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While marketing trends continue to change, these days the reality is that content marketing is less of a trend, and more an essential part of your overall strategy. For any brand or business to experience growth, content marketing is a must. Quality content directly translates to an increase in leads, conversions, sales, and more. Research has shown that revenue from content marketing is nearing the $50 billion mark, so if you haven’t added this form of marketing to your 2022 plans yet, now is the time. What content marketing trends will 2022 bring? What should you focus on in the upcoming year? 

Content That Helps You Retain Customers

In many cases, a good content marketing strategy includes pieces that attract new customers. But maintaining existing customers is just as important as getting new customers. In the upcoming year, plan to create content in three categories: attracting new people, engaging prospects, and delighting current and past customers. 

Keep your website updated to persuade people to come back for more. You could also take a look at how customers are engaging with your product after their purchase, then use that data to further develop the content available. You could also work on promotional information that highlights product features and news about upcoming changes to your product. That can help customers refocus their attention on you. 

Podcasts

There are currently two million podcasts right now, and they cover a range of content that might be important for your customers. Now, more than ever, educational podcasts are in demand, and bringing your business on board is easier than you think. You don’t have to create your own podcast; maybe just partnering with or sponsoring an existing podcast that is attractive to your buyer personas. But you could build your own if you think it’d be a good investment. If so, it doesn’t have to be purely entertainment or purely informational. Develop an option that offers solid content for your customers. Consider offering inspiring stories from real customers about your product line. Hints and tips are always welcome, too. The key here is to understand the kind of audio content your customers might want, then tap into that. 

Niche Content

Widespread brand awareness can be a struggle. So, creating a content strategy that applies to your specific niche - what makes your company unique - is an absolute must. Your customer’s demands are ever-changing. Meet those demands with your products and your content. You’ll quickly distinguish your brand from that of your competition, and you’ll easily become a recognized leader within your field. 

Interactive Content

Looking to really engage customers? Start thinking about interactive content - surveys and quizzes are one option, but so are AR and VR applications. You could even create content that gamifies what you’re trying to do. Remember, the goal here is to get new customers, and/or retain the old ones. But feel free to experiment a bit with different interactive formats both on your site and on your social media page that may help your customers better connect with you this year. 

Content That Tells a Story

Storytelling content is not new in the marketing world, but it’s become indispensable. It’s flexible enough to work with almost any brand, and it can fit well with webinars, videos, blog posts, and even short social media blasts. Your goal here has to be to evoke emotions, as that will help your customers truly connect with your brand. 

No Matter What Your Strategy . . .

As you amp up your content, don’t forget to enhance it with other technologies like AI that ensure decision-making is no problem for your customers. AI may mean chatbots that help customers engage or tools that help you better analyze the data coming in and create responsive marketing materials. You’ll also want to carefully optimize your content so it’s easily discoverable. Consistency is a must when it comes to optimization, and your latest postings are going to be quickly indexed. Make sure it’s well-optimized to make that process easier. Include those crucial keywords and ensure everything you post is valuable to your customers. Content marketing only really pays off if it’s well optimized. 

Along that line, you’ll want to optimize it for voice search as well. Millions of smart speakers sit in homes and offices across the globe, and voice search is becoming more powerful than ever. Voice assistant optimization means you’re far more likely to connect with those customers. 

As you work to build your 2022 content marketing strategy, analysis is an absolute must. It will not only help you understand what worked and what didn’t as you shape your 2023 strategy, but it may also help you better organize your efforts and execute them over the course of the year. 

We Can Help

If you’re looking to stay up-to-date on all content marketing trends 2022, we can help. Give us a call or send us an email at info@thatagency.com today to learn more about our unique strategy when it comes to building a content marketing strategy that really works for your company.