The world of content marketing is changing at a rapid pace. And it’s getting more challenging for businesses to keep up with the new trends and keep marketing strategy current.
If you want to succeed in 2020, you should get a clear understanding of what content you need to produce and where to distribute it, in short, to clearly understand the main content marketing trends in 2020. You should learn more about the expectations of modern users and develop a content strategy that will help you to meet those expectations.
In this article, we will consider the top six content marketing trends that will prevail in the coming year. Take a closer look at these trends and adapt your strategy accordingly.
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Video Content Will Continue to Gain Momentum
Modern users tend to choose video content over other types of visual and text content. And recent study reveals that 54% of consumers want to see more videos from brands and businesses they support.
So, if you want to attract your target audience, you should focus your efforts on video content production. Here are a few video content ideas for your business:
● How-to guides – Show your customers how to use, apply, wear, install, or clean your product. For instance, if you sell cosmetics, shoot the video “how to do cat-eye makeup using X eyeliner”.
● Video interviews – Discuss important topics with your employees, social media influencers, or experts in your niche. For instance, if you run a sustainable clothing company, ask an expert some questions regarding the usage of “vegan leather”.
● Explainer videos – Explain to your customers what your product is all about and present the technologies you use. Explainer videos are a must for every SaaS company.
● Unboxing videos – Show your prospective customers what your product looks like in real life and try to generate curiosity.
● Customer testimonials – Let your customers share their opinion about your products.
● Live videos – Stream your corporate events on social media.
● Behind the scenes videos – Let your customers take a look at what is going on in your company. Show how you produce, pack, shoot, or deliver your products.
Source: Instagram
Once you create a video, you can share it on one or a few platforms:
● You can publish your videos on your website
● You can post videos on social media
● Or, you can include videos in your email marketing
Interactive Content – A Content Marketing Trend That Continues to Raise Interest
Nowadays users are overexposed to content. And this is a key reason why they are becoming picky content consumers.
If you want to get your brand noticed, you should start using interactive content. According to statistics, interactive content generates twice as many conversions and generates up to five times more page views than ordinary content.
So, if you have noticed that your articles or Instagram posts do not bring as much engagement as they did two years ago, take advantage of interactive content:
● Use funny quizzes to entertain your customers and draw their attention to your brand
● Collect customer feedback using online surveys. Use feedback to improve your products and services.
● Add an online calculator to your website to help your customers with calculations of shipping costs, installment payments, etc.
● Post interactive Stories (e.g., use polls and quizzes stickers) to engage your followers and encourage them to watch all of your Stories.
● Design a simple, engaging game for your website to make your customers stay on the page for longer periods of time.
“When it comes to interactive content, you should be as creative as possible. You should surprise your customers with brand new content they have never seen before,” says Helen McGraw, a content strategist at Studicus.
Do you want to see an example of unique interactive content? To engage the audience during the holiday season, Swatch created a series of interactive Instagram Stories – a funny game about a penguin in a hurry on a date. Swatch asked users to tap the Story to help the penguin jump and overcome obstacles on his way.
Source: Instagram
This funny game helped the company to boost social media engagement, increase brand awareness, drive more traffic to the website and increase sales. That’s a fantastic result, isn’t it?
If you want to maximize your marketing efforts in 2020, you can also try to turn your Instagram Stories into a funny game. It’s a brand-new way to engage the audience, and it seems it works really well.
Content Marketing Trends: Storytelling Still on an Ascending Path
Another important content marketing trend that we saw evolving in the past years is storytelling. Whether you’re writing a blog post, crafting a social media post, shooting a video, or designing a game, you should use narratives and storytelling. It will help you achieve the following results:
● Enhance your brand message
● Make your content stand out
● Get your customers emotionally attached to your brand
Do you consider yourself a bad storyteller? No worries. Living in a digital age, you can always get professional help online. If you want to incorporate storytelling in your content marketing strategy, feel free to use the following sites:
● Upwork – it’s an international freelance platform where you can hire an expert in storytelling. Here you can find a professional with experience in your niche.
● GrabMyEssay – it’s a writing service that employs highly-qualified storytellers. Visit this website to buy articles, eBooks, and social media posts.
● Fiverr – it’s another freelancer platform where you can find storytelling gurus. Some freelancers provide really great work but charge affordable rates.
● TrustMyPaper – It’s another writing service. Check it out if you want to outsource your storytelling without overpaying.
Content Marketing Trends: Personalized Content
Digital era consumers demand personalized content. And it seems that personalization strategies are becoming fundamental for companies that want to compete effectively in the digital space.
If you still believe that “personalization” is just a trendy buzzword, take a look at the following statistics. A recent marketing study has shown that 42% of customers get annoyed when they get exposed to content that is not personalized. The vast majority of buyers expect that brands will engage with them on a personal level across all platforms, including social media, blogs, and email.
In 2020, content personalization is a must. To infuse personalization into your content marketing, you should do the following:
● When you’re writing emails, address the users by their first names. It will increase the open rate and boost your email marketing efforts.
Source: Email from paypal.com
● To optimize the work of your website, display content based on visitor behavior. For instance, if a shopper is looking through the cheap laptops, show him the article “How to choose an inexpensive laptop for students”. If a visitor is checking the pages of the most expensive gaming laptops, display the post “Top 10 gaming laptops that will make your friends jealous”.
● Use polls and quizzes to learn more about your customers and their preferences. Get an idea of how to personalize your content to boost engagement.
Source: Email from delta.com
● Use WordPress plugins like PrivateContent Multilevel Content and User Profiles Made Easy to create user profiles for your website and maximize your content personalization efforts.
Top Performing Content Marketing Trend in 2020: Voice Search
To date, around 111.8 million people in the U.S. use a voice assistant at least once a month. This is equivalent to 39.4% of internet users and 33.8% of the total U.S. population. And it’s expected that voice-based shopping will jump to $40 billion in 2022.
So, if you want to reach users of Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Samsung’s Bixby, Google Assistant, and other voice assistants, you should adjust your content marketing strategy. Here are a few tips that you might find useful:
● Focus on long-tail keywords. Voice search is longer and more conversational, so short-tail keywords do not work here.
● Use more natural language and avoid rarely used words.
● Try to think like a customer. Imagine what questions you would ask to find products similar to yours.
● Add questions and answers within your content. For instance, if you are writing an article about YouTube video downloaders, add the question “How to download YouTube videos for free?” and then provide a reply “To download YouTube videos you need to install the app X”.
Source: Youtube
Content Marketing Trend: User-Generated Content
Finally, let’s talk about user-generated content (UGC). In fact, if you want to get the most from your content marketing strategy, you shouldn’t try to produce all content by yourself. You should try to get more UGC instead.
A recent marketing survey reveals that 85% of consumers find visual UGC more influential than brand photos or videos. Also, the study shows that 48% of online shoppers see UGC as a great way to discover new products.
If you want to collect more user-generated content, do the following:
● Come up with a branded hashtag. Keep in mind that branded hashtags must be unique but do not necessarily need to match your brand name completely.
● Explain to your customers what tags and hashtags they should use in their posts. Put this information in the bio of your social media account.
Source: Instagram
● To generate even more content, offer your customers a reward. It can be a discount for the next purchase, or bonus points if you have a loyalty program.
Source: Email from DSW.com
Final thoughts
If you want to keep your business afloat in 2020, don’t ignore content marketing trends. Analyze the changes that are taking place in the market and update your content marketing strategy. Do your best to ensure that you deliver the content that your buyers expect from you.
Invited Guest Writer:
Angela Baker is a communication professional with more than five years of experience in digital marketing. Currently, she is working as a freelance writer at BestEssayEducation and editor at PickTheWriter.
