Content marketing is ever-evolving and changing, and companies need to keep up and stay on top of the latest trends. Content has continued to prove its effectiveness in lead generation, branding, and sales campaigns across various channels. Companies that have made an effort to invest in content marketing have benefited and reported increased returns over the years.
Quick Links
The major changes in technology and social media require companies to modify their strategies to meet the trends regularly. For instance, Facebook now seems to be attracting the older demographic, while Tik Tok appeals to the younger generation. Having this knowledge can help with targeting content at the right audience. Here are some of the major content marketing trends to look out for in 2021.
source: https://unsplash.com/photos/tLZhFRLj6nY
Creating Personalized Content
Personalization of content can be described as tailoring it to suit a customers’ profile or preferences. Knowing what a prospect wants and providing that same thing gives one an edge over their competition. Personalization almost always relies on data. Therefore, to create meaningful messaging, one needs to have the correct data on their customers.
Some of the data one might require include priorities and preferences, demographics, and the ways products or services are used. Getting this data may not be easy, but an email address, a name, and the topic of interest are excellent options. Having these can allow one to create a campaign that offers relevant information to the potential customer. As they interact with the brand, it becomes easier to personalize products or services to them.
Diversifying and Repurposing
It is vital to make use of different types of media to diversify content. The use of infographics, podcasts, videos, and other means keeps the audience engaged and prevents people from getting bored. Businesses that prefer written content can use sites like Write My Paper to ensure it is fun and cheerful. The main goal is to make it enjoyable for consumers.
Sometimes, marketing teams might require learning new skills such as video editing. Doing this can be advantageous as one might not need to create new content every time.
Diversified content makes repurposing easier. Repurposing is tailoring one piece of content to suit different platforms. One way of doing this is creating a video for YouTube and then making it shorter for a platform like Instagram Reels. This ensures that the users consume the content on their preferred media.
Embracing Video Content
Long-form written content is a significant part of marketing. However, one cannot ignore video content because people are consuming it now more than ever. Consumers seem to engage more with videos and find them more appealing than texts. This is evident with the success of a platform like Tik Tok, which has millions of users and continues to be very popular among the younger generation.
Another way to produce content is by using live videos. It is not uncommon to see brands live streaming from a show to give their audience a presence effect. Many people appreciate the authentic nature of a live video, and it is a fantastic way of engaging with one’s audience.
source: https://unsplash.com/photos/YNIlpT-P68I
Adoption of AI
A couple of years ago, the use of AI in different industries was just a dream. It was only popular in the IT industry. Now, the use of AI in content marketing is one of the biggest trends that is expected to continue growing. Some companies are already using AI to analyze and optimize their content and A/B testing.
Making Content Interactive
One way to set your business apart is to create engaging and interactive content. Users want to enjoy consuming the content just as much as they wish to gain value from it. Interactive content allows the audience to participate as opposed to just being consumers. With the help of social media platforms, creators can ask questions and give the audience a chance to answer them to facilitate successful interaction.
GIFs and memes as informal means can be entertaining to the audience and keep them coming back for more.
Focusing on a Particular Niche
It may be tempting to create content on various topics, but it’s always better to focus on one niche. This can work to a company’s advantage as the involved parties can gradually become experts in their field.
Companies that optimize the long-tail keywords in a specific niche have a better chance of ranking high on Google. If one is in a competitive niche, they will get organic traffic, which is the best news for any marketer.
To find the relevant long-tail keywords, one can use various tools, including SEMrush, Ubersuggest, Google’s related search, and others. After finding the keywords, one can create content around that subject. This is helpful when one is targeting a specific buyer.
Counting on Influencer Marketing
Businesses will continue to incorporate influencer marketing in their strategy. They will focus on working with reputable influencers who can be trusted when they review their products or services. Once companies have the right influencers on board, they can track their data to ensure that the investment is worthwhile.
Conclusion
While it is essential to adjust one’s plan of action to the changing trends, it should not be the only thing to consider. Research needs to be done on other important factors as you develop a content marketing strategy for 2021.