As a marketer, if there’s one thing you can be sure about, it’s that the digital landscape is ever-evolving. What’s innovative and engaging one second, is all over the internet the next moment. In the digital world, one cannot afford to be off the pulse. It’s a battle for acquiring users’ headspace, and the content you create has to be up against the entire internet. It’s no secret that consumers’ preferences change rapidly – from the content type to the medium they consume it on.
Content marketing is one critical element of the long playbook to convert website visitors into leads. And with the pandemic, rules of the digital landscape have been changing faster than ever. In 2022, the world of content is bound to evolve further, and it’s critical that your content marketing strategy evolves with it.
Although your industry and goals will shape your content marketing strategy, it’s crucial that you leverage emerging trends to refine your approach and shape a cohesive experience for your audience.
Here, we discuss six content marketing trends that have a significant impact on your business in 2022.
1. Marketing in the metaverse
If marketing in the metaverse is not part of your strategy, you’re already behind. The metaverse is not the ‘next big thing’ anymore – it is here!
Developing a plan for marketing in the metaverse is vital if you are to engage with young consumers. According to reports, by 2024, we will see as many as 1.7 billion mobile augmented reality users across the globe. With technology making AR and VR increasingly enticing and accessible, it is critical for you to be where your audience is. With the world already witnessing large gatherings in the metaverse and companies advertising on virtual billboards, missing out on this valuable space isn’t a strategy that will pay dividends.
2. Video, Short Video, and more Video!
It was probably back in the stone age that content was limited to writing articles, blogs, and case studies. With attention spans at their record low and an endless ocean of content, companies are striving to form a deeper connection with audiences as quickly as possible.
Enter: Video-form content.
As many as 76% of marketers believe that video is their most effective content format. This trend will only get bigger in 2022 as audiences worldwide continue to consume short-form video content. Another trend that’s on the rise with video marketing is adding interactivity to videos. Although short-form content helps engage with consumers, interactive videos increase the value of content exponentially. In addition, allowing consumers to respond quickly forms a bond with consumers that companies can leverage to generate quality leads.
3. Companies leveraging individual content creators
Individual content creators have created different virtual niches and acquired audiences worldwide. While video-form content allows brands to connect quickly with audiences and explain their point effectively, putting a face on your content has proven to be an extremely successful strategy to form deeper connections with consumers. Companies that recognize the power of individuals (a.k.a. influencers) as their brand’s face are bound to have an early-mover advantage over their competitors.
While the world scrambles to find relevant keywords and creates articles, companies building educational content with individual content creators will see a stream of returning visitors.
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4. Personalized content
While it is essential for companies to focus on their offerings while creating content, it is a strategy that won’t cut it anymore. Content creation has become a household activity, and audiences have become used to seeing themselves in focus. Consumers today expect themselves to be at the center of your brand strategy. It is crucial that they feel valued and important.
With a plethora of content to consume, brands need to have a USP to ensure that their content has an edge. It takes prompt and personalized service as well as content to acquire top-of-the-headspace with audience members. Being responsive is one of the ways brands can look forward to including personalization in their content strategy in 2022. Responding to the comments left by consumers on your posts or conducting virtual live sessions to interact are just a couple of ways companies can adopt.
5. Podcasts
Audio form-content has been rearing its head for quite some time now. It is one of the fastest-growing trends and is bound to acquire a significant space in 2022. Digital entrepreneurs are increasingly looking at podcasting as a career, and consequently, a niche space has already erupted where consumers are looking for a unique audience. The recent future will see brands competing against each other to acquire this space and offer value to the netizen.
For companies that already work with individual content creators, podcasts bring a significant advantage by offering them a new avenue to expand this strategy. The pandemic has already given a considerable impetus to the adoption of podcasts as platforms where modern netizens spend time. With the podcast market growing at a rapid rate, smart marketers must find some deserving space for podcasts in their marketing budget.
6. Voice search optimisation
It is no secret that consumers worldwide have embraced the power of smart assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and many more. Google’s voice assistant is already available on more than a billion devices, and thus, the voice recognition market is all set to reach 27.16 billion dollars by the year 2025. With consumers looking for convenience throughout their digital experience, voice search is the next big thing.
As marketers today, it is crucial to adapt and optimise content for voice search. Consumers tend to ask questions when using voice search instead of using keywords or a conversational format. As a result, companies that crack the code to incorporate question-string-queries in their content will gain a significant advantage. Marketers that fail to recognize the importance of causal voice search in the near future will miss out on a huge opportunity to drive traffic to their websites.
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As the digital universe continues to evolve, marketers need to watch out for newly emerging and unique content marketing trends. As new trends come into existence, brands that manage to stay alert will gain momentum that can be leveraged into rapid growth and deeper connections with a wide range of audiences.
Therefore, it’s time to up your content marketing game with all these trends in 2022!
