Because SEO still matters.
If you’ve been on social media any time over the last week you would’ve noticed Whatsapp’s new story feature. If you’ve been following the purchases of social media giants like Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter over the past year, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
2017 is the year that social media giants begin to homogenise their services and compete for the same market share. Trends indicate that new social media platforms begin by differentiating themselves as much as possible from other platforms to gain a loyal fan base. Once they’ve gained a certain amount of market share / traction, they begin to homogenise and attract users from other markets.
What does this mean for your business?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should know that social media is one of the most effective ways to connect with prospective clients. If your business doesn’t already have a social media presence, then you’re losing out to your competitors.
However there is more to this than meets the eye. The thing about social media is that it’s constantly evolving , so when social media changes, your business’ strategy needs to evolve too.
This year the overarching focus will be on videos.
What makes us say this?
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Towards the end of 2016, Facebook purchased augmented reality (AR) technology through Masquerade, that will allow Facebook users to Snapchat-esque filters in videos quite soon.
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Facebook also acquired Eyegroove, a technological platform which allows users to combine video, music as well as video editing software.
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Instagram Stories, Twitter’s Periscope and Whatsapp’s new story feature all tap into the move towards live videos. All three of them will be competing for a chunk of Snapchat’s market share this year.
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Buffer’s The State of Social 2016 report revealed that only 27% of all used live video content last year. In 2017, that number is predicted to increase by 30%. This is the perfect time to step up your game plan on using video content for your business.
So should I fire my writers?
Not just yet. While video editors and influencers are going to be hugely important this year, the success of your business still depends on hiring a quality copywriter.
While a full-fledged in-house writing team may be out of your budget, here are seven reasons why hiring a freelance writer (link:www.thescribesmith.com) would be a good idea:
1. SEO
Businesses still need text based blog posts in order to be searchable and indexed by Google/Bing.
2.There will always be users who prefer text to video.
The thing about video is that it isn’t always discreet. Users would likely need headphones to watch the video in a public place. Not to mention pay greater mobile data charges if they don’t have access to Wi-Fi. Personally, I would always prefer to read text over watching a video because it’s just faster that way. That’s why it makes sense to always have writers on hand to repurpose video content as blog posts and vice-versa. This way you’re maximizing your audience.
3. Research and writing scripts for videos
Whether you want your videos to appear spontaneous and candid or not, it’s definitely still a good idea to follow a script of some sort so that you can make sure your video covers all the necessary topics. Copywriters are usually adept at research, and will be able to write scripts that will engage with your target audience in a way that a video filmed spontaneously wouldn’t.
4. Writers can help tune brand voice
Your videos are part of your brand so the language used in them needs to be consistent with the overall image of your brand. Writers can help make sure that you’re using the ‘write’ words to deliver the ‘write’ message. (Pun intended!)
5. Writers can come up with compelling headlines, succinct tweets and captions for social media
You can’t just post a video with no context or explanation and expect it to do well. You need writers to create the surrounding content. Think up captions, tweets, social media posts and so much more.
6.Writers can create companion resources
Emails are currency in the online world. Research has shown that one of the most effective ways to make sales is by getting into your clients’ inbox. However, in a world striving for that coveted ‘Inbox Zero’ getting users to part with their email addresses can be harder than you think.
One of the best ways is to provide users with something more than just newsletters in exchange for their emails. Freebies like checklists, slides, summaries and worksheets can be used in combination with videos to generate leads and build your email list.
7. Interactive content will be HUGE in 2017
Think back to your childhood and you would probably remember one of those ‘choose your own ending’ books that used to be so popular. Well, they’re back, but have had a bit of facelift in the form interactive quizzes. The appeal of interactive content is that it’s personalized, it lets users feel like they’re having a unique experience.
Global trends signal to us that introspection, quizzes and assessments, in particular, are the next big thing. Writers can tap into trends and create quizzes and assessments that allow brands to increase reader engagement.
