Saying that content marketing has been booming in recent years would be an understatement. It is a fast-paced domain that changes by the minute. Content has become the essence of a brand and a core strategy for any business. Nowadays, if you aren’t digital you will have difficulty succeeding, which is something the Covid-19 pandemic has made clear. In this ever-evolving digital world where so much data is accessible, it is no surprise that trends emerge every year. What can you expect? How can you try to get ahead of the curve? In order to help you start the year right, here is our Top 10 Content Marketing Trends for 2021.
1. Building Content Communities
User-generated content is now a must-have for any brand. With the rise of social media and the focus on personalization, building a community of engaged users is a key strategy. This community built around content creation and sharing allows marketing teams to continue to expand their reach while using fewer resources. Plus, it develops trust between the brand and the customers. The more people share content about your brand, the more people will be inclined to also share their experience with it. If done right, this sense of belonging will add value to your brand and it will make your customers feel valued and taken into consideration. Two very important things for word-of-mouth marketing.
2. Live-lier than ever
In-person events being on a break due to the pandemic, video and webinar content is thriving. They are a quick and very effective medium to communicate about your brand. Even better, live streaming allows you to engage very easily with your audience and sets new standards for availability. With more accessible events, the need to be innovative is also increasing. New and engaging ways to connect with your audience are appearing every day and they keep surprising us. It is easier than ever to attend an event even if you live on the other side of the world. Goodbye fear of missing out.
3. The Podcast Experience
It is not new that podcasts have become one of the most popular ways to consume content. We’ve all listened to at least one podcast, right? Well, this is also content that can be used to promote your brand. Whether you talk about it directly or just sponsor a podcast with a theme related to your brand, it is a great way to be a top-of-mind brand for the listeners. If you don’t really know how to get started, check out our article How to grow your podcast audience in 2021.
4. Personalized Content
Personalization is nothing new now but it keeps increasing in value. You need to speak to your audience on an individual level. Expectations for personalized content are at an all-time high. With all the available data, cookies, and other tools, it has become easier but still has room for improvement. Your content and strategy have to be specific to each of your buyer personas with quality content over quantity. The content needs to feel spontaneous and concise enough to catch the attention of your target.
5. Automated Content Creation
In the search for efficiency, marketers are looking for new and more effective ways to create content. Yes, content needs to be personalized, but it also has to be as least time-consuming as possible. Templates, post scheduling, or any kind of tool that will make the process smoother and easier are increasing. If you can create memes with a generator online, why not being able to create incredible timelines or posts without having to spend hours on Photoshop? A creative can dream.
6. The rise of AI-powered content
This goes along with the automated content creation but it’s not quite the same. AI technologies are improving by the second and it would be no surprise that it becomes more available in years to come. With tools like API GPT-3 and Contentyze, which use AI to take data and create summaries, captions, and even full blog posts, you can clearly see how it is becoming a key factor in content creation. It also could be a huge step for SEO and creating content that will do better on Google searches. Of course, even if improving, it has a ways to go so the creativity and human touch are still important to engage your customers.
7. Interactive content
With an attention span average of 8 seconds for an adult (potentially even decreasing) it has become harder to reach and engage with today’s consumers. That’s why brands are now turning to interactive content to make a lasting impression on their target audience. Content types like quizzes, tests, calculators, polls, or surveys allow consumers to actively participate in the content rather than passively consuming it. Augmented reality has also been on the rise during these past years and just keeps getting better. This need to improve the content experience goes hand in hand with a visible improvement in the UX design of the brands. Flashy and beautiful visuals, filters, and appealing timelines have become the new standards.
8. Voice Search
Voice search has had a great impact on content because of the big difference present between how we speak and how we write. You’ll want to take time to adapt content to natural language search, which means including questions and answers. Integrated audio formats and careful review of the words used in your articles and ads will be key. Something to definitely keep in mind in our Top 10 content marketing trends in 2021.
9. The Written Word Speaks Louder
Like mentioned before, a lot of written content will be affected in some way by these trends. Sure, creating engaging stories, funny podcasts, and incredible videos are cool and all, but content marketing still relies heavily on the written word. You need to find a balance between SEO-optimized content and actual creative writing that will capture your audience. Like I always say, good copywriting makes any content live only through words.
10. Multi-channel Content
Finally, repurposing your content across different channels is definitely something to keep in mind. Like we said, there’s a need to create engaging content with fewer resources. Any type of content can be modified to fit different formats and social media platforms. Instagram, TikTok, Youtube, and even Facebook have different standards concerning content but that doesn’t mean you can’t use the same content from a different angle. Use your content from webinars, live-event, podcasts, or YouTube videos to stoke the content bonfire. It will also give you access to more data and will allow you to better strategize in the future.
Turn up the Music
Music is not really a new trend per se since it is and always will be an important factor for content creation. We already said that in today’s world, the attention span is 8 seconds on average. So how can your brand stick in someone’s mind all day? Easy, use catchy music. With the new content formats that have emerged like TikTok and Instagram Reels, music has now taken center stage of content storytelling more than ever. But it’s not only about using any music and that’s it. You need to understand how to adapt your music in order to give your content more impact. For that purpose, a musical consultant could be a big plus for your content strategy. If you don’t know where to start, here at BAM we create weekly playlists covering any content need you might have so, check them out!
Content is king and it only keeps gaining power each year in this ever-evolving digital world. It is in your interest to get ahead of the curve and try to diversify the type of content you create. Videos and nice visuals are not enough anymore. Hopefully, our Top 10 Content Marketing Trends of 2021 will help to sharpen your tools. Good luck!
