a variety of sources and formats. It is not surprising that mobile is key for success as more people consume content on smartphones and tablets.
“Consumers are increasingly turning to social media, messaging apps and bots for content via their mobile,” the report noted. “This means that content consumption is becoming decentralised across the web. Today, marketers’ content strategy should extend beyond their own blogs and websites and include publishing through external outlets.”
Search engine optimisation remains a top goal for marketers, with two-thirds claiming that it is a priority for the year. HubSpot concluded by saying that the same rules apply for SEO in regards to content because there needs to be a focus on delivering engaging articles and videos across channels while also optimising strategies for mobile.
“A third of people now say their mobile is their primary device for accessing the Internet, meaning content format must fit on-the-go habits,” the report added. “Mobile notifications will play a larger role in how consumers discover content.”
