If running a blog is an important part of your company’s customer connection, you are going to want to utilize it to its full potential. As a part of the internet, the blogging platform and popular styles are bound to evolve and adapt at the lightning pace we have come to expect from the internet age. Here are some trends you will want to keep an eye on and likely emulate in 2016.
Length.
While a 200 word article can be useful as a news bite or quick update and has the benefit of being a near guaranteed read for short-attention audiences, blogging is leaning toward longer, meatier pieces, backed up with reliable data. People are looking for substantive articles that show depth and thought. In 2015, the average length of a post was 900 words, which is a good 100 words longer than the previous year’s average. The way to stand out against content-saturated competition is by providing reliable, researched, and in-depth content that, instead of sparking a person’s interest, satisfies their curiosity and answers their questions about the topic.
Goodbye to comments.
The comment section can be difficult to manage, time-consuming to moderate, and not a place that readers want to participate in conversations anyway. Signing up for a username/password combination is usually enough of a deterrent to keep all but the most incensed or invested readers from partaking in a conversation. Removing this section moves the conversation to social media instead, where the reader can share the link to Twitter or Facebook and then include their comment.
Graphic Design
Pictures are an excellent way of attracting and maintaining interest. Images can simplify information, cut down on words so that the ones you use carry more impact, and transfer an idea in a more memorable method. Tumblr’s purely picture/short text blogging style is sure to be influential and attractive to that younger audience. Infographics, design icons, and pictures that easily can be shared on social networks have already been an important element of blogging and are likely to grow even more popular this year. If you are making an effort to write a longer blog post, adding tasteful and helpful images will break up the intimidating wall of text and give your readers a well-deserved break from time to time.
Endorsement Section
In our socially connected world, affirmation and affiliation are important elements for connecting to readers. Showing that other companies or names your reader base might recognize approved of your content will help convince them that your site/content/business is both “in” and reliable.
Newsletters
An important way of making sure your readers are seeing your content updates regularly is by convincing them to sign up for your newsletter. It is a great way of measuring and building your reader base, as well as making sure that no one falls out of the loop on essential updates or new features. It is a helpful incentive to offer exclusive content and special offers to subscribers.
Mobile Adaptation
It is essential that your website be mobile responsive, adapting to a screen size smoothly and quickly. Many people primarily browse content from their cells or other devices. If a website does not provide for this flexibility, mobile viewers will be quick to become frustrated and abandon the attempt to understand your website.
