{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "The Content Corner: Recapping Content Marketing Trends in 2016—How Have We Stacked Up? |Digital.gov",
    "description": "The Content Corner: Recapping Content Marketing Trends in 2016—How Have We Stacked Up?",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/26/recapping-content-marketing-trends-in-2016-how-have-we-stacked-up/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"The Content Corner: Recapping Content Marketing Trends in 2016—How Have We Stacked Up?","summary" : "Earlier this year, it was predicted that content marketing would become even more important due to its ability to enhance not just visibility, but also increase engagement with customers—who could, in turn, become great promoters of your content.","date" : "2016-09-26T14:00:24-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"kyle-s-richardson" : "Kyle S. Richardson"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "mobile" : "Mobile",
            "multilingual" : "Multilingual",
            "product-and-project-management" : "Product and project management",
            "social-media" : "Social media"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2016-09-26-recapping-content-marketing-trends-in-2016-how-have-we-stacked-up.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2016/09/2016-09-26-recapping-content-marketing-trends-in-2016-how-have-we-stacked-up.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2016/09/2016-09-26-recapping-content-marketing-trends-in-2016-how-have-we-stacked-up.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2016/09/2016-09-26-recapping-content-marketing-trends-in-2016-how-have-we-stacked-up.md","slug" : "recapping-content-marketing-trends-in-2016-how-have-we-stacked-up","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/26/recapping-content-marketing-trends-in-2016-how-have-we-stacked-up/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eEarlier this year, it was predicted that \u003ca href=\"http://buildfire.com/content-marketing-trends-2016/\"\u003econtent marketing would become even more important\u003c/a\u003e due to its ability to enhance not just visibility, but also increase engagement with customers—who could, in turn, become great promoters of your content.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2016/09/600-x-425-Content-marketing-concept.-Flat-design-illustration-cacaroot-iStock-Thinkstock-543692162.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Flat design illustration of content marketing concept.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003ecacaroot/iStock/Thinkstock\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eEarlier this year, it was predicted that \u003ca href=\"http://buildfire.com/content-marketing-trends-2016/\"\u003econtent marketing would become even more important\u003c/a\u003e due to its ability to enhance not just visibility, but also increase engagement with customers—who could, in turn, become great promoters of your content.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeedless to say, much of our time these days as communicators is spent on developing, distributing, maximizing, and repurposing content. In the recent blog post, \u003ca href=\"http://buildfire.com/content-marketing-trends-2016/\"\u003e15 Content Marketing Trends for 2016\u003c/a\u003e, it is noted that the “average American spends nearly four hours a day bombarded with different types of content.” As consumers of content, it wouldn’t be incredibly off to call it all overwhelming. We all probably have a favorite or two go-to networks where we seek to receive information.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcross government, it’s been interesting to see the ways agencies have employed methods to engage with their respective communities. Here are four trends, with observations on what some government agencies have done:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCreating diverse content, spread out across different formats\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen social media was (or maybe still is by some) looked at as just an extra duty of someone in the public affairs department (not a full-time job as it’s largely seen now), scheduling platforms were lifesavers for many. But considering the different goals/strategies for each platform, scheduling the same content across different platforms was really an ineffective use of social media, and likely had detrimental effects on your audience’s perception of your brand.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s key to have defined goals with each platform, and seek to get the most out of each one, which requires different content for each. For example, with one main message you are trying to get across, you may post an animated GIF on Twitter, an image on Instagram, a link on LinkedIn, and a video on Facebook – all with similar end goals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith more than 200 staff contributing to 130 social media accounts on 14 different platforms, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) posts an array of different content from \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/01/11/the-content-corner-content-trends-for-2016/\"\u003elong form articles\u003c/a\u003e to well-timed images, and even \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/23/gettin-giphy-with-it-nara-shares-online-library-of-animated-gifs/\"\u003eoriginal GIFs\u003c/a\u003e. Their efforts generated over 250 million views in 2015 – a huge success. But rather than sit and relish in that, they are \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/08/26/rebooting-the-social-media-strategy-for-the-national-archives/\"\u003eseeking to take their efforts to another level\u003c/a\u003e, recently “rebooting” their social media strategy as a “living document” allowing for input from National Archives staff, cultural institutions, and the public on \u003ca href=\"http://usnationalarchives.github.io/social-media-strategy/\"\u003eGitHub\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col start=\"2\"\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003eExplore New Publishing Options\u003c/strong\u003e\n  \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving negotiated a \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreements/\"\u003efederal-friendly terms of service\u003c/a\u003e for the blogging platform Medium last year, a \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/17/is-it-time-to-try-medium-new-federal-friendly-terms-of-service/\"\u003ehandful of federal agencies\u003c/a\u003e have since used the platform to get their message out and connect with the American public. For example, President Obama broke with tradition and shared a sneak peek of his \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@WhiteHouse/president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address-remarks-as-prepared-for-delivery-55f9825449b2\"\u003eState of the Union remarks on Medium\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen looking to redesign U.S. paper money, The U.S. Department of the Treasury also used \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@USTreasury/we-heard-from-you-afa4c2238d37\"\u003eMedium\u003c/a\u003e to highlight many of the over one million responses and idea submissions via mail, email, tweets and other social media from a very passionate audience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Department of the Interior highlights beautiful imagery with a short narrative on Tumblr, called, “\u003ca href=\"http://americasgreatoutdoors.tumblr.com/\"\u003eAmerica’s Great Outdoors\u003c/a\u003e.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOthers like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.snapchat.com/add/whitehouse\"\u003eWhite House\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://www.snapchat.com/add/nasa\"\u003eNASA\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/29/usagovs-step-by-step-guide-to-making-snapchat-stories-as-accessible-as-possible/\"\u003eUSA.gov\u003c/a\u003e have joined Snapchat (“Snap, Inc.” as of September 24, 2016), or even simply redesigned their blog on their .gov website using a different \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/10/30/content-management-systems-toolkit/\"\u003econtent management system\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2016/03/600-x-450-USAgov-Snapchat-logo.jpg\"\n    alt=\"USA.gov\u0026#39;s Snapchat logo\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003col start=\"3\"\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003eMeaningful Content\u003c/strong\u003e\n  \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe USCIS seeks to connect with those who seek to become American citizens by \u003ca href=\"https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/teachers/constitution-day-and-citizenship-day\"\u003eoffering them a slew of different resources\u003c/a\u003e—including online videos and activities for the 100 civics questions from the naturalization test and Q\u0026amp;As in MP3 audio format. Recently, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/21/check-out-our-new-uscis-instagram-account/\"\u003eUSCIS began highlighting immigration stories\u003c/a\u003e on Instagram, pointing out that before the launch their customer had already embraced the platform by posting \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/newuscitizen/\"\u003emore than 10,000 #newUScitizen photos\u003c/a\u003e. Additionally, the USCIS’s Emma, a virtual assistant (\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/01/emma-friendly-presence-and-innovative-uscis-resource-available-247/\"\u003ewho now speaks Spanish, too!\u003c/a\u003e) answers 456,000 questions a month on their English website.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo create a better experience for voters, \u003ca href=\"http://usa.gov/\"\u003eUSA.gov\u003c/a\u003e launched \u003ca href=\"http://vote.usa.gov/\"\u003eVote.USA.gov\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://blog.usa.gov/vote-usa-gov-goes-social-to-increase-voter-registration\"\u003epartnered with Facebook to help encourage people to register to vote\u003c/a\u003e in the primary elections. Currently, Facebook is reminding its users of state voter registration deadlines and linking prominently to \u003ca href=\"http://vote.usa.gov/\"\u003eVote.USA.gov\u003c/a\u003e to help users complete the registration process.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col start=\"4\"\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n    \u003cstrong\u003eContent Tailored To Specific Devices\u003c/strong\u003e\n  \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs communicators, we should be asking, ‘How does our audience digitally receive our info?’ Do the bulk of visitors come via the desktop site, mobile site, or use an app – and where are opportunities to increase views on a particular platform?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen seeing a consistent trend of visitors to the \u003ca href=\"http://mchb.hrsa.gov/\"\u003eMaternal and Child Health Bureau\u003c/a\u003e (MCHB) website dropping, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Resources Services (HHS) decided to work on \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/20/analytics-success-series-health-resources-services-administration/\"\u003ethe mobile responsiveness of the site\u003c/a\u003e. They worked to re-evaluate and streamline the organization of their content and are already seeing a reduction in their site’s bounce rate since improving their users’ mobile experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn an effort to continue to improve the user experience, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/09/15/analytics-success-series-usajobs/\"\u003eUSAJobs is leveraging the Digital Analytics Program\u003c/a\u003e (DAP) to identify performance issues with the site.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, with \u003ca href=\"http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/\"\u003e40 percent of Americans\u003c/a\u003e using smartphones to look up government services or information, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/07/28/widgets-mobile-apps-and-sms-essential-agency-tools-for-summer-heat-safety-and-hurricane-season/\"\u003eApps and SMS\u003c/a\u003e are also essential tools for an agency to consider when seeking to provide the public with digital content.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLooking for help planning or releasing a mobile product or service? Contact DigitalGov’s \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/mobile-application-development-program/\"\u003eMobile Application Development Program\u003c/a\u003e. Also, visit the \u003ca href=\"http://www.usa.gov/mobileapps.shtml\"\u003eUSA.gov Federal Mobile Apps Directory\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou’ve just finished reading the latest article from our Monday column,\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/topics/content-strategy/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Content Corner\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e. This column focuses on helping solve the main content issues facing federal digital professionals, including producing enough content and making that content engaging.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisclaimer\u003c/strong\u003e: All references to specific brands, products, and/or companies are used only for illustrative purposes and do not imply endorsement by the U.S. federal government or any federal government agency.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}