A Guest Post by Lilly Miller
The Coronavirus pandemic has changed brands’ perceptions of content marketing. According to Content Marketing Institute, 43% of marketers increased content marketing budgets in 2021.
When creating content, brands need to keep pace with this fast-evolving niche. New technologies, such as AI or VR, drive innovation and deliver seamless user experiences.
If you are wondering what is next in content marketing, keep reading!
Increased Content Personalization
Today’s online users are savvier. They do not fall for uniform brand messaging and one-size-fits-all content. Instead, they expect brands to understand their specific needs, problems, and requirements.
That is where personalized content marketing helps.
A decade ago, this approach boiled down to using a recipient’s name when sending email newsletters. However, personalization goes far beyond that. Behind each name, there is a real person which unique pain points, opinions about your brand, education, desires, and income level.
When writing with a specific audience segment in mind, you create more insightful content that resonates with your target customers. That is why content marketing will be highly personalized in 2022.
There are many examples of content personalization. One of them is email marketing segmentation. Namely, instead of sending out the uniform email to all newsletter recipients, many brands break it down into narrower segments. They use variables such as customer age, content preferences, or past purchases to create relevant content for each user group.
AI-Powered Content Creation
A few decades ago, artificial intelligence and automated content creation seemed like a sci-fi concept. Today, they are our reality. Many content creators use sophisticated technologies to create AI-generated content.
ML tools like natural language generation (NLG) and natural language processing (NLP) collect data and create insightful content based on it.
However, that does not mean AI will replace human content writers in 2022 and beyond. Machines can only automate the repetitive and manual aspects of the job, such as writing meta tags, product pages, or study reports. However, they lack critical thinking, creativity, and compassion. Those are the essential skills of an experienced SEO copywriter.
Voice Search Reshapes Content Marketing
Over the past few years, smartphone users have become obsessed with voice assistants. That is because they simplify their lives on multiple levels. For example, online searchers do not need to stare at their screens to find the desired information.
Now, voice search changes how searchers interact with search engines and digital content. As such, it has reshaped content marketing.
One such example is keywords. In the past, exact-match and locational phrases were the core aspect of any SEO strategy. However, with the rise of voice search, conversational SEO gained prominence.
Simply put, voice searchers are not limited to concise textual searches that save their time. Voice assistants let them communicate more naturally. They use full sentences and questions when seeking digital content.
Since the voice assistant cherry-picks a single most relevant result, the goal of content marketers in 2022 is to keep their content relevant.
That is where content marketing intertwines with customer intent. The goal is to understand what voice searchers google and uncover the why behind these searches. That is where Google’s Suggested Search or Answer the Public can help. That way, you can identify conversational keywords, such as questions, and ensure your content directly answers them.
Interactive Content Becomes a Necessity
We live in a hyper-connected era, where millions of content pieces are created each second. Consumers consume mountains of social media ads, videos, blog articles, live stories, emails, etc. Unsurprisingly, their attention span has shortened. That is why content producers have shifted their efforts to interactive content.
This content form is not a new concept. It includes ephemeral content, quizzes, tests, or polls – any content type that inspires conversations between brands and customers. For example, many brands use short quizzes on their websites. After a customer takes the quiz, the software recommends a relevant product.
Virtual reality takes interactive content to a whole new level. It helps brands across various industries deliver humanized and more relevant user experiences. For example, IKEA uses VR to help customers virtually place furniture pieces into their homes. Sephora lets customers try on its makeup before making a buying decision.
Interactivity is the opportunity to deliver highly individualized customer experiences and shorten the sales cycle. Above all, such content types are a treasure trove of customer information.
Content Marketing will Become more User-Oriented
The insights teach us that content marketing will remain user-centric in 2022. Technologies such as voice search, virtual reality, and content personalization deliver more relevant and frictionless customer experiences. For brands, that is the opportunity to increase conversions, shorten sales cycles, and inspire customer loyalty.
How will your content marketing strategy change in 2022? We are looking forward to hearing from you!
