In content marketing, the instinct to always keep one eye fixed firmly on the future is a natural one.
The importance of always being on the lookout for the “next big thing” that can be associated with a well performing posts is like breathing for a marketer.
Tech-savvy marketers who were among the first to embrace the social media revolution through sites like Facebook were able to get in on the ground floor of something that only happens once in a lifetime.
It’s equally important to understand that none of this should come at the expense of the present.
In 2017, as freelancers and marketers, it is imperative to stop looking for the next big thing and start paying more attention to what you have access to now.
The Quest for the Golden Egg
Case in point: the hottest trend of 2017 won’t change the fact that you’re living in a world where, as of August 2015, roughly 200 million people were using ad blockers.
Some bold new emerging technology may be impervious to ad blockers a year from now, but do you want to know what can help solve this challenge today?
Quality writers producing quality content, the same thing that’s been true since the dawn of the Internet.
A marketing content writer can give you 7.8 times more traffic than other techniques.
He or she can produce high levels of brand recall, which in turn gives way to increased engagement and loyalty.
They can help drive your conversion rates roughly six times higher than other types of digital marketing.
But none of this is possible if you decide to pull all of your attention away from something that is proven to work to make a bet on what may or may not hit in the coming year.
The Benefits of Embracing Today
Mark Masters, author of “The Content Revolution,” said it best in an interview with Magnificent.com: “Embrace tomorrow with the skill-sets you have today.
As you build confidence and audience, then the natural progression are the uncharted spaces that you become inquisitive about.”
His argument is a sound one – if you’re constantly experimenting with emerging technologies, you’re playing with something of a double edged sword.
Not every new trend is one that will stand the test of time. If you dilute your efforts too much, you split your attention in too many different directions and begin to weaken the rest of your campaign.
You lose focus, as your only goal becomes “I want to be the first to be successful with X”, completely ignoring the tools you already have that you are and can continue to be successful with.
No one is saying to completely ignore the content marketing trends that are just on the horizon.
Being among the first to properly utilize augmented or virtual reality, for example, will help you create a unique experience your audience will never forget.
At the end of the day, hiring copywriters to create good, old-fashioned high quality content (among other techniques) can be just as rewarding without requiring you to have a time machine or to be psychic in the process.
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