A few years ago, the digital world was obsessed with highly produced content, trendy transitions, and the highest number of effects you could imagine. The visuals ruled! Now, people create viral content on their phone with no filters or effects whatsoever. So what changed, and why does it matter? Over the past couple years, there has been a shift in the digital content world that, honestly, is for the better. Businesses and brands started to realize that that visual flashy content (as fun as it is) just didn’t cut it anymore. Overly produced visuals were more expensive and often didn’t drive the engagement and growth that was expected. While it looked stunning, it was falling short of converting into actual business and sales. And this is where we start to see a change, because at the end of the day, content without strategy is just eye candy. The more people started to realize this, the more people started changing into a “strategy first” mindset. Businesses started hiring marketers and content creators to help align with strategic goals and to make content that first and foremost supported those goals. We started to see a rise in simple User-Generated content that allowed customers to organically showcase how they engaged with the business. We saw a rise in simple, but effective social media content that not only grew a following but converted those followers into customers. This “strategy first” mindset has taken the digital marketing world by storm, and for good reason. If there is no strategy behind good-looking content, it still falls short. But does this mean that you stop caring about visuals altogether? Absolutely not! There is a level of excellence that people want, and having the visually excellent content keeps the viewer engaged and interested. There is a perfect balance of having quality digital content, but also having the strategy to back it up. This balance is what makes content and campaigns successful. Creating consistent digital content in our day and age is essential! Finding the balance of strategy and quality isn’t always easy, but it’t necessary for growth. So the next time you’re about to post, think of this simple equation: Quality Content + Effective Strategy = Success