Our friends at Lucent Creative, a woman-owned digital marketing agency, have a few tips for navigating marketing in 2024.
New year, new approach–it’s time to sharpen our content planning game. The days of throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks are long gone. In this era of information overload, strategic content planning is the secret sauce for cutting through the noise and capturing your audience's attention.
So, grab your coffee, and let's embark on a journey into the future of content planning.
In 2024, it's all about understanding your audience on a personal level. Consumers are craving content that speaks directly to their needs, preferences, and pain points. Start by diving deep into your audience personas – who are they, what keeps them up at night, and how does your content make their lives better?
Leverage data analytics and social listening tools to gain insights into your audience's behavior. What are they clicking on? What are they sharing? Understanding your audience's digital footprint is key to creating content that resonates. Personalization is the name of the game, and the more you know about your audience, the better you can tailor your content to meet their expectations.
Bonus! Master your social media campaign with this blog post.
Static content is no longer enough; your audience wants to be a part of the experience. From quizzes and polls to interactive infographics and 360-degree videos, the possibilities are endless. Interactive content keeps your audience engaged and invested in your brand.
Make interactive elements a priority in your 2024 content calendar. Host live Q&A sessions, create polls on social media to gather opinions, etc. The more you can involve your audience in the content creation process, the more connected they'll feel to your brand.
In the age of information overload, quality trumps quantity. In 2024, it's not about bombarding your audience with a constant stream of content. It’s about creating meaningful, high-quality pieces that add value. Invest time in researching and producing well-crafted content that solves problems, educates, or entertains. Whether it's a blog post, video, or podcast episode, make it worth your audience's time. Consumers are looking for substance and authenticity.
If video content wasn't at the top of your content planning list before, it should be now. Video content is no longer optional; it's essential for capturing and retaining audience attention. Whether it's short-form content for social media or long-form storytelling on YouTube, video is the medium of choice for many consumers.
Incorporate a variety of video formats into your content strategy. Think about how-to videos, behind-the-scenes glimpses, customer testimonials, and even interactive live streams. Video not only allows you to convey information more dynamically but also helps humanize your brand and establish a deeper connection with your audience.
Bonus! Read about optimizing your blog with video in 2024 here.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is still a crucial element of content planning in 2024. The way people search may evolve, but the importance of being discoverable on search engines remains. Keep a keen eye on emerging SEO trends, such as the rise of voice search and the continued emphasis on user experience.
Craft content with relevant keywords, but prioritize natural language and readability. Google's algorithms are getting smarter, and they're favoring content that provides a good user experience. Focus on creating content that answers questions, solves problems, and keeps users engaged – this will naturally boost your SEO rankings.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn't just for sci-fi movies; it's a game-changer in the world of content planning. AI can analyze data, predict trends, and even suggest optimizations for your content strategy.
Explore AI-powered tools for content creation, such as automated writing assistance or image recognition for visual content. AI can help you understand what content is resonating with your audience, predict future trends, and optimize your content strategy for maximum impact. It's like having a digital ally that guides you through the ever-evolving landscape of content creation.
From understanding your audience on a personal level to embracing interactive and high-quality content, the rules of the game are evolving. Video is king, SEO is still relevant, and the power of AI and UGC is undeniable. So, roll up your sleeves, stay agile, and embark on your content odyssey armed with the trends that will shape the narrative in 2024.
Need a hand with content in 2024? Get in touch with Lucent Creative’s team of marketing professionals.
Emails still rank at the top of the charts in marketing and are crazy-successful if you execute them correctly.
Even with new social media platforms bursting onto the scene at what seems to be daily, a good old-fashioned email campaign still performs the best. Here are a few stats from HubSpot showing just how big of a punch emails throw at the competing platforms.
These stats are proof that you have a willingly captive audience that your organization only needs to tap into.
So, how do you create an email marketing campaign that engages your audience, generates new leads, and increases revenue? Don’t worry. We reached out to our partners at Lucent Creative, a female-owned digital marketing agency, and they agreed to give you the exact formula for a wildly successful email marketing campaign!
“Casting a wide net with your email campaign isn’t the key to success. You want to be specific by setting an overall goal for each campaign.”, Lucent Creative’s Founder and CEO, Kendall Walker shares.
Here are a few examples of goals you can associate with your email campaigns:
Lucent Creative’s copywriter, Nikki Newbauer, spoke to the value of setting specific goals. “Knowing your overarching goal for the email campaign will create synchronicity for your creative team. Everyone from your copywriter to graphic designer will be on the same page which creates a clear and concise path for your readers to follow.”
Below are the general categories most email campaigns fall under.
The more specific you are with the intention of your email campaign, the more success you will have in reaching your intended audience and reaching your goal.
“Readers will either opt-in by opening your email or deleting based on the subject line. Of course, you always hope your content will be enticing enough that email subscribers will open every email from your brand, but that isn’t the case.”, Nikki added.
Pro Tip: Spruce up your email subject lines with emojis and by using the subscriber’s first name.
Here are great subject lines to stir some engagement with your emails.
Of course, you want your writing to reflect the underlying goal of the email, but nothing gets people to unsubscribe from your email list faster than impersonal content. Write for humans, not sales (or whatever your email campaign endgame is). “If you choose to use AI platforms like ChatGPT to generate your email copy, please edit with a heavy hand. AI platforms may be able to churn out copy on a whim, but the writing is typically riddled with impersonal verbiage that isn’t relatable to readers.”, Nikki stresses.
Deep-Dive: To see more of our take on ChatGPT in marketing, read this post.
Nikki gave us a few tips to follow to make your email campaign a success.
Test your emails to see what your subscribers are engaging with. Knowing how your emails are performing is vital to your email campaign’s longevity. Use an email campaign platform that allows deep-dive analytics through A/B testing. Testing your emails is an entire science in and of itself so research how to set your platform to do the hardest work for your team.
Remember, your email campaign won’t be perfect. Use analytics to learn and adjust accordingly. Emails are a great way to build rapport with leads and build brand awareness. Follow these tips and let us know how your future email campaign goes!
Please do us a favor. Reach out and let us know if you’re finding these marketing posts useful in your business. Have a suggestion? Let us know!
