Content marketing is the strength and pillar of any successful digital marketing strategy.
Creating high-quality and relevant content not only attracts consumers' attention but also engages them and boost conversion rates.
But with digital progress, people are consuming content differently and content marketing is shifting.
With social media and other technological developments, content marketers are connecting with their consumers in newer, more engaging ways. And the only way to play the game with competitors is to join the race.
Without further ado, here are 7 content marketing trends to help you change your brand’s future.
Live Videos
While people have been using this for quite some time now, live videos are surfacing as one of the most engaging forms of content.
What are live videos? If you or your brand are on social media, you may have seen or scrolled past this content. Users – regular people, influencers, or brands – go live on Facebook, Instagram, or whatever their choice of platform that has this feature and share their live video for their followers and the world to see.
According to Cisco, 82% of online traffic will be video by 2022.
The user hosting the live video is interacting and engaging their viewers in real-time. Video creators can answer a question that viewers leave in the comment section.
This past couple of months, we’ve seen the rise of celebrities, athletes, and influencers take advantage of live videos. Many of them go live and have Q&A videos where the audience asks questions.
Live videos give users the chance to interact with the video creator while the video is being made. This gives a much more interactive experience to the users and makes them feel more involved.
These live videos allow marketers can promote their brands or client’s brands to a wide audience.
Got a product launch coming up? Your brand can go live and broadcast the launch in real-time.
User-Generated Content
Let your brand shine through your consumers’ eyes! User-generated content show authenticity than traditional branding content because it shows “real” people, not paid models or actors. This new reality is backed up by Stackla’s study that user-generated content is the most trusted type of content.
Brands like REI have shown how user-generated content creates impactful marketing. The well-known outdoors company, they encourage their followers and fellow outdoor aficionados to use the hashtag #OptOutside. The result? It has millions of impressions on social media, and it bolstered its brand to the top of search engines.
Create Stories
Similar to live videos, you’ve seen this feature on social media. You’ll see circle icons with colored rings around on top of your timeline. These are stories created by other users. These stories can last up to 15 seconds a screen. For the most part, these are visible on Instagram and Facebook.
Your brand stories can be images, videos, text, or a combination of any form of content.
The stories uploaded are short-lived. It only lasts for 24 hours but has the option to be saved in a brand’s profile.
These short-lived videos allow brands to create ads with a sense of urgency because in a blink of an eye the promo can be lost in the clouds.
Authenticity & Relevance
Innovation doesn’t always have to involve technology. Sometimes all it takes is staying true to yourself, to your brand. People see inauthentic social media accounts from miles away.
These days, many marketing agencies focus on shining on a brand’s authenticity. Consumers put a lot of value on a brand’s authenticity and the relevance of its content.
90% of successful content marketers focus on relevance rather than promotions, based on a study by the Content Marketing Institute. They found success because they’ve broken a wall separating brand and consumer. The audience trusts the brand and deems it's content useful, informative, and engaging.
Be authentic on social media. One obvious way to do this is to minimize the use of stock photos and only post content that’s relevant to your audience. Minimize posts that promote your brand in your content. Overselling yourself to your audience is not an authentic approach and is not relevant.
Personalized Content
We all want to be seen and feel recognized. Create a 1-on-1 vibe when planning your content.
For your next email campaign, think of personalizing it more. It can start by signing the email with a team member’s name and using pronouns like “we,” “I,” and “us.” This strategy builds a human connection and doesn’t feel like your subscribers are receiving just another email.
This is an amazing way of building a strong customer relationship, and 98% of marketers agree.
When it comes to personalization, however, brands need to put in more effort than usual. From collecting data – age group, background, location – and segmenting the recipients of your emails and planning your campaign.
Transparency
Consumers today have a better awareness of marketing tactics. They are more cautious than ever. They look for transparent brands.
When brands produce too much content that’s saturated by data or sound too salesy, consumers see this as brands not being honest with them. This strategy doesn’t create trust.
Going back to our early point, consumers want to see a brand that’s authentic and more transparent.
When it comes to transparency, you might want to disclose who your partners are and giving credit where credit is due.
Sub-Niche Content
The worldwide web is saturated with content in every possible niche. To find your niche, you need to dive deeper into your niche and develop a more specific content.
One good example is coffee. There are millions of coffee aficionados out there and so many coffee brands that offer a wide variety of blends. Your sub-niche could be low-acidity coffee.
One benefit of a sub-niche is you have a smaller target audience, which makes it easier to personalize your content.
Final Thoughts
Content is the essence of marketing. But content marketing is an ever-evolving trend that continuously reshapes the marketing industry.
There’s already an oversaturation of content on the Internet, and it’s not slowing down at any point.
Whether it’s a short video on TikTok, a post of live video on Instagram, or a video tutorial on YouTube, content is more accessible than ever. And its importance has not diminished by one bit.
What are your thoughts or concerns about content marketing? What’s your go-to content marketing? Share them in the comments section below. Let’s talk!
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