The new year is finally here, and along with it come new opportunities for growth and innovation. In 2019, keeping up with the trends is more important than ever. Since 2010, online content has exploded! The revolution extends far beyond how we find directions or watch tv shows. Digital content has crept into every industry in ways too numerous to count. From education to marketing, digital content is now the name of the game. While it’s unclear what publishing will look like in another decade, in 2019 one thing is clear: Embrace digital or fall behind.
Why Digital Content Strategies are a Must in 2019
The shift to digital isn’t without cause. According to Pew Research Center, 95% of Americans now own a cell phone, with 77% owning a smartphone. That’s up from just 35% when the same study was conducted in 2011. As of 2015, nearly 90% of American households owned a computer of some kind. With the influx of technology has come a shift in how people digest media as a whole.
Why read a magazine when you can browse endless articles on the web? Why purchase expensive hardcover textbooks when you can buy a more flexible online version for less? While the need for tactile print content hasn’t disappeared, an increasing number of people have turned to tech as their preferred medium for reading and learning new information.
Online Content is Here to Stay and That’s a Good Thing
Despite concerns that the internet may render traditional publications obsolete, the benefits of digital content growth outweigh the drawbacks. 83% of small businesses feel their digital marketing strategies have been a success, with social media proving to be the most popular channel. Similarly, 4 out of 5 students have said that digital learning content has boosted their academic performance. As digital technology continues to evolve, those numbers are forecasted to grow even more.
Why Digital Content is so Effective
The popularity of smartphones and tablets isn’t the only reason digital content has become so popular. Put plainly, it’s popular because it works! Thus far, digital content has proven to:
- Increase website traffic
- Generate leads more quickly
- Improve sales
- Enhance brand image, visibility, loyalty, and credibility
- Improve consumer relations and
- Boost audience engagement
If these benefits weren’t enough, consider these forward-looking points. Teens now spend around 9 hours a day on social media platforms, and those numbers are holding steady. As millennials and generation Z come of age, our content strategies must adapt to their penchant for tech use. How many college students have you seen reading a magazine or newspaper? Most likely, the answer is few to none! To appeal to a growing, young audience, digital content is no longer optional.
The Future of Content in 2019
To keep your content development strategies up to par with 2019 trends, incorporating digital is imperative. From educational publications, to news, to articles, to advertisements, today’s world will no longer settle for print-only content. This year, up your content creation game by creating digital content your audience can’t resist.
Stay tuned for Thursday’s post, where we’ll dive into 7 tools that make digital textbooks more interactive! Looking for help sooner than that? Give us a shout and we'll help you get your content geared up to knock this particular new year's resolution of going digital out of the park.
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