Image via Adam Bowie/Flickr CC

Digital technology is constantly evolving and changing and as it does, it affects how we craft our business communications. Keep your eye on these five content trends that affect your PR and marketing strategy:

The Rise of Voice Search

According to comScore, by 2020 half of all search queries will be done by voice. This means your content strategy needs adjustment. How people write a text query and how they speak it are entirely different. You need to develop content that aligns with voice search or risk losing your online visibility.

The Increase in Mobile Search

3 out of 5 searches, and more than 50% of local searches, happen on a mobile device. Make sure your content delivers a superior experience on a small screen. If you haven’t already optimized your site for mobile, do so immediately.

Another aspect of mobile is that people expect to find the answer they are searching for right on the search results page. This requires a major change in how you write the content that gets displayed by search engines.

Branded Content

People are resistant to advertising, but they welcome good content that has value. Your content needs to be more creative and less disruptive. Use analytics and data to discover the topics of conversation relevant to your brand and become part of that conversation.

Content Amplification

Adjusting your strategy to these content trends takes a lot of skill and effort. Once you’ve created a great piece of content, squeeze the last drop of reach and engagement from it. Re-purposes it into different formats – take a podcast and make it into articles, blog posts and social media posts correctly formatted for each platform. Create Instagram Stories and, if appropriate, design an infographic. Put the highlights into a slide deck. Make a short video trailer for the podcast.

Measurement

It’s no longer enough to keep grinding out more and more content, hoping for the best. You need to know exactly which content is producing results and which is not. Without analytics and measurement you’re just throwing spaghetti against the wall. It’s a waste of valuable time and resources.

There’s no doubt that the digital media landscape, and what your audiences expect from you, continues to change. Are you keeping pace with these content trends?

Get a free evaluation of your current content strategy Call 888 243 3470