One of the most long-lived traffic generation and web marketing techniques in use is without a doubt blogging. For over a decade, blogging has been the preferred way for businesses to attract customers online. Thanks to its low cost and high potential impact, it’s an appealing way to promote any brand. Far from being dated and passé, blogging is roaring back with a vengeance nowadays. There are at least four trends that will dominate blogging in the coming year.
Long-Form Narratives on the Upswing
A journalistic approach to blogging is one of the best ways to differentiate yourself in the world of blogs. Shallow, flippant interpretations of the latest news are abundant online. Trite and pithy won’t get your posts noticed in the long run. These days, readers want to be presented with a compelling narrative that dives deeply into serious issues and offers a fresh take on a topic. The success of bloggers like James Altucher proves that this approach yields results.
Tighter Targeting via Analytics
The use of advanced analytics to increase conversions in every area of blogging has gone from being an optional technique to an absolute must. No matter what tack you take in your blogging, the use of highly targeted posts shaped by analytics feedback is a surefire path to marketing success. Insights into your core audience demographics and their unique tastes gathered by Google Analytics and competing platforms can help any blog to find an edge in an increasingly crowded market.
The Merger of Social and Mobile
It’s no secret that traditional search is becoming somewhat less relevant to the average web user when it comes to finding content. More and more, consumers are leveraging social media cues to discover compelling content that matters to them. In addition, the use of mobile devices to consume blog content online is on the rise. These phenomena are rapidly converging to create a new online marketing order. This trend will only accelerate as web surfers consume an increasing amount of content on their various mobile devices.
A Whole Lot More Media
At long last, the problem of indexing media content for search has been cracked by the likes of Pinterest and Google Images. This sea change has massive implications for SEO that shouldn’t be ignored by bloggers. Including a lot of relevant visual data can positively impact organic SERPs rankings when done properly. In addition, the use of video within blogs will continue to grow in importance as consumers demand more visual content from publishers on the web.
Staying On Top of Your Game
There’s always a temptation to resort to shortcuts to get ahead in the blogging world. No matter what blogging tactics you end up using, real results require real effort and ingenuity. In an always-on, 24/7 world that’s wired to the gills, genuine insight is one commodity that will always be in short supply. However you eventually choose to make your blog stand out from the crowd, quality will always necessarily be the biggest part of the equation.
