5 Factors That Could Impact Your Content Strategy in 2017. However, those protagonists didn’t really need luck. In 2017, 39 percent of brands plan to increase this investment, making it that much harder to separate yourself and drive ROI. Infographics reached 54 percent more people than blog posts. Not only did they reach more people, but the median cost to reach one reader was significantly cheaper—$0.04 for infographics versus $1.77 per blog post. Infographics also had a 73 percent completion rate while blog posts hovered around 66 percent. While infographics may, depending on the design, cost more to produce upfront, their effectiveness often makes them a savvier investment. Algorithms will redefine talent selection While most brands know which topics they want to cover and how much they want to spend, finding the right contributors for a content program can be overwhelming. On the Contently platform alone, there are over 100,000 freelancer profiles. A little luck won’t hurt, but to succeed in 2017, you’ll have to plan ahead and, ultimately, make sure you’re supported by the right tools and strategy.
Nobody wishes you luck unless you’re an underdog. In Hollywood, our favorite protagonists like Rocky, Luke Skywalker, and Elle Woods all hear the words of encouragement from friends and mentors before they take on a crucial challenge. But wishing someone luck also comes with the understanding that these protagonists may fail. (The subtext: Good luck because you’ll need it.)
However, those protagonists didn’t really need luck. When we break down their victories, we can see that they channeled all of their effort into preparing a strategy that would help them be successful.
Such preparation applies to everything from boxing to intergalactic warfare to content marketing. (You saw where this was going.) As brands increase their content investments, it will only get harder for them to outperform competitors. B2B brands already spend an average of one-third of their marketing budgets on content. In 2017, 39 percent of brands plan to increase this investment, making it that much harder to separate yourself and drive ROI.
As companies prepare to kick off their content programs in 2017, it’s important to look at the strategic levers that could impact their investments. Since luck will only get you so far, here are five factors to consider for the upcoming year.
Don’t underestimate infographics
Brands tend to fixate on blog posts—and for good reason: Text articles are an efficient way to communicate complex ideas and expertise. With the right research and tone, they can be an important differentiator for brands. However, if you invest too heavily in text, you miss out on the opportunity to stand out by trying other mediums.
When Contently’s data scientists dug into the numbers from over 3,200 pieces of client content, the results were surprising. Infographics reached 54 percent more people than blog posts. Not only did they reach more people, but the median cost to reach one reader was significantly cheaper—$0.04 for infographics versus $1.77 per blog post. Infographics also had a 73 percent completion rate while blog posts hovered around 66 percent. The largest percentage of infographic traffic came from “internal” sources, which means audiences were coming to this type of visual content after previously poking around on a site.
This doesn’t mean you should abandon blog posts. The lesson here is to think about how infographics can enhance the user experience for your audience . While infographics may, depending on the design, cost more to produce upfront, their effectiveness often makes them a savvier investment.
What happens inside downloadable content matters
Let’s say you’re developing an e-book with a $4,000 budget that will cover the costs of freelance talent, social distribution, and email and webinar campaigns. Your marketing team will probably measure the e-book’s ROI by…
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