Content marketing: 10 trends for 2022

Content marketing trends are constantly evolving, offering new ideas and ways to deliver meaningful content to the audience. As these trends advance and gain momentum in 2022, it is crucial to stay alert to their potential, as they can make a big difference and yield good results. While a content strategy is influenced by several factors, such as industry, objectives, product or service types, we have compiled the top 10 content marketing trends to watch out for in the new year.

1. Quality, relevance and trustworthiness

Internet users are becoming increasingly demanding in terms of the content they consume. That’s why Google’s major updates, Core Web Vitals and page experience continue to raise the bar for content to rank. Currently, EAT (experience, authority and trustworthiness) is integrated into Google’s algorithm and consists of a series of guidelines to determine the value of a content. This is one of the biggest challenges for marketers in 2022, as it is not a quantifiable or measurable metric. Therefore, it is increasingly important to create content that solves search intentions, builds trust and provides an exceptional user experience.  One way to enhance this experience is through the integration of various formats, such as audio, video and other interactive elements.

2. Alignment with Google SERPs

In addition to providing content that is of value to the user and within Google’s parameters, it is critical to consider all the opportunities that exist to appear at the top of the search rankings. Adding featured snippets, questions of interest, videos, image results, stories, testimonials or valuable comments represent more possibilities for ranking.

3. Renewal and optimization 

One of the most significant trends in content marketing for 2022 consists of renewing, enriching and optimizing previously published content, especially on websites. The best way to perform this task is to make an analysis of the keywords that were used for positioning. Are these words still relevant? Has the way in which this information is searched changed? If the answer is yes, it’s time to fix it!

4. Understand the user’s search intent

Because marketers and SEO specialists are too focused on what keywords their content should have, they are missing the opportunity to connect with the audience in a meaningful way. Thus, understanding what users are looking for and why they are searching is critical to planning and creating content that addresses a specific need. To do this, it is important to leverage real-time search information and work through the customer journey to find start points, stop points, content gaps and other opportunities to create a more seamless experience.

5. Video marketing 

In recent years, the video format has been the format of choice for users, which is why it continues to be a content trend this 2022. In fact, videos will become even more relevant and the new challenge will be how to excel in this valuable format. According to a survey conducted by HubSpot, 59% of its participants are already using video strategies and 76% say it is the most effective content format. In addition, 1 in 4 digital marketers who already use video in their strategies confirm that it is the content that generates the highest ROI. But what types of video are the most effective?

• Short video format. Viewers have less and less time and attention span, getting to the point quickly and easily is increasingly important.
• Interactive videos. Those videos that may be engaging on their own, but add an element of utility for customers.

6. Fusion of different formats

Users appreciate more content that provides them with lived experiences. In fact, the best content is that which is easy to remember. For example, would you remember more a play where you witnessed the performance of the actors or where you only read the script? Digital platforms work in the same way. Merging diverse content formats such as text, audio, AR and VR allows you to connect deeply with an emotion. Since, when we not only read but also listen or watch, the emotional bond is stronger.

7. Empathetic marketing

As SEO automation and content generation are developed and perfected, many times the human connection can be lost. So it has become a crucial factor among content trends this 2022. Digital marketers must learn to improve the efficiency and intelligence of machine learning, without having to sacrifice empathy.  Bots and algorithms are needed to analyze a large amount of data to improve the consumer experience, but also creative people capable of creating enjoyable stories and messages.

8. Virtual or live events?

After living in a mainly virtual world due to the pandemic, brands and large companies are looking for ways to bring back live events to meet the needs of their customers. Although brands had to adapt to a fully digital world, this 2022 is as a latent trend the return of some live events. At the same time, the innovations of hosting online events continue to evolve. Among the favorites so far are webinars and live broadcasts via social media.

9. Personalization approaches

Personalizing the messages a customer receives increases overall customer engagement. Especially in email campaigns. This is because customers, once they experience standard personalization, prefer and seek out brands that personalize their particular buyer’s journey.  While, this trend has been dormant for the past few years, but will appear more this 2022, at the same time that hyper-personalization is born. This new trend goes beyond just calling a customer by name, it’s about taking advantage of their preferences, desires and needs to provide a service they won’t forget. Essentially in this type of content, there must be an approach based on data, analysis, artificial intelligence, automation and other processes that are useful for gathering information.

10. Visual search content 

Platforms such as Pinterest, Amazon and Google are already offering visual recognition technology for consumers. Millennials and Generation X in particular are already embracing this new kind of search. So visual search has become a sector on which to focus part of a content strategy, especially in the long term. According to recent research, visual search will continue to grow through 2025 and become an approximately $40 million industry. One of the ways to start including this type of content is to create an omnichannel strategy where Pinterest is located, in addition to optimizing the images on your website and product pages.

How to start a content marketing strategy this 2022?

As content trends evolve, it is important to stay on top of each one in order to test, optimize the content you produce and thus get better results. Being alert and updated with respect to these trends is a way to make a big difference when reaching new potential customers. That’s why at Factor Engagement, we provide personalized consultations to help you with your content strategy. You can also get more information about new trends on our social networks, we can be found on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.