Key content trends to be aware of in 2018

This week BuzzSumo have released their Content Trends report for 2018 and have outlined a number of key areas marketers and businesses need to be aware of. As content continues to flood social feeds audiences are starting to get overwhelmed with how much is on offer. This result has impacted how we evaluate campaigns today.

This year social shares on major channels have seen a significant decline in engagement with the median social shares on average being 4.

The following below are the number of shares per company category:

• Top 1% = 2,409 shares
• Top 5% = 343 shares
• Top 10% = 62 shares

The biggest factors that have caused this significant decline are as follows:

• Growth in content competition
• Rise in private sharing (‘Dark Social’ shares)
• Facebook algorithm changes reducing exposure and traffic

We are currently experiencing the market ‘Content Shock’ in action – there is too much content to consume and it becomes overwhelming for audiences. Brands and businesses need to become more strategic in the types of content they are producing and the ways in which they are engaging with their audiences. If brands do not add something new or don’t have a story angle worth talking about they will struggle to build and maintain an engaged audience online.

Currently there is a new factor impacting brand results within social media and that is the significant rise in ‘Dark Social’ (private messaging). More content could be shared undetected between private accounts, which make it more difficult for brands to measure results effectively.

Key takeaways outlined by Buzz Sumo:

• Be clear on your objectives for content and social media
• Social may be better for engagement than referrals.
• Don’t chase shares with viral content and headlines
• Build your authority early
• Build your audience and direct distribution models
• User generated content