I’ve updated this post for 2018. Check out the new version now.
With brands producing more and more content, you can’t afford to just be on the ball. You need to be running in front of it. How can you make sure you remain ahead of the pack? By staying on top of changes and industry trends. Here are the top five 2017 blogging trends you need to know.
Want to get more out of your blog posts? Repurpose them to reach new audiences and gain more subscribers using the content you’ve already created. Download our list of 13 tried-and-tested ways to repurpose your blog posts.
1. Focusing on distribution and repurposing
Your competitors are churning out more blog posts than they ever have before, so there are two things you can do to stay in the game. You could try to produce even more posts than they do. But, unfortunately, there are still only 24 hours in a day.
So what’s your other option? You can be smarter about sharing your posts effectively and repurposing them. Instead of producing more posts, think about how you can make the same number of posts go further. Could you do a better job of sharing your posts on social media or promoting them on a new platform? And could you repackage them into an ebook or a series of lists? If you want to stay up to speed with 2017 blogging trends, think about how you can get the best bang for your buck with your blog posts.
2. Using video and live video
One 2017 blogging trend that shouldn’t be a surprise to you is the growing use of video and live video. Video content has been rising in popularity for a while, and it’s showing no signs of disappearing. Instead, it’s finding its way into platforms that weren’t initially designed for video content – think Facebook live and Instagram stories.
If you’re still a traditional blogger – the kind who crafts text-based posts with a few images thrown in for good measure – video might seem intimidating. But the tools you need to create great videos are getting cheaper and easier to use. Don’t know what to make a video about? Record a product demo, an instructional video, or even a behind-the-scenes look at your brand. Check out this example from Tasty:
You don’t have to sell products to embrace this 2017 blogging trend.
3. Personalizing content
If you ask content marketing experts what they think will be a key 2017 blogging trend, there’s something we bet a lot of them will mention: personalized content. Because there’s no shortage of content for consumers, it’s important for your brand to stand out. What’s a great way to do that? By creating personalized content for niche audiences.
Instead of writing blog posts for all makeup artists or all small businesses, craft pieces tailored to freelance bridal makeup artists in San Francisco or small insurance businesses in Vancouver. When you focus on a niche and create content that’s specific to it, you show people in the niche that you understand them and how to address their unique needs. This stands out in a sea of generic content.
4. Closing comment threads
Although you don’t have to look far to find blogs that let readers leave comments, many bloggers are closing their comment threads down. Why? Because comment threads can be challenging to manage, and they often attract more spam than anything else. Even popular tools (e.g., Disqus) that were supposed to help bloggers manage their comment threads aren’t as reliable as they used to be.
So where are bloggers engaging with followers instead? On social media. Although you’ll still get some spam on social media, it isn’t nearly as bad as what you’ll get on a blog comment thread. Plus, encouraging people to engage with your posts on social media helps you build your following on these platforms and share your content with a broader audience. That’s why closing down your comment thread may be a 2017 blogging trend that isn’t as crazy as it first seems.
5. Pushing for consistent engagement and retention
Many brands have perfected the art of driving traffic to a blog or getting a single post to go viral. But you know as well as we do that traffic alone doesn’t sell. Instead of just attracting people to your blog, you want to encourage them to return, subscribe to your email list, and convert.
Crush this 2017 blogging trend by producing high-quality, personalized posts and formatting your blog in a way that encourages people to explore your site and sign up for email updates. You don’t have to be spammy to set up links to related content and sign up forms in just the right spot to capture your reader’s attention.
The lesson to learn from these 2017 blogging trends
These five 2017 blogging trends may seem to cover a wide variety of topics. But there’s something that unites them: the idea of blogging smarter, not more. Many sources will tell you that you have to blog every day or every other day to reap the benefits of blogging. But with blogs now being a key fixture of a brand website, you won’t win the content race by pumping out more content. Instead figure out how to produce better blog content.
Give people the personalized, visual content they want, engage with them on the platforms they hang out on, and think carefully about your strategies for sharing posts and maintaining engagement. The brands with epic blogs in 2017 won’t be the ones that blog most often. They’ll be the ones that figure out how to do it better.
Want to get more out of your blog posts? Repurpose them to reach new audiences and gain more subscribers using the content you’ve already created. Download our list of 13 tried-and-tested ways to repurpose your blog posts.
