7 Content Marketing Trends You Need to Know in 2022
It doesn’t take much to see that content marketing changes extremely fast. One day, Facebook is our best friend, the next, they are the guilty party responsible for everything that is wrong with marketing. Now more than ever, it feels like we’re all just running in place on a hamster wheel, chasing “marketing fundamentals” that were relevant just a few minutes ago but are probably old news now.
Let's dive right into what we know is going to make a splash in 2022.
Long-Form Videos Might Be Making a Comeback
In 2021, we saw short-form videos explode. They were literally everywhere, and we all spent more hours on Tik Tok than we care to admit.
It's no secret that videos have been trending shorter and shorter, but that doesn't mean long-form videos are gone for good. After all, YouTube still dominates video search results on Google year after year. And despite Tik Tok's success, platforms are actually increasing video content length across the board. Tik Tok just recently announced its push for 3-minute videos. Instagram is now allowing users to upload 60-second videos.
What is happening?! Well, we don't know for sure but long-form video content is predicted to make an appearance in 2022.
Interactive Video Elements and Personalization
We're living in a world where people want to connect with people, not brands. Personalization is growing more sophisticated every year, and by 2022 it will be the default rather than the exception.
"The Internet is becoming personalized, rather than mass-marketed. The move to mobile devices and social media has created an entirely new paradigm for reaching consumers. Their attitudes towards privacy and their changing behavior will change the way we market to them."
Tiffany Shlain, filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards
But what is personalization?
We've used this word in marketing to describe highly targeted messages for a long time. But, frankly, personalization is a lot more than just targeted content.
Tailored content, relevant messaging, timing, channel, and more are all part of personalization and are important for a successful content marketing strategy—but they're not the same thing. Personalization is a broad umbrella that encompasses a number of approaches aimed at creating more relevant, compelling experiences for consumers. While each approach requires some level of personal information, they are not synonymous with one another. I'll explain:
Personalized content is simply content that has been tailored to meet the needs of your audience. It can be automated (based on previous purchase history or account data) or manual (tailored based on what you know about individual users). This could mean that for your target audience you write blog posts, while for another business they may create TikTok videos, and yet another company could thrive by creating YouTube videos.
Relevant messaging means sending messages that are more likely to be acted on based on what you know about your customers' interests and behaviors. This could mean putting together an email newsletter with related pieces from different authors or sending someone a marketing email about an upcoming event in their city that you know they'll be interested in attending.
Timing and channel also play a role in relevancy. How are you communicating your message? When are you sending it? Are you posting your content in the morning or evening? You could have similar posts for Instagram Reels and TikTok, but you may want to schedule TikTok in the morning and Instagram in the evening based on when your followers are most engaged on the specific social platforms. Also concerning timing is seasonal posts. Creating content for the 4th of July doesn't really make sense in December... in fact, I am confident enough to say it is a really, really bad idea.
Through a combination of AI and data-driven marketing, brands are leveraging these personalization tools to deliver a highly relevant, individualized user experience. When building out a marketing stack, you will want to include Google Analytics and Google Search Console, as well as social listening tools, to learn more about your target market and social media users.
More Live Streaming and Live Content
Don't like to show your face on reels or live-stream? You might have to face that fear this year!
Live streaming has been around for a while, but it’s only recently that brands have begun using it as a way to interact and engage directly with their audience. Live content helps build human connections with potential customers in a way that evergreen content cannot, and its power in the video marketing world is expected to take full effect this year. In fact, according to Social Chain, live streaming is expected to be one of the biggest trends in social media over the next few years. This makes live streaming an incredibly powerful marketing tool for any business.
Their research predicts that by 2022, 50% of all brands will be using live video as part of their digital marketing strategy and 75% of businesses will have adopted some form of social media live streaming platform.
Live streaming is by no means better than evergreen content, and both will continue to exist side by side in the coming years. But from the perspective of audience engagement, live streaming trumps its static counterpart. In other words, don't be surprised if you see a lot more brands getting into the live streaming game in the coming years.
Getting Started With Live Streaming
Live streams don't need to be intimidating, though, and there are several ways you can start live streaming today, so to get you started we pulled together three of our favorite options. First, Q&A sessions are a great way to engage with your audience and don't require a ton of preparation, which is perfect for most busy small business owners. Second, on our list is to showcase an event. Simply set up the camera and let people enjoy the guest speaker, music, or awards ceremony.
Our third option is to do live demonstrations. I you have a product or a process that is unique show people how it works. If you sell a technical piece of equipment you might do a walk-through of the menu. If you sell ice cream, you may walk through how it is made, or how to make the perfect sundae. No matter what you choose to share, it is important to make it engaging.
The Year of User-Generated Content
The year 2022 will be the year of user-generated content, according to a new report from TINT.
The report found that user-generated content (UGC) is becoming more important for companies, thanks to its ability to increase brand loyalty, create customer advocacy and cut marketing costs.
The study also revealed that 78% of consumers feel like they know when they're being advertised to.
As social media continues to trend towards collaboration and authenticity, we'll see more and more businesses make UGC an integral piece of their marketing plan.
But how do you start adding user-generated content into your digital marketing plan? Here are a few simple ways you can start generating and utilizing UGC in your social media marketing strategy.
Option 1 Organic Reach
Ask customers to film themselves with your product and share it on their social media and tag your company. You can help incentive this by saying the best photo/video will win a prize. (We recommend requesting videos only.) This type of content lends itself to more conversational marketing and utilizes a grassroots approach, especially if you like and comment on all the posts your customers are creating.
Option 2 Customer Testimonial
You already know who your most loyal customers are, so they would be great people to make UGC for you. Ask them to record a customer testimonial talking about how your service or product is the best in the business and why everyone should choose you. Then they can send you the footage and you can use these video testimonials in your digital advertising.
Option 3 Influencer Marketing
Working with influencers is more than a marketing trend. It is an excellent way to get polished user-generated content. Influencers have a ton of experience creating visual content and can help your product look great and help potential customers see themselves using it. Check out our blog on Influencer Marketing to learn more.
Influencers Aren’t Going Away
According to a survey done by Hubspot, 34% of marketers put influencer marketing at the top of their budget for 2022. Why is that? Influencers connect with consumers on a human level. They're our friends, not spammy advertisers trying to sell you snake oil.
A few years ago, you probably found your favorite brands on social media by engaging with their content and interacting with them. Nowadays, the lines are blurred. A post from a brand is just another post from a friend or influencer in your feed. Social media has become more about connecting with people than connecting with brands. This shift is making itself even more apparent as influencers continue to grow in popularity. Social media platforms are seeing content from influencers surpass that of traditional celebrities and becoming influential enough to run entire campaigns for major brands.
It's important for business owners to do their research and find the right influencer to enter into a partnership with. But if you're looking for a good way to promote your brand or build your audience, influencer marketing might be just what you need. Learn more about using social influencers to scale your sales in this article.
Data and Artificial Intelligence Will Shape Brand Decisions
Data-driven decision-making has already become a norm within many industries, but this will become even more prevalent as businesses look to maximize their returns on investment (ROI). The increasing availability of data means that businesses can now make decisions based on insights derived from customer interactions across multiple channels rather than just playing the guessing game.
This shift in focus toward personalized customer experiences will also create opportunities to experiment with new ways of engaging with consumers using Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is defined as the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior. In other words, AI enables machines to make decisions based on algorithms that learn from past experiences and improve as a person interacts more with a brand's content.
AI tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated and capable of providing tailored advice based on an individual’s preferences. For example, an online retailer could use AI to identify whether someone visiting their site might be interested in purchasing a particular item; this would allow them to offer personalized recommendations without having to wait until someone clicks through from an ad or performs a specific action.
Although the demise of cookies is presenting some new challenges, AI isn't going anywhere and will continue to play a big role in our lives for years to come.
Push Notifications Take Over
With over 1 billion smartphones being used around the globe, it's no surprise that push notifications are quickly becoming a popular method of communication between brands and consumers. In fact, according to a recent report from eMarketer, global smartphone users send and receive about 4.8 billion push messages each month. This represents a growth rate of almost 20% per year since 2016.
Two things are driving the emergence of push notifications as a digital marketing trend. First, the email marketing landscape is becoming so saturated that it's only getting more difficult to truly connect with your audience through that channel. Second, people are increasingly using mobile phones for all types of online activity including brand search and online shopping. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
You can definitely expect to see more brands use mobile-first tactics to reach consumers this year.
Final Thoughts
New resources and tech are always exciting to learn about! However, it’s important for business owners to remember that just because it is trending now doesn’t mean you should run out and do it without any analysis or research regarding your own brand and industry. Things change quickly on social media, and trends come and go.
By doing your research and taking into account your brand's goals, you should be able to make an informed decision on whether any of these tactics will be effective for your business. Don't be afraid to try new things, but be strategic in what you choose to invest in this year!
Have any questions on how to build a marketing plan that's right for you and your business? Reach out for a free consultation!
