This guide aims to bring you four different nuances to the key concepts involved in tracking technology and trends for your solopreneur business. You may be brilliant at content strategy. You may know all the latest SEO techniques and the absolutely right keywords to put your articles ahead of your competitors in the SERPs. But are you ahead of the game when it comes to new trends in Artificial Intelligence, Voice Search, Multiscreen Campaigns and Virtual Reality? To remain competitive going forward, you eyes need to be scanning the horizon.
Brand experience is at an inflexion point and soon your content may styart looking drab and dull – and speak volumes of your backwardness in technology – if you cannot up your strategy with “rich-user-experiences”. You’ll have to learn to create content that takes the words “interactive engagement” to a whole new level. It always costs more to be an early adopter of technology because you’ll have to spend on experimentation – but in the long run it may pay handsomely to be ahead of the bandwagon. Be open and ready for a future that going to be very “experiential”.
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Real truths on artificial intelligence for content marketer solopreneurs!
For those who are asking: “What is Artificial Intelligence? Why all this hoo-ha? And what’s it got to do with my solopreneur content marketing?”, this article will help. As the length of this article shows, there is some serious learning to be done, for sure … but if you think, “Why bother now, when it all belongs to the future …”, that would be wrong. The future is already here. Artificial Intelligence (also known fondly as AI) is already at the basis of a lot of the digital transformation taking place in online marketing and business.
Unfortunately for content marketers, though, we have not yet reached that stage where we can hand a computer a blank sheet of paper and tell it to create content on its own. So, if you’re hoping Artificial Intelligence will take content-creation off your workload, and do it all on its own, you have to live in vain.
Topics covered:
- Solopreneurs who think AI is about robots or wired humans may need to learn more
- Making machines think and take decisions like humans – it has its pros and cons
- 3 main marketing areas where you could use AI to increase efficiency
- 3 content marketing areas where you can give AI a try to work with it
How solopreneurs must craft their campaigns for multiscreen marketing!
Multiscreen marketing, as solopreneurs in content marketing should understand, is not about having a business or brand presence on lots of screens like laptops, mobiles or tablets. It’s basically about understanding why people are on these different screens, why they are using so many screens and what they are getting out of each one that’s different … and then giving them content that helps them achieve what they find most convenient to do on each screen.
People may use some screens for having fun, some other screens for gathering information and making purchase decisions, or yet some other screens for connecting with others. If you take the trouble to dig beneath their device-driven activities, and see what people do, you’ll notice a predictable.
Topics covered:
- An interesting case study to see how brands can use multiscreen campaigns
- Step #1 for multiscreen campaigns: beware making all the wrong assumptions
- Step #2 for multiscreen campaigns: know how your customers use their screens
- Step #3 for multiscreen campaigns: build coherent cross-screen campaigns
Solopreneurs, why aren’t you ready yet for the voice search revolution?
The advent of “voice search” was making content-marketing solopreneurs like me imagine all kinds of mythical things. I thought voice search would be completely different from typed search in Google, and I’d have to change my whole strategy of content marketing to keep up. But guess what? In the end, voice search isn’t so very different from regular search after all, as I discovered, to my utter relief.
It’s possible with a few small tweaks to my search engine optimization, and a wee bit of difference to my writing, I can still do well enough. The only thing is that it’s going to be a darned sight more difficult to rank on Google, because we (all zillions of us online) now have to fight for something called “Position 0”.
Topics covered:
- How far have we all come with voice search … and what’s happening around us?
- Some things to be prepared for as we all head into the future of voice search
- How can content marketers optimize SEO for voice search – what changes are needed?
- The massive voice search importance of Google Featured Snippets … read and re-read!
Virtual reality, augmented reality and the real gains solopreneurs can make!
Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) – and now even Mixed Reality (MR) – are ways content-marketing solopreneurs can gain a huge competitive edge, by giving their users more absorbing and engaging content. As technology advances, users will expect brands online to give them something new to enjoy and interact with. From the point of view of brands and marketers, immersive, real-world experiences will become part of the new ways through which they can distinguish themselves.
Of course, the heart of content marketing will always still be great and relevant content; that will not change. While adopting new ideas from VR, AR or MR, it’s important to see that they should be supplemental to great content and not a way to mask bad content with “gimmickery”.
Topics covered:
- The difference between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality – and Mixed Reality?
- Here’s the fun part of this article … some terrific examples of VR, AR and MR!
- What research shows up as the most interesting VR/AR trends for solopreneurs to watch!
- How to create a content marketing strategy that incorporates VR, AR or MR experiences!
What can a solopreneur do with this thing called “Internet Of Things”?
We solopreneurs in business are often told, these days, that if there’s one thing we have to be ready for it’s the “Internet of Things” (IoT). But what the heck is the “Internet Of Things”? A simple explanation is that the Internet is now going to connect up not only computers, mobiles and tablets, it’s going to connect every single gadget or device it can find in this wide, wide world.
So, if we look at our lives fast-forward, it may be something like this: You connected car will signal to your connected fridge that you are leaving work and heading for home. Your connected fridge will realize that this week your connected body is low on proteins and will inform the connected store on your way to keep you favourite protein foods ready to pick up. Whew, what a life!
Topics covered:
- How big is this “Internet Of Things” really – and where is it headed?
- Security and standardization seem to be the major challenges, going forward!
- 4 ways IoT may change digital marketing – see where the positives may lie!
- 3 great examples of IoT already in your world and making a big difference!
Location-based content marketing: the SoLoMo factor for solopreneurs!
Before you think SoLoMo is something to do with solo-preneurs like you and me, think again. SoLoMo is an acronym for social-local-mobile, the new threesome combination for highly targeted content marketing. Location-based Digital Marketing is now THE way to laser-target consumers, for all brands large and small. It’s among the hottest new trends in marketing digitally – and is a combination, so to speak, of three of the most exciting channels of digital media.
SoLoMo has compelled even large brands like Coca Cola to abandon all print advertising in some countries, and go totally location-based in marketing mind-set and strategic approach! There are some terrific new ideas to master if you too want to try going SoLoMo, and also some great examples of brands.
Topics covered:
- What is location-based content marketing? And what makes it such a hot thing to do?
- To understand why SoLoMo is so important, think about “hot contextual information”!
- 6 real-life examples that have set me thinking – and may do the same for you too!
- SoLoMo sounds like great technology with great examples … so what’s the catch?
Hear the experts on this topic …
DogDigital in the article “The Growth of AI and Voice Search”:
It’s estimated that by 2020, 50% of search will be voice activated and, there’s no sign of the impact of AI and Voice Search slowing down. Growth has only been boosted by the increase in sales of AI personal assistants such as Amazon’s Echo – Alexa, Google Home, Siri and Cortana. Consumers are noticing the improvements in voice recognition devices and although in the past it tended to be frustrating for the consumer, it looks like the perception of these products has now changed. These devices are now seen as a helpful and efficient way for people to not only make calls and text, but to search as well. A survey of 900 smart phone users, conducted in America, shows the demand for more answers and less search results with 60% of voice users wanting an instant answer to their queries without having to visit a website or an app.
Augment.com in the article “Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality”:
It is not always virtual reality vs. augmented reality– they do not always operate independently of one another, and in fact are often blended together to generate an even more immersing experience. For example, haptic feedback-which is the vibration and sensation added to interaction with graphics-is considered an augmentation. However, it is commonly used within a virtual reality setting in order to make the experience more lifelike though touch. Virtual reality and augmented reality are great examples of experiences and interactions fueled by the desire to become immersed in a simulated land for entertainment and play, or to add a new dimension of interaction between digital devices and the real world. Alone or blended together, they are undoubtedly opening up worlds-both real and virtual alike.
Kari Ramsey in the article “But What Does Multi-Screen Content Mean?”:
If you are considering second screen content for your brand, a few things to keep in mind. Content and context (relevance) are key to driving user engagement. Content isn’t about the number of impressions you buy, but the impression you make. Is your content brand, product or action focused? All about the right time, on the right screen. Content is king, but multi-screen is queen. Despite the explosion of mobile content, it’s important to remember that for the majority of users, mobile devices are tools first and entertainment destinations second. Mobile video consumption is typically user generated content (UGC) that is viewed to keep up with friends and pop culture trends. Content format, length and topic should vary based on consumer habits. Brands and technologies can work together to develop platform-specific content; i.e. bite size content for smartphone users, short-form content for tablets.
