The pressure is always on for marketers to figure out what’s next when it comes to content marketing.
With new platforms, changing consumer behaviours and ever-evolving algorithms, the way people look for and consume content isn’t easy to predict.
Despite things always changing, the common challenges marketers face actually tend to stay the same. We’ve had hundreds of clients ask us over the years:
- How do we get our content seen by the right people
- Why isn’t our content ranking higher
- What kind of content are we supposed to create?
To help you understand where you might be going wrong, it’s important to recognise how the landscape has changed but also figure out how to best adapt to future content marketing strategies.
Prepare now for what’s next to stay ahead of the curve.
- Search engine evolution/search trends
- AI
- Deep fakes
- Personal brands
- New social media channels
- The solution?
5 content marketing trends to know about
Search engine evolution/search trends
The SEO game is constantly changing. The biggest player – Google – makes endless tweaks to their algorithm that sometimes seem small but actually have huge ramifications (we’re looking at you Penguin).
When over 40% of web traffic comes from organic sources, businesses can’t afford to not pay attention.
One of the main things you need to be aware of right now when it comes to search optimisation is Google’s Core Web Vitals, now considered to be one of - if not the - most important factors to help your content rise to the top of Google search.
The Core Web Vitals are made up of three measurements of speed and interaction: largest contentful paint (LCP), first input delay (FID) and cumulative layout shift (CLS).
Another thing to bear in mind is that the top isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In recent years, Google has made multiple changes to the look and feel of search results pages. Snippets, videos, question boxes and adverts all actually load higher than whichever content is technically ‘first’.
The way we search is changing, too. Voice assistants have seen a rise, meaning content needs to be optimised for how people naturally speak, whilst younger generations are actually using social media channels like TikTok as an alternative search engine.
AI
The rise of AI has been spoken about for years but it’s finally coming into play now more than ever from a content perspective. From AI that crafts completely virtual images and films to fully written articles or even poetry, bots can now believably fool even the best of us. Obviously, we don’t need to point out that bots can churn out this content faster than we can even comprehend.
Fundamentally, AI may save you time, but it can't understand human emotion, nor pick up on the subtleties and nuances of our language. Google is also against AI-based content, pushing harder than ever to remove AI-generated content from their search results, which is a huge red flag to steer clear for now.
How your business handles the rise of AI depends on how much you trust them. While you might not be ready to hand over the keys to your entire blog just yet, there are tools that can help formulate ideas, draft concepts and restructure sentences.
Three AI content tools to check out:
- Jasper AI
- Wordtune
- Grammarly
Deep fakes
Following the similar theme of AI, the rise of deep fakes will have a huge impact on content marketing. You know that influencer you absolutely love? One day, they might just be a completely fabricated concept. The technology is in its infancy right now but even still, it’s remarkably believable and can still fool real humans.
Whilst experts lament that it will be used with malicious intent, SEO-genius Neil Patel points out a number of ways that the technology could be used for good, like trying on hairstyles or helping Drs diagnose illnesses. The example of David Beckham’s malaria awareness advert is remarkable, demonstrating how deep fake technology can be used to create multiple translations via a recognisable face, all within a much tighter timeframe.
Personal brands
If you’ve been on LinkedIn recently you’ll probably have noticed the rise of the LinkedIn influencer – people posting about their careers, lives, hopes, challenges and ambitions.
Influencer marketing has been hugely successful for the last few years, and the rise of the personal brand is an extension of the same concept.
It’s not surprising that in a world where you’re not sure what’s real or AI, what’s genuine or not, people are turning towards people over brands more than ever.
Personal brands are a way for traditionally B2B organisations to connect with their audiences on a more personal level. You’re able to demonstrate your expertise and knowledge without coming across as too sales-y.
New social media channels
Not a shocker, but social media is the top marketing channel in 2022 and it’s likely to stay that way for years to come. You can’t beat social media channels for providing easy, relevant content tailored to every individual’s personal preferences.
The main social media channels have been around for a long time, but as generations move along you can see popularity in specific channels moves with the demographics. Facebook still has a huge user base, it’s the favourite social platform of the 35-44 demographic, whilst Instagram is the one for audiences under 25 (Hootsuite).
Marketers have to understand which platforms are right for their specific audience and actively monitor up-and-coming social media channels. The likes of Snapchat, TikTok and BeReal are rapidly becoming the go-to choice for younger generations.
The solution?
So, do you want to know the solution for overall great quality content? Improving the quality of your content matters more now than ever, due to the high number of distractions your audience face on a daily basis. However, along with following and keeping up to date with the latest trends, there are a few general tactics to follow to ensure your content is effective.
Authority
Domain authority predicts how likely it is for a website to rank well on the search engine results pages, the score ranges from one to 100, with a higher score relating to better ranking. This is crucial for content as these metrics correlate with the content you are posting and how much of it you are posting.
With search engines trying to ensure only the best content ranks highly for each search term, content is key. Bots will crawl pages to determine the legitimacy, quality and relevancy of the site. This is where keywords and links especially come into play, too many and your site may be penalised as it suggests your site is not trustworthy.
Saturated content
In other words, if you don’t write something new and amazing, it won’t do well. Unique content is a must to outdo the competition. Even the best pieces of content can often go a miss when in an overcrowded niche and therefore won't rank highly on the search engines.
Strategy
One other point to follow is to have a strong strategy in place. No matter what form of content you plan to create and publish, a content marketing strategy is a must to achieve your business goals. The aim will be to attract your target audience at each stage of the buyer's journey and keep them engaged even after the purchase is complete.
When it comes to creating your strategy, keep in mind the following steps;
- Define goals
- Create buyer personas
- Content audit
- Choose a CMS system
- Type of content
- Brainstorm ideas
- Publish and continuously analyse content
Consistency
There are many factors that can contribute to a business's success and consistency is one of them, particularly when it comes to content. Your brand's tone of voice and how often and when you publish are all forms of consistency. Whether you publish four times a week or four times a month, sticking to this schedule will help to boost credibility, brand trust and reputation. Even if consistency may feel like a challenge, it sure is a challenge worth taking to enhance the customer experience and boost performance.
Ready to get started with SEO?
