For those of us spending our working hours (and a good portion of our free time, as well) thinking about content marketing trends, it should be clear that we are basically ruminating over engaging stimulation. If we are to install quality content marketing into our brand – which will leave an itching desire in our customer’s heart and will have our company’s name printed on their next month’s credit card bill – we need to stimulate their interest, get in their heads, crawl under their skin, make them want us!
This is no easy task, let me tell you! As a content marketer, you are exposing your vulnerability by showing the world your ideas, bringing to light a side of you that customers don’t usually get a chance to see and hoping and praying that it will be accepted and even more – that it will create a frenzy, create a hype, bring people over, bring you money! Your heart is rushing right now, isn’t it? Well, take a meditative deep breath in and then out – as usual – we got you! We’ll start you off by showing you the latest and most effective content marketing trends for 2021. Keep reading!
Content Value
The most important thing you can offer your audience is value. Creating valuable content requires you to understand the needs of the customers and why they might want to interact with your brand in the first place. As a marketer, you can offer more than just a product or service to your audience. Maybe offer practical suggestions in your content instead of simply showing what your product/service can do. Also, it’s very important to show how it can help solve their problems. Always think about how your content can benefit your end-consumer in the long run.
Personalized Content
In 2021, businesses will use personalization not just to craft better email subject lines. They will use it to make the buyer’s journey more individualized. With a savvier customer, you need a more sophisticated way to communicate. A way that speaks to that person on an individual level. It matters because expectations have changed and being relevant to what a buyer wants to know is key. Personalization offers you an edge against the competition, too.
Personalization depends almost completely on data. So, the more data you have about your customers, the better the chance to create more meaningful messaging. You’ll need to decide what type of information you need, including demographics, priorities, preferences, objections, and how they use what you offer. The more they interact with your brand, the more personalization you can include.
Video content
With the rise of TikTok being the fastest growing social media platform at the moment and YouTube – the most visited website in the world after Google, video content has become an enormously popular way for brands to engage with their audiences. On Instagram, the Stories feature is the most used, and IGTV, as well as the recent Reels, have also been widely adopted.
Video content thrives on entertainment value. By leveraging humor, educational content, or exclusives will drive success for brands. Why is it so popular? Because it’s a quick and effective medium to communicate your message and educate your audience. Consumers want to get information and to learn quickly and there is no better way to do so than with video marketing.
Audio content
The big advantage of audio is that it can be heard while performing almost any task at different times of the day. Audio content, namely in the form of podcasts, at their core, is informative, conversational, and informal. Podcasts are an excellent opportunity for businesses. They can be relatively low investment forms of content because a great podcast doesn’t necessarily need a lot of high-quality equipment or expensive technicians to produce.
AI- content
AI-driven content marketing may be the biggest and most game-changing trend yet. Experts have been saying for quite some time that robots will be doing more human jobs as advancements in technology continues. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be altering the game in several industries, simply because computers are changing the way they think. Concerning the content marketers, this shouldn’t worry us. If anything AI will allow us to accomplish even more.
Interactive Content
With so much content and so little time, coupled with a shorter attention span, it’s becoming harder and harder to reach and engage today’s consumers. Content needs to catch the user’s attention, otherwise, they will not consume it. This is why many brands are turning to interactive content to make a lasting impression on their target audience and to drive more engagement. It allows the audience to actively participate in the content rather than passively consuming it. Content types like quizzes, infographics, polls, or surveys allow consumers to gain insights on a topic they care about and have fun in the process of interacting with it.
Having in mind all the content marketing trends, it’s clear that content is the foundation of almost every type of online customer interaction. Content marketing takes effort, endeavor and talent. It also helps consumers make decisions. That is why content marketing should be a priority in your business. If you need additional help with your content marketing strategy contact us.