TRENDING NOW FROM G/L
Every Monday morning, the G/L office starts our week by meeting together and updating everyone on new business, old business, this week’s needs, last week’s successes – all the good stuff. We always take time at the end of these meetings to discuss what is trending now in our marketing and design world. We decided that what we talk about isn’t only beneficial to us, but to our clients and followers – so throughout the week we share some of our favorite trends with you.
THE EVOLVING CONTENT LANDSCAPE
If you’ve been to a digital or general marketing conference during the past year, you’ve probably heard this phrase a lot: “Content is King,” or alternatively, “social media is gasoline; content is fire”.
Creating engaging content should be one of the biggest objectives for most brands for the foreseeable future. However, sometimes there is a disconnect in defining what engaging content actually looks like. While primarily text-based blogs (like this one!) are incredibly important, being creative about the vehicle that content is served on is evolving rapidly.
A recent article from Contently looks at three newer content formats that they expect to gain traction this year. Here are their insights compiled with our thoughts:
Branded Web Stories
The way that we view video has changed dramatically during the past decade. Heck, it’s changed a lot even in the past year. Consumers have continued to move away from the model that half-hour or hour-long TV shows to be viewed at a certain time are the only way that people can get their entertainment.
Branded Web Stories are a big part of the shift. While brands will continue to put versions of their commercials on sites like YouTube, many are going much further and creating stories that stand alone as entertainment in a way that viewers will actively seek out. The branded examples shown are high quality in every way possible. See the video Contently references below.
Plus, with how much YouTube celebrities are making these days, it doesn’t make sense to skimp on costs.
As the article states, nearly 80% of consumer Internet traffic will be video based within the next three years. The message seems clear: invest in video content now and stay ahead of the curve.
Interactive Infographics
Infographics have become exponentially more popular in recent years. They’ve created a compelling way to pull words and numbers together to create a puzzle that’s visually appealing to the viewer.
While static infographics have grown, some notable interactive infographics have captured the attention of viewers. Look out for our blog this week solely about interactive infographics.
Branded Comics
We preach the importance of telling compelling stories on a daily basis. A visual way to do that might crack through in 2015 through still comics and illustrations by telling and ongoing narrative. With this option in particular though, it’s important to make sure that the content fits your brand’s guidelines. See the cartoon Contently references below.
Content continues to grow as a marketing tool, but finding the right medium to use that content is half the battle. Our team is constantly looking for new ways to create and leverage digital content in a way that strongly resonates with the end user.
Want to talk more about creative content landscapes? Fill out the form below or email us at [email protected] and we will lend our time to discuss your digital, design and content needs.
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