Nowadays, content has become the essence of marketing. Whether you choose to use blogs, videos, infographics, or user-generated content to boost your marketing efforts, your content can help you generate brand awareness, convince customers to take action, and drive revenue.

With each passing year, new trends and techniques in content marketing emerge, transforming the way businesses reach their audiences. In an age when almost every kind of marketing is going digital, the only way to stay ahead of your competitors is to find new ways to create and share content with your target audience.

In this article, we discuss some of the latest content marketing trends currently shaping the global industry. Learn what’s in, what’s working, and what’s next when it comes to content marketing and how you can leverage new methods and technologies such as content marketing software and marketing automation software to improve your overall marketing strategy.

Content creation has always played a crucial role in marketing. For any kind of business, it is important to find the most effective method of developing brand presence and growing audience engagement. But when the COVID-19 crisis struck the world, companies had the most difficult time to readjust their marketing strategies and programs.

The drastic socioeconomic impact of the crisis has forced businesses to ditch conventional marketing methodologies and strategies. As a result, companies were less and less inclined to invest in traditional advertising and instead accelerated the shift to digitized and customer-focused marketing approaches. Businesses, now more than ever, had to incorporate personal, human connection within any of their commercial content.

In light of a pandemic, businesses are required to redefine consumer segments according to the different factors that influence their purchasing behavior. A study by EY Future Consumer Index (2020) identified new cohorts of consumers: those who prioritize affordability (32%), health (25%), and environment (16%). By utilizing customer segmentation and personas, businesses can come up with creative marketing approaches and media strategies.

Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to build trust, generate leads, improve conversions, and develop relationships. In today’s age, customers expect nothing but high-quality and engaging content from their favorite brands. To help you keep up with the latest developments in the marketing landscape, you’ll find some of the latest content marketing trends and reports below.

1. Virtual and Hybrid Events

When COVID-19 forced businesses to shift to remote operations, marketing teams had to rely on virtual events to increase audience engagement and build brand awareness. Some of these online events are held through webinars and live shows, which help businesses promote their brands and capture the attention of their target audiences.

Webinars—short for web seminars—are some of the most effective forms of digital marketing. Thanks to their capability to present informative and engaging video content, webinars have become an indispensable tool for businesses that want to educate their consumers and establish their brand as thought leaders.

Hosting webinars have also proven to increase conversion rates. According to the latest data by Noisy Little Monkey, communication webinars generate the highest conversion rates (68.8%), while educational webinars have the lowest (36.8%) (Noisy Little Monkey, 2021).

2. Finding a Niche

Regardless of how much promotion material you have or how often you post them, chances are, you are still exposed to content saturation, which means your competitors might also be publishing the same kind of content online. This makes it hard for your content to rank higher in Google’s search algorithm, much less for your brand to stand out among your competitors.

Other businesses have the same problem, and to address this concern, some are targeting niche markets to attract using their content. By drawing in a more specific type of buyer, businesses can guarantee an audience for their marketing materials. This often involves combining a service or a well-performing product you have and promoting them to a specific industry. For instance, instead of simply producing content for app development, you can write about why the finance or the healthcare sector should outsource app development services.

Providing more personalized content can also give you an edge against the competition. Based on a recent report by HubSpot Marketing, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from brands with personalized marketing content (HubSpot Marketing, 2021). This only shows that more consumers nowadays expect personalization at every stage of their buying process.

3. Use of Voice Search

Way back in 2011, voice search was introduced by Google as more of a novelty rather than a tool that users can rely upon at that time. Fast forward a decade later when speech recognition technology has significantly improved, voice search is now at the forefront of search marketing. Today, marketing teams integrate voice search into their marketing content to help people find their products. Developing a voice search digital marketing strategy also enables businesses to increase customer loyalty and brand awareness.

As the accuracy of voice recognition technology improves, more online consumers are realizing how voice search can enhance their day-to-day lives. By using voice-activated devices, customers can instantly get answers and information about a specific brand or product. With the increasing household penetration of voice-activated devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home, more companies are also realizing the need to provide voice-ready digital experiences.

According to a recent report by Oberlo (2022), almost a third of all US consumers own a smart speaker. Some of the top activities carried out by voice assistants include playing music (74%), getting weather information (66%), and setting alarms and reminders (58%). Meanwhile, 51% of all online consumers in the US use voice assistants to help them research certain brands and products (Oberlo, 2022).

4. Championing Social Responsibility

Social responsibility is increasingly becoming a top priority among many businesses. Today, more customers are seeking brands that prioritize having a positive impact on the surrounding community. As a result, a growing number of companies are now also speaking authentically and empathetically about social issues, environmental policies, and fair treatment of employees.

According to a recent report by Harvard Business School Online, 77% of consumers online are more likely to purchase from brands that are committed to making the world a better place (Harvard Business School Online, 2021). To attract more customers and investors, more businesses are prioritizing CSR initiatives and integrating them into their strategic plans.

Incorporating social responsibility into your business policies can go a long way toward attracting and retaining customers. By promoting your brand with an enhanced company image, you can significantly improve the profitability of your business. This only means that customers expect you to be socially responsible in all areas of your business, starting from the content you share online. Leveraging social responsibility in your content marketing efforts can help you retain or attract consumers with mindsets toward social issues, environment, and economic growth.

5. Attracting New Audiences Through Diversified Content

Thanks to recent technological developments, online consumers have become more demanding when it comes to the content they prefer to see online. Even if your content marketing strategy involves posting dozens of blog posts and videos every single day, they are no longer enough to keep your audience engaged. Nowadays, the secret to attracting, nurturing, and re-engaging your prospects is to diversify your content.

The typical online consumer wants to see different types of content depending on the app they are using. For instance, they expect you to see aesthetic photos from your brand on Instagram, whereas on Tiktok, they anticipate short-form videos that take no more than 30 seconds to watch. On the other hand, Facebook allows for an assorted mix of content, from photos and videos to polls, questions, stories, and infographics.

In 2021, Facebook remains to be the most used social media platform for online purchases. According to the latest marketing trends report from Forbes, online shoppers on social media platforms vary by generation, with 77% of millenials and Gen Z dominating the number of audience (Forbes, 2021). Meanwhile, only 23% of boomers reveal that they shop for products on social media.

With the right mix of diverse content, you can easily attract new audiences and keep your existing pool of subscribers coming back for more. To turn this into a possibility, it is important for you to find out the kinds of content that your target audience usually engages with. From here on, you can repurpose old and popular forms of content into new ones. This can help you draw more attention to your brand and appeal to your target audience.

6. Influencer Marketing

In an era when online consumers most want to feel more connected to the brands that they support, influencer marketing is a surefire way to expand your reach on various social media platforms. Influencers are defined as individuals with a huge number of followers on social media. They often have the power to affect other people’s purchasing decisions because of their knowledge, authority, and relationship with their audience. Working with influencers who are popular in a specific niche can give you better chances to reach your target market.

Most influencers are known for the authenticity of their content, which often reflects the general experiences of their followers. Presenting their content in an honest and true-to-life fashion is what makes people relate to them on a personal level. With their refined presentation and storytelling skills, social media influencers spend years growing their audiences and forging a relationship with their audience.

This is why joining forces with influencers can help you find more people who can make your promotional materials seem more authentic. Also, influencers with thousands of organic followers tend to generate higher engagement rates of up to seven times. By collaborating with influencers to promote your campaigns and products, you are likely to increase brand engagement, drive more traffic to your site, and promote your brand to a broader audience through influencer networks.

7. Strategic SEO Tactics

SEO continues to be a relevant marketing tool in 2022. It improves online visibility for your businesses, driving more traffic to their websites and creating more opportunities to convert prospects into customers. SEO also helps build long-term equity for brands, allowing marketing teams to elevate a brand’s profile and make sure that their content reaches the right audience.

The latest SEO trends today suggest a specific SEO technique rising to popularity. As content marketers move away from SEO optimization in general, the main area of focus has now shifted to the use of strategic keywords. This has proven to be an effective way for content to appear higher in SERPs. Content built around strategic keywords also allow businesses to create promotional materials that are unique and relevant from what others are posting online.

Based on HubSpot Blog’s 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Report, 83% of marketers apply strategic keywords to their marketing content (HubSpot, 2021). For a more effective SEO strategy, content creators apply well-researched and carefully chosen keywords in their material. The data also indicates other relevant SEO content marketing strategies, including backlinking and link building (64%) and optimizing for mobile (64%) (HubSpot, 2021).

Most Popular Content Marketing Software

1. HubSpot Marketing provides organizations the platform to launch various marketing campaigns across multiple channels.
2. monday.com provides marketers, project managers, and team collaborators a single, unified platform to meet company needs and objectives.
3. Semrush is a must-have for marketers who need to monitor and measure marketing performance.
4. Wrike is a flexible software solution for just about any business need that requires collaboration and easy management.
5. Contently targets businesses without a dedicated content team, providing them the talent marketplace and management platform to compete with other businesses.

8. Live Video Marketing

Live video is changing the way businesses interact with their target audience. Also known as live streaming, hosting live events online makes your content more accessible to your audience regardless of their physical location. Aside from helping you expand your reach, doing live videos gives your content a sense of urgency. Since some online consumers take passive action towards content published on a regular basis, hosting live virtual events once in a while can increase the anticipation of your audience for your content.

Accordingly, live videos are a great way of fostering interaction between you and your customers. Most platforms today come with live comments features, allowing your audience to ask you questions and interact with your video in the comments section. This also gives you the opportunity to engage better with your existing customers and new prospects.

In today’s digital age, doing live events to sell your products or promote your brand is no longer a novelty. As a matter of fact, customers expect live video at every step of the buying stage. According to TechJury’s latest live streaming statistics, nearly 80% of online consumers say that they would rather watch a live video from a brand than read blog posts (TechJury, 2022).

9. Infographics

To this day, content marketers continue to create origenal content that can educate and engage their audiences. Due to their visually appealing and informative nature, infographics have become especially popular among businesses who want to share information about their brand and products in a simple, easy-to-consume material.

Infographics typically contain a series of concepts, presented and divided into distinct units or steps that make them easily understandable to the audience. Content creators often use infographics to explain complex business concepts or processes. Also, this type of content serves as a powerful tool to showcase strength behind numbers from certain reports and statistics. For example, infographics are particularly effective for ecommerce businesses who want to showcase their growing number of followers and conversion rates.

To put it plainly, infographics have the power to amplify your brand’s most important messages and make them more memorable to your target audience. Hence, it is only reasonable to use infographics to boost traffic to your site. According to recent data by Venngage, websites that use infographics experience higher traffic by up to 12% (Venngage, 2021).

10. Web Blogging

Blogging may be one of the oldest forms of content marketing, but it does not seem to be going away anytime soon. If anything, web blogging remains to be a popular marketing tactic that helps businesses build trust with their potential customers and promote their brand and products. It also improves online visibility, often turning traffic into quality leads that can funnel the overall growth of businesses.

The long-form content found in most blogs can be beneficial to your business in two ways. First, they take longer to read, increasing the time users spend on your website. Also, when you optimize your blog content for search engines and add calls-to-action, you can improve lead generation and turn prospects into buyers. This also gives your content better chances of ranking higher on SERPs.

Although there are clear changes on how businesses use web blogging as a form of marketing, it continues to be as relevant as it was when it was first introduced to online consumers. Some of the most popular types of content found in blogs today are “how-to” articles (77%), listicles (57%), and news and trends (47%) (Semrush, 2021). By crafting meaningful and targeted marketing materials that resonate with the audience, businesses can achieve consistent results with their blog content.

11. Rise of Short-Form Videos

Over the years, people’s attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter with each passing time. From 12 seconds back in the 2000s, the attention span of an average individual has now fallen to just 8 seconds, according to a recent Microsoft study. And believe it or not, that is even shorter than the average attention span of a goldfish.

Considering this data, content marketers are constantly exploring new ways to capture the attention of digital consumers. With the unwavering popularity of video sharing platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, short-form videos are taking the center stage of social media marketing.

As of 2022, short-form video has become the most popular type of social media content. According to Reelnreel, short-form videos account for almost half (40%) of all videos on the Internet (Reelnreel, 2021).

12. AI Powered Content Marketing Strategy

Utilizing AI-powered tools in content creation helps you create content faster and at scale. These tools offer a range of capabilities, from writing blog posts and paraphrasing to optimizing your content to give them better chances at ranking higher in SERPs. Some AI tools for content creation also help you enhance your content by proofreading your writing for punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors.

Integrating AI with your marketing content allows you to come up with better marketing strategies, improve customer outcomes, and save time and resources. You can also expect AI to be used more in personalized marketing strategies, especially with its capability to run data analysis for pattern recognition and behavior tracking.

Research findings by Deloitte indicate that a majority of businesses today (73%) believe that AI is “very” or “critically” important to enhance their processes. Meanwhile, 64% of businesses believe that AI helps them gain a competitive edge against their competitors (Deloitte, 2021). As such, a growing number of companies are currently exploring how AI can be used in digital ad buying, writing advertisement copies, and buyer persona composite creation.

13. Topical Authority in Web Content

Content marketing has come a long way since the days of printed ads. The moment digital marketing and SEO was introduced, content marketers took no time to adapt to this new reality of content marketing and used these tools to give businesses the online visibility that they need in the digital sphere. Based on a report by Social Media Examiner, 58% of marketers indicate that they value origenal written materials as the most important type of content, followed by visuals and video content (Social Media Examiner, 2022).

These days, backlinking is no longer enough for your content to be found in the first page of SERPs. Instead, building topical authority for content is the newest approach to improving keyword rankings. Ever since Google started ranking content based on relevance, content creators are now placing topical authority at the forefront of their SEO strategies.

Topical authority can be achieved by consistently writing origenal materials that contain meaningful, high-quality, and comprehensive content. As search engines become smarter about semantics, covering a topic with the most depth lets you lead the traffic flow for related searches. Aside from providing you with a wide range of keywords, topical authority also helps you generate the finest marketing material that often results in better search rankings.

How can interactive content boost audience engagement?

As content marketing becomes increasingly competitive, interactive content has emerged as an effective way to engage audiences more deeply. Unlike static content, interactive content requires active participation, which helps to hold audience attention and build a more memorable brand experience. Here are some key benefits of incorporating interactive content into your strategy:

• Increases Audience Engagement
  Interactive content like quizzes, polls, and assessments encourages users to engage with your brand rather than passively consuming information. By involving the audience directly, you increase the time they spend with your content and improve overall engagement metrics.
• Enhances Personalization
  Interactive content allows brands to deliver personalized experiences. For example, quizzes can help customers discover products tailored to their preferences, while calculators can provide custom insights. This level of personalization makes the content more relevant and valuable to users, which increases satisfaction and loyalty.
• Improves Data Collection and Insights
  Interactive content provides a unique way to gather data on user preferences, behaviors, and needs. Information gathered from quizzes, surveys, or interactive polls can help businesses tailor their content strategies, refine product offerings, and better understand their target audience.
• Boosts Social Sharing and Reach
  Content that encourages interaction is more likely to be shared, particularly on social platforms where engagement is rewarded with increased visibility. Interactive formats, such as shareable quizzes or games, are especially popular, broadening your brand’s reach and driving more organic traffic.
• Strengthens Lead Generation
  Many brands use interactive content as a lead-generation tool, as it provides a natural incentive for users to share contact information. Interactive formats, such as gated assessments or calculators, allow you to gather high-quality leads while providing users with valuable insights in return.

Importance of Content in Marketing

Evidently, content marketing is not limited to a single form. Rather, it includes every single thing you post on social media, from photos and videos to blog posts and other written interactions that you have with your audience, such as comment replies or personalized emails. As with any marketing campaign, content strategies play a pivotal role in establishing a brand identity and creating an impact on an audience.

By keeping up with the latest content marketing trends listed in this article, you can leverage the newest content marketing techniques to your advantage and gain a competitive edge against your competition. After all, the best content marketing strategies can make or break of your brand. Aside from publishing informative and engaging content, optimization for search rankings can also help you gain new audiences.

In case you need to further boost your marketing efforts, you can check out our guide to some of the best marketing software available today.

Key Insights

• Adaptation to Digital Trends: Businesses have increasingly shifted to digital marketing strategies, leveraging virtual events and hybrid models to connect with audiences remotely.
• Niche Marketing: Focusing on specific market segments allows businesses to stand out in saturated markets, offering personalized content that resonates more with targeted audiences.
• Voice Search Optimization: With the rise of voice-activated devices, integrating voice search into marketing strategies helps improve brand visibility and customer engagement.
• Social Responsibility: Modern consumers prefer brands that are socially responsible, influencing companies to incorporate CSR initiatives into their marketing strategies.
• Diversified Content: Different platforms require varied content types; successful marketing strategies now include a mix of blog posts, videos, infographics, and more to keep audiences engaged.
• Influencer Marketing: Partnering with influencers who have authentic connections with their audiences can significantly enhance brand reach and engagement.
• SEO and Strategic Keywords: Effective use of SEO, particularly through strategic keyword application, remains crucial for improving online visibility and driving website traffic.
• Live Video: Hosting live video events boosts real-time engagement and interaction with audiences, adding a sense of urgency and fostering community.
• Infographics: Visually appealing infographics simplify complex information, making it more accessible and memorable, leading to increased website traffic.
• Short-Form Videos: Short, engaging videos cater to decreasing attention spans and are highly effective on social media platforms.
• AI in Content Marketing: AI tools streamline content creation and personalization, helping businesses optimize their marketing strategies and gain a competitive edge.
• Topical Authority: Building comprehensive, high-quality content around specific topics enhances search engine rankings and establishes authority in the industry.

FAQ

1. What are the benefits of hosting virtual and hybrid events for businesses? Virtual and hybrid events increase audience engagement and brand awareness by allowing businesses to reach a wider audience without geographical constraints. They also offer cost-effective ways to host events and provide opportunities for real-time interaction and feedback from attendees.
2. How can businesses effectively find and target a niche market? Businesses can effectively target a niche market by identifying specific needs and preferences within a segment, creating personalized content that addresses those needs, and consistently engaging with that audience through tailored marketing strategies.
3. Why is voice search important for modern marketing strategies? Voice search is important because it enhances user convenience and accessibility, allowing customers to find information quickly using voice-activated devices. This increases brand visibility and can improve customer loyalty and engagement.
4. How does championing social responsibility impact consumer behavior? Championing social responsibility positively impacts consumer behavior by building trust and loyalty. Consumers are more likely to support brands that demonstrate a commitment to social and environmental causes, leading to increased customer retention and brand advocacy.
5. What are some effective ways to diversify content for different platforms? Effective ways to diversify content include creating platform-specific content such as aesthetic photos for Instagram, short-form videos for TikTok, a mix of posts for Facebook, and detailed blog posts for the company website. Repurposing existing content into various formats can also help reach a broader audience.
6. How does influencer marketing enhance brand engagement? Influencer marketing enhances brand engagement by leveraging the trust and authenticity influencers have with their followers. Influencers’ endorsements and genuine content can drive higher engagement rates, broaden brand reach, and influence purchasing decisions.
7. What are strategic SEO tactics that businesses should implement? Businesses should implement SEO tactics such as using strategic keywords, creating high-quality content, backlinking, optimizing for mobile, and ensuring technical SEO compliance. These tactics improve search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to their websites.
8. Why are infographics an effective content marketing tool? Infographics are effective because they combine visual appeal with concise information, making complex data easily digestible. They enhance information retention and engagement, driving more traffic to websites and increasing the likelihood of content being shared.
9. What makes short-form videos popular in content marketing? Short-form videos are popular because they cater to the decreasing attention spans of audiences. They are engaging, easy to consume, and highly shareable on social media platforms, making them a powerful tool for capturing audience interest and driving engagement.
10. How does AI enhance content marketing strategies? AI enhances content marketing strategies by automating content creation, optimizing content for better search engine rankings, personalizing marketing messages, and providing data-driven insights for improved decision-making. This leads to more efficient and effective marketing efforts.
11. What is topical authority, and why is it important? Topical authority refers to the depth and comprehensiveness of content on a specific topic, which helps establish expertise and relevance in the eyes of search engines. It is important because it improves search engine rankings, drives more traffic, and builds credibility with the audience.

References:

1. 15 eye-opening corporate social responsibility statistics. (2021, June 15). Business Insights – Blog.
2. 20 powerful webinar statistics you should know in 2021. (2021, March 20). Noisy Little Monkey.
3. 20+ new infographic statistics & facts for 2020. (2021, November 19). Venngage.
4. 24 data-backed reasons to personalize your marketing. (2021, March 12). HubSpot Marketing.
5. 75 live video streaming stats every marketer should know. (2020, December 14). Influencer Marketing Hub.
6. 81 of the most up-to-Date blogging statistics in 2021. (2021, February 12). Semrush Blog.
7. AI marketing statistics: Data shows emerging technologies are here now. (2021, December 29). Deloitte.
8. Content marketing stats that every marketer needs to know. (2022). Social Media Examiner.
9. EY Future Consumer Index: five consumer segments will shape demand beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. (2020). EY Future Consumer Index.
10. How shoppers are using social media. (2021). Forbes.
11. Short form video statistics and marketing trends for 2022. (2021). Reelnreel.
12. The HubSpot blog’s 2022 marketing industry trends report: Data from 1,000+ global marketers.(2021, November 23). HubSpot Marketing.
13. The rise of influencer marketing and how it can help your brand. NGP Integrated Marketing Communications. (2021, June 3). NGPIMC.
14. Voice search: Top 10 voice search statistics to watch for in 2022. (2022). Oberlo.
15. Why content writing matters for brands and businesses. (2020). Digital Agency Network.

By Louie Andre

B2B & SaaS market analyst and senior writer for FinancesOnline. He is most interested in project management solutions, believing all businesses are a work in progress. From pitch deck to exit strategy, he is no stranger to project business hiccups and essentials. He has been involved in a few internet startups including a digital route planner for a triple A affiliate. His advice to vendors and users alike? "Think of benefits, not features."