10 content marketing trends to watch in 2022

The huge changes in consumer behavior and information needs caused by the pandemic have been driving content marketing trends and opportunities.

As consumers collectively turn to the Internet and the world as we know it is disrupted, many questions have arisen-people are seeking answers from the brands they do business with.

In 2021, 43% Of marketers have experienced an increase in content marketing budgets, and 66% expect to increase again in 2022.

According to CMI’s latest B2B content marketing report, video, digital and real-world events, own media assets and paid media are the main areas of content marketing investment in the coming year.

In this column, we will examine 10 specific content marketing trends that are driving the increase in investment and activity.

For each, you will find tips and key points below the infographic to help you use them to achieve marketing success in 2022.

1. The need for content quality, relevance and credibility

Google’s core update, Page Experience and Core Web Vitals, and anti-spam programs continue to raise the bar for creators and marketers who want to find their content in search.

eat – Google’s desire for the expertise, authority, and credibility of searchable content – ​​is a mantra that will continue to be heavy in the minds of marketers by 2022.

Because it lacks quantifiable indicators and cannot be measured, the concept of EAT is a permanent challenge in SEO.

Although it is certainly more important than others in certain types of content, average content will not play a role in any vertical area where special content exists.

hint:

• Hope to create a superior content experience by integrating audio, video, text, AR/VR, gamification and other interactive elements.
• Create content for your “dream” clients or clients-how to win their business?
• Focus on showing empathy and building trust in every content you create.

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2. Refocus on consumer intent

What is the intent behind the search?

Marketers and SEO professionals who still pay great attention to keywords and their performance are missing out on opportunities to truly connect with their audiences in meaningful ways.

It’s important not only to understand what people are searching for, but also why it’s important to plan and produce content that directly meets that need.

hint:

• Use real-time search insights to gain a deeper understanding of current potential customers’ motivations.
• Look for stopping points, content gaps, and other opportunities in your customer journey to create a more seamless experience.
• Use topics, keywords, and competitive research to inform content that more closely matches the intent of each searcher.

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3. Need for smarter, data-driven content planning and documentation

Savvy marketers are moving beyond using last year’s (or even last month’s) performance insights as a road map forward.

Today, there are more touchpoints and interactions than marketers can track and analyze themselves.

Your content strategy for 2022 shouldn’t stay the same on January 1. Instead, your strategy must include people, processes, and tools in place to analyze data and take action to provide information for the content throughout the year.

hint:

• Re-evaluate your current martech stack with a keen eye, paying attention to tools that are inefficient and do not work well together.
• If you don’t have data-driven ideas in-house, it’s time to work hard to improve your skills or outsource to expand your team.
• Record effective work processes and processes to make your work repeatable and scalable.

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4. Further align with SERP and Google guidelines

It’s not easy to convince Google that your content is the best answer to related queries.

You can first make sure you are following Google’s guidelines.

But also note that in addition to the traditional blue link results, you have many opportunities to appear at the top of the search rankings.

Featured snippets, People still ask, Video carousels, image results, headlines, etc. all provide visibility opportunities.

hint:

• Analyze the SERPs you want to appear, and optimize the content of the search result types to help you achieve your goals.
• View and refresh your old content, optimize new ranking opportunities and types.
• Use appropriate Pattern mark Help Google understand exactly what your content must provide.

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5. The proliferation of voice, video and visual content on mobile and social media

It is wrong to only focus on the amount of content. However, if you do not produce it, you cannot rank it.

In 2022, challenge yourself and your team to really think about how your stories and information are presented.

Will that article be a more compelling video? Does publishing an audio version help expand your audience?

On mobile and cross-social channels, consumers desire interactive, brief, and entertaining content. Will you give it to them?

hint:

• For each new content you plan, please consider Supplemental content assets You can use it to attract audiences and expand the scope of influence.
• Invest in the tools and talent needed to expand into new content types.
• If you are not sure which content format or platform will resonate with your audience, please ask them! If you only look at your own analysis data, you will only know which ones have worked, and you will never realize these untapped opportunities.

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6. Increased importance of real-time insight and experience provision

Real-time tracking can better inform you of upcoming events.

But more importantly, it provides the impetus for real-time optimization-we will discuss it next.

Real-time monitoring and insights will reveal current changes that may affect your SEO, so you can take action before it disrupts the customer experience.

This is especially important in corporate organizations where developers, marketers, IT, and others may make changes to the website.

hint:

• Use a real-time tracking platform that integrates other real-world insights-weather, elections, spending trends, etc.
• Set up custom alerts to spot problems and opportunities when they occur.
• Monitor the insights of competitors so you can see when they add new features or products/services to their pages.

Read more about SEJ

7. The rise of dynamic content creation and autonomous action

Of course, real-time insights sometimes require immediate action. This no longer requires humans to be on standby at any time for optimization.

Automatic content generation No longer something in science fiction.

Using technologies based on AI and machine learning, you can set rules and conditions under which the tool will also be optimized based on opportunities discovered in real time.

hint:

• Look for opportunities to personalize your content based on expressed needs, local conditions, content paths, or other factors that can be identified through queries, user signals, or behavior.
• Explore platforms that can monitor these opportunities and activate this data through real-time content optimization and personalization.

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8. Convergence of AR&VR, audio & text, etc.

Think of the stories you liked when you were a kid. Which ones do you remember most?

Chances are, your best memories are the stories you appreciate in various forms—not just books, but stories you remember read aloud to you.

Maybe your favorite song is performed in a children’s show, or from a movie you particularly like.

this Content format integration Help us understand the story more deeply. When we not only read, but also see, listen, even smell and touch, our emotional response to the content will be much stronger.

hint:

• Look at every story and information you share, and ask yourself, how can we enhance it with another format of media?
• The accessibility lens is also applied-are there potential customers who might not be able to receive this message due to the method we provided?
• Quickly understand the current status Augmented reality/virtual reality and marketing And, if you haven’t, start thinking about how to make your content experience more immersive in the near future.

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9. Balance the art and science of storytelling

Even if we delve into the automation of content and SEO, creativity and interpersonal relationships have never been more important.

Smart marketers are learning to use the efficiency and intelligence of machine learning and artificial intelligence without sacrificing the empathy of keeping the best content in the audience.

We need machines to analyze the vast amounts of data generated by countless consumer touchpoints. But we also need creative and talented people to create stories around these insights and information.

hint:

• Make sure your new creative staff keep up with the advancement of content technology. It’s not just a specific level of knowledge, you are looking for a mindset that is open to using technology instead of feeling threatened.
• Similarly, it is important that your technical staff also have a certain creative talent. Numbers and data will only get you to this point.
• In a small team, you may find it difficult to find these characteristics in a position, while in a large organization, you need to build a team to ensure that these professionals can collaborate well and complement each other’s skills.

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10. Integrate content into account-based marketing (ABM)

Customer-based marketing is a close cooperation between sales and marketing, which is becoming more and more important in B2B.

Consumers are looking for seamless transactions and will not tolerate the disconnect between what they have learned or accomplished through marketing content and their experience in sales.

Considering the impact of upsell and retention on your company’s revenue, this is an area where you definitely want to increase your attention.

hint:

• For each marketing campaign, meet with sales staff to adjust goals, strategies, and measure the success metrics of the marketing campaign.
• Establish your own best practices and create scripts that you will use and adapt to when experiencing success in ABM events.

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in conclusion

The ever-changing search landscape and continued destruction caused by the coronavirus pandemic are just a few factors driving new content marketing trends and changes in consumer preferences for content.

This constantly changing behavior presents you with a great opportunity to exceed the expectations of searchers.

The threshold is high; “average” content will no longer be applicable.

Use these content trends to develop more innovative and ultimately successful marketing strategies in 2022.

More resources:

Featured image: Shutterstock/ViewApart
infogram: Andy Bates And search engine journals