You know what the great thing about content marketing is? It’s ever-changing. You see this type of post every year for a reason: what worked last year could be obsolete just like that. Props to you for wanting to stay up to date.
Without further ado, here are the sizzling marketing trends you should keep track of in 2021!
Video Content Will Be in Full Swing…
How-to videos, explainer videos, product unboxing and demos, and of course, the fun stuff. We just love them. They keep us busy and, of course, are much better than good old reading.
Videos do double duty as great sources of entertainment and information. If you’ve seen any Youtube video divided in chapter timestamps, it’s easy to think of videos as blog posts, where you could just easily skip to a particular section that interests you.
A year from now, 82% of traffic is predicted to pass the baton to – you guessed it – videos. And by the way, whenever a brand owner shows their pretty little face on video, that adds points to transparency and authority. So you better start upping your video marketing game ASAP.
…But, So Will Blogs, and All Forms of Written Content
Truth is, we won’t be getting rid of blogs anytime soon. Or any type of written content, for that matter.
Remind yourself that not all of us are youngsters scrolling through TikTok and the like all day. Some of us still do read, thank you very much.
Blogs are a great way to drive traffic to your website with long-tail keywords. Emails are still crucial to reach your audience in a personal way. Yes, visual content is at the top right now, but that doesn’t mean you should ban all forms of writing. Written content is still cheaper, and search engines still aren’t smart enough to crawl and “read” videos.
A good strategy would be to create content in video but stay loyal to your blog posts. This way, you’ll drive traffic (and make sales) through different channels.
If you’re not fond of writing, better hire someone soon. Text is still that important.
Chatbots Will Be a Preferred Method of Communication
Don’t you just love the feeling of not having to chat to a robotic-sounding voice on the phone?
Some bots are our friends, after all, and we need them to streamline processes. They’re trained with Natural Language Processing (NLP) to reply to simple and more complicated questions whenever a human representative isn’t available (though they sound just like normal people typing).
If you ever need human help, you could just ask the chatbot and they’ll provide the help you need. Some websites even provide frequently asked questions you can just click on to receive a reply. No need to even type. Awesome.
In 2021, 80% of businesses are considering a chatbot integration in their websites. Are you one of them?
Content Will Be Increasingly Optimized for Voice Search
50% of searches are predicted to be voice searches this year. Why not? Asking Alexa is so much easier than typing.
It’s not hard to optimize your content for voice search. It takes knowing how people use voice search to increase your chances of having your search results spelled out. If you do have a virtual assistant at home, that’s even better. Notice the kinds of questions you ask, which words you use. Search for the most common voice search queries, and try to find a pattern.
You’ll probably notice voice search queries are longer and more conversational. Use that in your content. Write conversationally, as though a human is both asking and answering your questions.
Another tip is to write a sweet, quick, and short answer to a certain question before you get to the details. FAQ pages are great places to do it.
Without Good User Experience (UX), Several Sites Will Fall Short
You’re probably tired of reading this one. Have you done anything about it yet?
If not, we urge you to.
Sites with bad UX are dropping, one by one. Think of your visitors as slow-boiling teapots. They could only bear sloth-like and badly designed websites for so long, because they knew the Internet wasn’t all that back then.
In 2021, they’re already screaming at anything that remotely wastes their time. You’re competing for their attention. Your business isn’t the only one that offers what you offer. Be interesting. Be quick. Stand out.
Livestreaming Will Be One of The Best Ways to Build Authority
Due to the pandemic, live streams have increased 29% in 2020, according to the Content Marketing Institute. What does that tell us?
People love it. Especially when it contains information they like from a source they trust. This source could be you talking about your brand, or just shooting the breeze with your followers.
Remember authority and transparency? Add trust to the mix. These three combined are evident in livestreams. It’s where you show up in real-time, willing to interact with people that have taken the time to hear you speak as your knowledgeable self. As a face behind a brand, that’s gold.
Plus, you can always easily repurpose that content and post it on YouTube, or even transcribe it for a blog post. Pretty cool.
The Takeaway
You can rest knowing that your email marketing, blogging, and videos are safe and sound.
Though 2021 will definitely reinforce the need for stimulating visual content, all of your content creation (whether verbal or non-verbal) should aim for one goal, and value it is. In short, you’ve got a lot to create this year. Need a hand?