Top Content Marketing Trends for 2022

Everywhere on the internet, you find content of all types, covering a breadth of topics. But which ones will be most valuable for your business in 2022 and beyond?

As the online world evolves, so will the type, volume, and method of delivering content. In fact, even as we speak, changes in audience's content consumption are happening. If they haven't already, that is.

This makes it imperative for you to adapt and anticipate content marketing trends so your business can grow. Else, be overtaken by competitors, and forgotten by your audiences.

While acuity to trends in the technological landscape are important, these days, that might not even be enough. You will also need to develop sensitivity to the pains of your audiences that exist in their greater societal spheres, to say the least.

It's a lot of work, admittedly. But any kind of effort to create genuine and durable connections online is. Thankfully, once galvanized, you garner not just loyal customers, but brand advocates as well.

Top content marketing trends for 2022 and beyond

Those said, here are a few content marketing trends you can ride on so you can create and nurture these connections.

1. Podcasting and the power of voice-only content

Podcasting is a form of audio content that educates and/or entertains its readers on a variety of topics. They can sometimes be listened to on streaming sites such as YouTube and Spotify for free, or without the ads for a premium. 

This audio content is known for gaining traction in recent years because there’s a podcast for everyone and can be listened to anywhere. Podcasts can either be scripted or unscripted, making their creation customizable for your business and customers’ needs.

Additionally, as mobile phones are in the hands of every person, more podcasts are being listened to every day. In fact, podcast statistics research done by SEMRush found that different audiences spent 15 billion hours were spent listening to podcasts in 2021. Additionally, it was found that 20% of people have been encouraged to buy products when they’ve been advertised on these podcasts. Basically, what all of these statistics mean is that your potential audiences would appreciate a podcast from your brand.

But why is podcasting so popular a trend these days? 

In our content-hungry world today, people always want to experience the things they like for themselves or through the lens of interesting/authoritative people. 

As audiences listen to their favorite topics being discussed, they feel like they’re part of a conversation that truly matters to them. Pair this with the fact that most podcasts are free or cost very little to listen to, it’s no wonder why people continue to support them. 

Meanwhile, a podcast can benefit your brand since they’re relatively more affordable to make, compared to videos, but is easier to consume than blogs. After all, listening is faster to accomplish than reading.

With this in mind, learning how to start your own podcast will create a platform for you to grow your reach and reach your business goals. 

2. Automating human content

Artificial intelligence (AI), is software installed in machines that emulate the complexities of the human mind to accomplish specific tasks, and partnering with a knowledgeable digital marketing agency can help you navigate these complexities effectively.

Once thought of as something from movies or used only by big businesses, AI is now, more than ever, present in everyone’s lives. You can see it in everyday things such as in streaming services, online publications, and online commerce. 

These applications’ AI software analyzes our word choices and the things we search for, so they can curate a collection of personally-targeted content that gives us the best customer experience. This advanced customer activity tracking is what makes AI such an essential part of content marketing in 2022.

As you use AI to create superior, optimized content for your customers’ needs, you are effectively scaling content production that leads to better conversions. After all, as you give customers greater value in every post and campaign, they’d be willing to support your offers. 

That’s why if you’re going to invest in content marketing tools, AI is a must-have in your arsenal.

Some excellent AI software you need to get for your business are:

• Bizzabo - Helps you track and analyze customer data to find the best way you can give them ideal engagement with your brand. 
• Jasper AI - Helps you write and optimize your content to give maximum value to your customers through a variety of different styles such as copies and articles. Additionally, Jasper AI can write your content in over 25 languages.
• SEMRush - Helps you see if you’re ranking well for your targeted keywords in search engines. Meaning, you get to see how you can better your SEO game so people can find you much easier. 

3. Empathic content and marketing with emotion

Content creation with heart means making your content relatable to your audience. According to Act-On, as you place familiar language and relevant imagery in your content, your audience will appreciate your campaigns more. After all, you’re using relevant resources to give them value.

Common content creation mistakes companies tend to make is that they either make corporate, very sales-y posts that feel too eager to make a profit. Meanwhile, another common mistake is trying to emulate trends in content marketing but fail to understand their true essence. Regardless of which mistake you make, audiences won’t create connections with your brand’s campaigns (thus, no conversions) as these feel hollow and heartless. 

You can avoid this pitfall by making sure you use the right brand voice. Such that resonates with real emotions and provides helpful information to your audiences. 

4. Getting to the point with concise marketing

Concise marketing is a content creation process that goes into the heart of your message. Removing fluff and unnecessary points that don’t contribute to your content, concise marketing ensures your audience is able to digest your output.

With your audience’s limited time and shrinking attention spans (as seen with the rise in popularity of short-form videos such as Tiktok and Youtube Shorts), brevity is a must in content marketing. As such, whatever content you release must be packaged in snackable bits for better appreciation.

Meanwhile, should you need to produce more long-form content, there must be markers to guide the reader throughout your work. Line breaks in the form of headings, for example, are best implemented in long articles.

As another case, video time stamps also serve this intent. These allow your reader to skim through content and still leave your landing pages learning something.

Concise marketing is not going anywhere soon, so remember to keep your work direct for them to become more accessible to your audiences.

5. Shorter and shorter videos

Video for marketing is one of the biggest content marketing trends for 2022, and it doesn’t show any signs that it’ll stop being one in the future. Thanks to video marketing’s visually engaging showcase of information, you’re able to give value to customers. 

Video content works because of its attention-grabbing visuals, it encourages human connection through a narrator, and most importantly, makes complex topics easier to understand. Additionally, videos may also function similarly to podcasts should your content doesn’t necessarily need to be viewed to absorb the information within. 

Since television commercials first started popping up in the 1940s, consumers were all encouraged to buy products and services by watching their screens. Then a little over 70 years later, especially with the emergence of the internet, video marketing became more prevalent than ever before.

As technology advances, new production methods are being invented, and people naturally being visual learners, more exciting and engaging video marketing campaigns have been created on a variety of platforms. 

YouTube is actually the first platform that comes to mind when it comes to video marketing. As we’re able to easily find advertisements before the videos we’re watching, or even within the video itself as content influencers start to become ambassadors. 

However, it’s important to note that there are trends within the world of video marketing itself, such as the continued shortening of content. But, at the end of the day, video will always find its way to the hearts of your customers regardless of the trends that come and go.

A content type that almost all demographics want to absorb, creating videos as part of your marketing strategy is a sure-fire way to give value to all sorts of audiences. 

Key takeaways

Content marketing continues to be one of the most challenging, but ultimately rewarding ways to make conversions. To better accomplish this, remember these key takeaways from these content marketing ideas:

• Give your content personality. People will never care about hollow, formulaic, or sales-y content. As such, remember to implement your company’s personality shine in whatever marketing content you create to create conversions.
• There are many ways people absorb information. Some people prefer listening, some watching, some, a mix of both. With this in mind, your content needs to be available in all formats to ensure people can gain value from your work in a way they’re comfortable with. 
• Technology and people’s interests change quickly. Remember to take the time to analyze current and up-and-coming content marketing trends and use them concisely for the best results. Doing so allows you to keep people interested and retain them as long-term customers.

Which of these content marketing trends are you doubling your efforts for? Let's chat over Facebook, X, or LinkedIn! We'd love to share insights with you.

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