If something is boring or dull to the eye it’s likely that it won’t garner our attention for more than a second and warrant further attention. Yes, the content could be amazing but unless it visually stands out the consumer simply won’t pursue it further. Marketing content needs to stand out visually and inspire consumers to delve beneath the surface and engage with the piece.
Marketers are of course aware of just how valuable content is and now consumers too are taking note. Content should tell a story and consumers have come to expect a lot more from brands as a result, the challenge is how to tell that story in a creative and engaging way.
From interactive content to micromoments and virtual reality, these ideas will help to make your strategy stand out in 2016.
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Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is the buzzword on everyone’s lips right now and you can’t move for opinion articles on this tech item. VR isn’t something new but it is something which has taken a while to take off. With VR content set to reach an estimated spend of $5.4 billion a year by 2025 it’s time to take a look in more detail at what VR can add to your creative content strategy. Taking the time to question if VR is for your brand should be the first priority and whether it fits in with your current business and strategy.
Key to virtual reality is the experience it can offer consumers, from product to educational experiences it helps to make lifestyles easier with consumers not even having to leave the house to test drive a car. Marketers shouldn’t overlook VR for market research purposes either. With the option to test out new markets or experiences before physically investing in them, it could help to gauge consumer interest before parting with cash. For consumers VR has the proposition to be the new smartphone and become an everyday lifestyle item.
Micromoments
Creative doesn’t just need to mean how we visually display something but also how we can think more creatively to fulfil consumer need. Looking at how we consume goods and content can help to find the gaps to fill and the moments where we need assistance or someone to step in.
Each moment is now a time brands and businesses can fill that void without consumers having to lift a finger. Platforms such as IBM Watson are helping to shape these changes by using cognitive tech to reveal insights with manual language processing and machine learning. Whilst for some marketers this may be out of reach the lesson is to listen to the messages and voids and fill them to show you have heard.
Make it unique
There’s nothing wrong with being inspired but it’s important to make something your own and add your unique twist for 2016. Let’s look at the big brands for example, we can’t all take on what Coca Cola do but there are elements which could be taken and used for smaller brands or businesses.
Tangibility is still key in marketing and to have and to hold something is still something many enjoy. Play with sizes, shapes and odd items to add a uniqueness to your content. It doesn’t need be an origami style work of art (although good on you if it is) but think outside the box and aim to shock.
Interactive content
Interactive content isn’t necessarily something new but for 2016 it takes on a new persona and steps it up a level to help inspire and engage. Interactive content shouldn’t be used to create fad led pieces but to create a long lasting impressions on consumers, be shareable and add value. If designers are out of touch with new advances then invest in a digital training course like this to help refresh knowledge for 2016.
The infographic seems to be everywhere right now but it helps to make sense of data or information in a concise way for consumers to absorb. But it doesn’t always allow consumers to actually engage or share their views, unless of course they share it with their friends or on social media channels. Creating strong brand resonation with consumers is essential so look to interactive quizzes that provide an immersive and customised experience for the user.
Creative content is about creating that wow moment so invest in ideas which will make you stand out from the crowd.