Adapting your content strategy to match current trends
As social media and search engines adapt over time, your strategy must shift with it in order to remain beneficial to your brand. Every time technology shifts, brands and artists must adapt their strategy to match it. Being aware of shifts in the market is one of the most important aspects of planning your future content. But exactly how has technology shifted, and how can you make sure that your content is still as effective as possible?
Search engines (SEO)
SEO is one of the most important aspects of publishing content online via your own website. In order to rank in a high position and achieve more clicks, having your SEO perfected is vital. But, as search engines adapt over time, so do the goal posts. A blog post that may have been SEO-optimized three years ago probably is no longer as effective as it once was. Now, when users search for things, their location plays a huge role in the results they see. For example, if someone searches ‘donut’ in New York, they’ll receive suggestions for doughnut stores in New York, despite having not searched for a specific location. Search engines are becoming more intelligent over time, making them more likely to display user-specific information.
In order to keep up with this advancement, you should make sure that you are highly visible when people search for specific topics like ‘EDM’, ‘house’ or ‘dance’. Due to the increase in products like Alexa which allow voice searches, many internet searches are not formulated in the same way that they used to be. Instead, search terms are becoming more conversational, rather than just featuring specific keywords. Whereas an old search phrase might have been ‘Hardwell age’, with the introduction of voice-operated searching the phrase may now be ‘how old is Hardwell’. In order to feature prominently in certain topics, you should make sure to publish multiple pieces of content around a central topic.
Social media
Over time, the methods for advertising on Facebook Twitter and Instagram have adapted. Back in the day, before Facebook was so monetised, the platform made it easy for artists and brands to share updates with their following. Now, unless you watch your favourite pages like a hawk, you’re unlikely to see all of their posts. For artists, this means that it is now more important than ever before to pay for advertising, no matter how small your budget is.
Of the three main social platforms, it is actually Twitter that allows its users to get a great deal of reach without paying for advertising. Although advertising on Twitter is possible and offers benefits, it is by no means required in order to reach a substantial audience. Succeeding on Twitter without paying for advertising is absolutely possible, and the capability to go viral is there for absolutely anyone. On the other hand, Facebook algorithms make it incredibly difficult to succeed without paying. Even the smallest budget can transform your reach from minimal to impressive. Never underestimate the power of dedicating some of your budget to Facebook advertising. If you’re worried about overspending, set a yearly budget and divide that between months, weeks and days. Plan out exactly how much you want to spend each week and invest that money wisely.
Media outlets
In the current climate, it is becoming more and more difficult to secure a feature on a media platform. This is due to the sheer volume of producers that are trying to make it and become the next Martin Garrix. The days of releasing a track and it being covered by all the major platforms are over. Now, it is important to think outside of the box. Many of the leading platforms now offer paid promotion, a great method for getting your content out there without using a PR agency. Many of the top platforms have huge audiences that are made up of dedicated electronic music fans, exactly the kind of people who are likely to enjoy your music. Often, promoting your content through a media platform can prove more valuable than advertising your own page through social media. If you’re unsure who to advertise with, reach out to a few platforms and compare visitor numbers with prices to see who is offering the best deal for you.
The best way to keep up with the changes going on is to keep track of your analytics constantly. If you stop paying attention to the analytics, you can find your standards will begin to slip over time. Keep a watchful eye on your reach all the time, particularly over social media. With the changes that are constantly taking place, you can suddenly find that your posts aren’t performing as well as they should be. A simple change in an algorithm can instantly cut your reach in half, something that is incredibly detrimental for your career.
It can be scary when changes suddenly come into force and stop your current strategy from being effective. But remember, a decline in reach can be avoided simply by seeing where you’re going wrong and adapting your strategy accordingly. Keeping up with changes will ensure that you continue to succeed on social media, through search engines and on media platforms. Never underestimate the power of keeping up with trends and maximising your reach. Although looking at analytics can be time-consuming, set aside a couple of hours each week to look back over your recent posts and see if they have been as effective as you would like them to be.
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