Content marketing saw immense growth in 2015, and we expect to see a continuation of that growth in 2016. There are specific content marketing trends we predicted for 2016. These trends include visual microsites, the death of mobile-unfriendly sites, and interactive content. How will these trends impact Chinese companies? What other trends we will see for content marketing in China? Read on to see what content marketing trends we expect to see for 2016.
Chinese Content Marketing Trend #1: Storytelling
Consumers in China are greatly attracted by storytelling as a main portion of the content. Of course, facts, details, selling points, and calls to action must be intermingled within the story, but storytelling will be a big trend for content marketing in China for 2016. This aligns with the idea of interactive content and visual microsites. You can draft a campaign strategy to include visual microsites that have video or images to help tell your story. At the same time, interactive content inherently means personalised content, and can include stories that will appeal to your customers and potential consumers. Storytelling is also a great way to capitalise on another trend for marketing, which is to do more than grab attention, but touch hearts.
Chinese Content Marketing Trend #2: Touch Hearts
There are 3 ways to grab at the heart strings of your customers through content marketing. The storytelling trend we just talked about is definitely one way to touch the hearts of your audience in a sentimental way. In addition to storytelling, companies can touch the hearts of their consumers in a couple of other ways. Images are a great way to convey an image that can be touching in addition to attention grabbing. As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Be sure to use that to your advantage. The third way to touch the hearts of your customers is through charity work and helping the community. Public service and helping your community is a great way to not only do some good for others, but also help customers remember your brand and increase positive sentiment regarding your company. Companies that use these 3 ways to touch the hearts of their customers will be able to capitalise on this new trend for content marketing in China. This trend can blend right into the overall content trends for visual microsites and interactive content.
Chinese Content Marketing Trend #3: Make Better Use of Images
As the average consumer is bombarded with more and more data on a daily basis, imagery becomes more important as a way of communicating a large amount of content instantly. The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” means so much for today’s busy consumer who doesn’t have the time to read a thousand words. This trend blends in with visual microsites and interactive content marketing trends.
Chinese Content Marketing Trend #4: Big Data Content
Marketers have been talking about big data for quite a while now. The pieces are finally starting to come together in terms of marketing strategy. Big data is collected and now the large increase in connected devices known as The Internet of Things is bringing a new wave of marketing that is more precise and in tune to customers’ preferences. This aligns with the overall content trend of interactive content. It blends what we can learn about our customers through media monitoring and big data and using that information in a way that makes the customers feel important, as well as happy. When consumers are contacted through their preferential portals in a way they agree with, and in relation to where they are in the customer cycle, it leads to purchases and customer retention.
Conclusion and Takeaways
If you plan on marketing to consumers in China, paying attention to the nuances and differences will help you stay on top of content marketing strategies for your company for 2016. Making consumers in China a priority means adding a significant chunk consumer base. Using these content strategies will improve upon your current marketing plan and increase business. Even more important than the increase in business are the improvements in customer sentiment and satisfaction.
Bio: John Chalmers is Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at Isentia. Isentia monitors Asia-Pacific’s most comprehensive list of media across all channels: press, online, broadcast and social. http://www.isentia.com.cn/
Read Chinese Article at 2016年内容营销在中国的发展趋势
