What are the new trends in content marketing?
In 2022, there’s a mix of exciting trends that businesses can utilize to elevate their content strategy.
If you want to stay relevant, sticking to the usual 2,000-word blogs and occasional Facebook posts will not cut it for you.
You have to know how to maximize what’s up and coming.
This way, you’ll always be a step ahead of the competition!
In this post, I’m going to talk about the content trends that are hot, hot, hot in 2021.
To give you an overview, the six top content marketing trends I’ll be covering are:
- Voice Search Optimization
- Micro videos
- Live Videos
- Chatbots
- User-Generated Content
- E-A-T Content
I’ll briefly talk about each content marketing trend… plus give you an idea of how they can help businesses overall.
And now: Content Marketing Trends 2022:
Voice Search Optimization
“Hey Siri, how many people use voice search in 2020?”
I tried asking this question, and Siri gave me a bunch of statistics.
Here’s a good one:
In 2021, more than 50% of smartphone users used voice search.
And, according to Techjury.net, 39.4% of US internet users use it at least once a month.
That’s a huge number!
This shows that more and more people will continue to use this technology now and in the coming years.
This is why Voice Search Optimization has become a trend with content creators.
How does voice search optimization work?
Voice search optimization means tweaking your content to be voice search-friendly.
So when someone uses voice search, Siri, Alexa, or Hey Google, they can find the answers quickly in your content.
This helps your Google rankings.
So how do you optimize for voice search?
The key is to understand how consumers use voice search.
It’s not like the traditional Google search where a user just puts in specific keywords to find what they’re looking for.
When it comes to voice search, the queries are more conversational.
For example:
If you’re looking for the definition of “content marketing,” you’ll typically key in “content marketing” or “content marketing meaning” in the Google search bar.
But if you’re using voice search, it’s different.
It’s more common to speak like you’re just asking a friend.
You’ll probably say:
“Hey Google, what is content marketing?”
Or
“Hi Siri, define content marketing.”
If you’ve ever used voice search before then, you’ll agree with me that it’s more natural to use questions rather than keywords.
Because of this, it makes sense to rework your content to have answers to these questions.
It may help to add these questions to your content and provide clear and concise answers.
Avoid adding fluff or filler content just to lengthen the word count.
By optimizing your content for voice search, Google, Siri, or Alexa can easily spot the answers they’re looking for on your site.
Micro-Videos
Videos have been around for decades, but it is only during the past ten years that this medium has become readily accessible to the public.
As a matter of fact, if you watched the video above this section, you’ve already seen one.
Years ago, getting a single video produced costs a lot of money.
To film and air a 30-second TV commercial, a company must spend hundreds of thousands or even millions.
But now…
You don’t necessarily have to buy an expensive video camera or professional editing software to shoot and produce videos.
With HD and 4K cameras in smartphones, everyone can film their own videos.
And with the rise of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and, most notably, TikTok, videos are becoming more bite-sized.
These videos are often referred to as micro-videos.
What is a Micro-Video?
A micro-video is a short video content clip that is usually 15 to 30 seconds in length.
These clips are usually uploaded to TikTok and Instagram stories.
This type of video marketing is becoming more popular among content marketers because it’s easy to digest.
You don’t have to watch an hour-long video or go through a 5,000-word blog post.
Micro-videos are short, concise, and useful for social media users.
If you want to acquire more followers on Instagram or gain more engagement, using micro-video is a must.
You can easily create video content and share it with your target audience.
Check out this example that we recently posted on our YouTube channel.
For example, if you’re a restaurant owner, you could create video tutorials on making your signature dishes.
Or, if you run an online business that sells bracelets and necklaces, you can upload videos showing customers how to put them together or decorate them with bling.
You can also use micro-videos to gain subscribers by offering exclusive content in return for an email address.
You can upload videos that are only available for your email subscribers.
The idea isn’t new, but it has gained more traction among marketers and bloggers with the rise of micro-video platforms.
But why are micro-videos gaining popularity?
One of the reasons is that this type of video lets people consume content without a huge time investment.
Many viewers think this way:
If I can get entertained or get information in 15 seconds or less, why do I need to watch an entire hour of a video?
Makes sense?
Plus, let’s not forget that the human attention span is continuously decreasing.
Back in 2016, Time magazine mentioned that the human attention span was only 8 seconds.
And that was way before TikTok became a huge hit!
How about now?
According to Facebook, 65% of users will only give you 3 seconds to decide whether they’ll watch another 10 seconds of your video.
3 seconds!
So knowing these things, should you start using micro-videos?
Absolutely.
The great thing about video is that you can get fantastic reach if you do it right.
TikTok has 1 billion monthly users – with a capital B!
So if you’re not yet maximizing micro-videos, it’s definitely a great add-on to your content marketing strategy.
Visual content is great for making an impact, but it can be tough to track the ROI.
That’s where micro-videos come in handy.
You can prove engagement and conversions with these bite-sized videos:
Showing your product or service in action How-to tutorials Demonstrating features and benefits promoting a special offer locking viewers into a call-to-action.
Micro-videos are way more actionable than any text content.
It’s also easier to track conversions through micro-video views compared to blog posts or articles.
So what are you waiting for?
Give that video camera in your pocket a shot.
Live Videos
You needed to go through a TV station to broadcast a live video feed back in the day.
Sales and marketing teams had to book a television studio before shooting their videos.
And it costs them big bucks to do so.
So what changed?
These restrictions no longer apply with video streaming platforms like Tiktok, YouTube, Facebook Live, and Instagram Live.
Live videos are great marketing assets because:
It gives you an opportunity
But now, as long as you have a mobile phone and an internet connection, you can go live on your chosen platform.
And for free, too!
YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram all have a live broadcasting feature that lets users reach their followers in real-time.
It’s not even complicated at all.
Just with a push of a button, you can go live anytime and anywhere.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with almost all of us locked down inside our homes, many personalities took advantage of this live feature.
Virtual events increased exponentially.
And with it looking like COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere any time soon, live broadcasting may be the only way to reach your audience in 2022.
Here are some ways that you can take advantage of live videos:
- Host a Q&A session with your audience.
- Conduct interviews with experts on topics related to your niche.
- Broadcast training videos for free.
- If you’re a fitness blogger, you can go live while giving tips on working out.
- Or, if you’re an interior designer, you can show your followers how to turn their bedrooms into wonderlands.
Live videos are great because they allow your customers to bring their concerns straight to the source. After all, the best way to help your customers is to listen to them.
With live videos, there’s no need for you to edit anything. And since this type of video does not require editing or reshooting, it gives you the flexibility to go live at any given time!
But why is live video a great tool?
Aside from being free and convenient…
Another significant advantage of live streaming is that it allows real-time interaction with your audience.
During the live stream, viewers can send in comments that you can read out, and on some platforms like Instagram, you can even have a viewer go live with you in the same broadcast.
This can be an excellent way for brands and businesses to increase engagement, build rapport, and establish a connection with their followers.
And as you can tell, your content marketing efforts get a whole lot easier with live video.
Chatbots
In 2021, there are 4.6 billion active internet users worldwide.
In fact, it has been found that the world’s growth in active internet users is 7X faster than global population growth!
Having more internet users means more demand for content.
And for a lot of businesses, they have to make sure that they can keep up with the demand.
One way to do that is through the use of chatbots.
A chatbot is an AI (Artificial Intelligence) tool that can be used to have real-time conversations with customers 24/7.
Static content is so yesterday.
As more and more people are getting online, competition grows fiercer by the minute.
You need to think outside of your box to cut through the noise.
And one of the best ways to do that is with chatbots.
Will chatbots not be too impersonal or robotic, as the name suggests?
The good news is that most chatbots can now be designed to adapt the tone of voice you want.
You can make the chatbot sound like a real person to make it easier for customers to interact with it.
For small or medium-sized businesses that cannot afford to hire hundreds of call center agents round the clock, having a chatbot gives them the chance to keep up with the big guys.
Instead of their customers getting radio silence or no reply at all, a business can use a chatbot to send automated messages and even interact with customers immediately.
Chatbots also help filter out spam inquiries and answer basic questions so that human agents can focus on the more complex inquiries.
This can save businesses a lot of time, money, and effort.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Last year, around 1.8 million photos and videos were uploaded on Instagram every minute!
When you think about it, that’s a lot of content to go through if you want to find out what your friends or followers are up to.
But as more new users join the platform, not everyone will have the time to keep track of every post.
That is where user-generated content comes in.
User-generated content (UGC) are posts on online communities that come from the people who use those communities, not the platform or business.
People share their own experiences with a product or service to give to other users information. As the name implies, this is content that comes from real people like customers or influencers talking or writing about the business.
It’s the classic word-of-mouth strategy.
There are many platforms where users can share their content relating to businesses.
Facebook, Facebook Groups, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Yelp, Amazon, Google Reviews, Blogs, and many more.
So how do you take advantage of this trend?
The key is to encourage your customers to write about your products.
Be proactive in asking for reviews.
You can also employ influencer marketing tactics, product promotions, and contests to get more people to engage with your product.
Just remember that it’s a no-no to generate this content yourself.
Shady Amazon online sellers usually do this, but you can get penalized if you get found out.
E-A-T Content
Last on our list is E-A-T content.
E-A-T stands for:
E – Expertise
A – Authoritativeness
T – Trustworthiness
The Google Quality Rater Guidelines state that these three factors are considered when ranking content.
It means that it’s not enough that your content has the right keywords, or is the best-written piece in the industry.
Your content also has to come from an expert, be authoritative on the matter, and not contain any red flags when it comes to trustworthiness.
In other words, to rank well, your content must exhibit E-A-T.
- E-A-T content is high-quality content.
- E-A-T content is relevant content.
- E-A-T content gives authoritative information using reputable sources.
- E-A-T content is accurate and supported by evidence.
It should be written by an expert or a person or business with the appropriate authority on the topic.
In other words, E-A-T content must come from people who really know their stuff.
It’s not easy to make your content E-A-T, but it must be done if you want Google and other search engines to rank your site higher than your competitors.
You need to produce well-researched and well-written articles that are also optimized for SEO.
- It has to link to authoritative sources to support facts, data, and statistics.
- It also has to be updated to ensure that it’s relevant and current.
But don’t worry.
There are many tools available to help you with creating content that’s E-A-T.
You need to produce content that matches user intent.
If your readers are looking for a solution to their problem, you need to find the information they’re looking for and write it in a way that is easy to read or listen to.
In 2022, smart marketers will stop saying that you should target high-volume, low-competition keywords.
The keywords you target in 2022 will be ones that your ideal customers would type into the search engine.
After all, you want to attract customers who are already looking for what you have to offer.
If you target keywords that are too general, your articles will compete with the entire Internet.
Instead of trying to optimize for keyword volume, smart marketers in 2022 will be optimized for consumer intent.
People need specific solutions to their problems, and if your content matches what they want, then there’s a good chance they’ll pay attention to you.
Remember, Google wants to give their users the best possible results for their search queries, so if your content matches what the user is looking for, then chances are your site will be ranked higher than other sites that don’t have similar content.
How can you effectively integrate these content marketing trends?
Of course, you can try testing them out one by one, but without a cohesive content marketing strategy, you could end up wasting time, energy, and opportunity.
If you need help on how to get started, hire a content marketing agency like us. We’ll give you the competitive edge you need to get ahead of your competitors and grow your brand.
We will help you:
- Develop a content strategy that will help you achieve your business goals.
- Help you determine searcher intent to help you write content that matches it.
- Write engaging, consistent blog posts to build your brand’s authority.
- Give your content the best chance to rank well on search engine result pages.
- Leverage emerging trends to build awareness and sales.
- Get links from high-authority sources, drive more traffic to your site, and improve rankings.
- Increase customer loyalty and brand affinity through informative content that inspires readers.
- Optimize your content for the best ROI and SEO possible.
- Get in-depth social media marketing analytics and other valuable data to measure success.
- Grow your online presence with proven content marketing strategies.
- Create website content that generates quality leads, establishes authority, and boosts conversions.
We guarantee that if you follow our advice, your content marketing strategy will take your business to the next level.
What our customers say:
“BlakSheep Creative is a one of kind content marketing agency. They are not only knowledgeable in their field, but they have the ability to translate complex strategies into actionable steps for their clients.”
“BlakSheep Creative has helped us grow our traffic by over 400% in just 6 months! This growth has also brought improvements with customer conversions and engagement with the site.”
“BlakSheep Creative is extremely knowledgeable about content marketing, but more importantly is that they are very professional in every interaction. They provide insight into things you would never think of on your own. I would definitely recommend BlakSheep to anyone looking for help or improvements with their online presence.”
Are you ready for 2021?
Now that you’ve read this article, what are your thoughts on it? Did we miss any content marketing trends? I would love to hear what you think.
Leave your comments here, and if you enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends! Your support means a lot to us!
