This is a concept I have borrowed from financial markets where graphs play an important role in daily, monthly and longer-term trading. Graphs indicate patterns and these patterns are read as trends. So if a stock is showing a downward price trend with the promise of an upward swing, you would want to enter the market at the low end. A trading professional would offer this advice: ‘Let the trend be your friend.’
In other words, take the advice that the graph presents to you. Similarly, with content, follow the form that the market presents.
Excite and engage
One of the hot trends of the moment is interactive content. You have to excite and engage with your audience. Give them something tactile to experience. In content, you can do this in several ways. Polls are great ways to get people engaged. People love their own opinions, so why not invite them to poll it. Quizzes have the same response. No one wants to be outshone by not being the smartest in the room. Everyone loves to challenge their own intelligence.
You want your content to be interactive, engaging, and fun – the same experience you’d want to have with your friends. Of course.
B2C leads
B2B can take their lead from B2C campaigns where the interactive experience is happening more and more. In addition to short video clips and unusual infographics, why not offer up a snack? Yes, a snack. Snacking content is a short burst of information in text or video that fills the 8-second attention margin that the average person is willing to give you.
Snacking is of course, not the whole meal and B2B still needs to provide content that is meaty and satisfying, but snacking is a great complimentary side, that keeps them interested.