It’s that time of the year again. High spirits, motivating goals, energetic vibes, and tons of resolutions. Yes, you guessed it right. It’s the early days of the new year 2021.
The end of a year and the beginning of another one is always dramatic. You aren’t just bidding goodbye to a year, but to all the trends, manias, and even fads. With that, you set the vibe for the upcoming year. After all, it’s supposed to bring a fresh wave of unexpected and exciting trends.
So if you find a content marketer sitting at their work desk brainstorming with a calendar amidst the celebration, don’t be shocked. They are probably trying to get hold of the content marketing trends in 2021.
Content Marketing Trends 2021 – What to Expect?
Today, the content marketing industry has come a long way.
You’ve probably heard of the famous phrase ‘Content is King’. Have you ever wondered who coined it? Well, it was none other than one of the world’s greatest leaders and co-founders of Microsoft Operation, Bill Gates. In 1996, when the world hadn’t even explored the internet completely, Bill Gates termed the Internet as a pool of opportunities and content as its king. Surviving through the experimental times of the early 2000s, content marketing, in the words of Seth Godin, was called “authentic, useful for the audience, and highly shareable”.
Since then, content marketing has become an ideal necessity for the Internet generation. Its indisputable effectiveness has only improved. Advancements keep emerging and the content marketing industry is never shy of embracing them. As Henry Rollins said, “We are not going back to anything. We’re not going back to dial-up phones; we’re not going back to anything ancient. The old must give way to the new. The new must come in with intensity, with innovation, with great fury and speed.” And isn’t that what content marketing is all about – innovation, dynamic adoptions, and advancements?
And hence, here we are, contemplating the most likely dominating content marketing trends of 2021 in the certainty that they’ll make the whole industry strive for growth and innovation –
Video Content Marketing to Rise Even Higher
Let’s start off with the obvious and the most impactful content marketing trends of 2021 – video content marketing. There’s no way a marketer can be a stranger to it. Video content marketing has been around for quite a few years now. It has gotten an overwhelming response and its importance has grown significantly. The most convincing proof of it is it has been a trending marketing strategy not just for 2021, but for years before it as well.
The reason why video content marketing is demanded is it has got the audience captured. There’ve been several surveys in various parts of the world featuring different niches of different industries relating to consumer’s preferences in terms of content generation. The majority of them had got people rooting up for video content. So if you’re someone who has still not tried your hands at video marketing, it’s high time you try your hands at it. Whatever is your reason, be it lack of time, budget, planning, technicalities, or anything else, overcome it and leverage the untapped potential of video marketing into your brand.
Video content marketing isn’t a fading trend. The biggest example of it is YouTube. It has set itself as the second biggest search engine. From an entertainment platform to an all-rounder source of information, it has it all. The best part is the video content industry is diversifying. You can promote video content on almost every social media platform including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. It is an evergreen content marketing technique because whether you’re a kid, an adult, or a senior citizen, a video can easily engage two of your senses.
Live Streaming to Develop a Genre of its Own
Do you remember the old times when marketing a brand was only about faceless entities advertising their products or services? Well, that doesn’t work anymore, for good or bad. In today’s age, indifference can cost you a major part of your sales.
With time, customers have become smarter. They don’t agree to invest any form of sources on you until they feel a connection. It happens only when brands lift their veil and show their human side. They need to show the values and emotions of all kinds – from sensitive ones to overenthusiastic ones. It helps them engage and trust a brand more.
How do you do that without spending a whole ton of money? Through the interface of social media. Various social media channels now provide the facility of going live on your accounts. It gives your audience a chance to see that you aren’t a corporate entity only asking for money but a human face that’s providing utility through their brands.
Live streamings allow your audience to have a conversation with you. When they interact with you in real-time, asking questions that matter to them, and you answer them honestly, a bubble of transparency is built.
Online Courses
Developing and publishing online courses is one of the most inspiring content marketing trends of 2021. There was once a time when virtual education was pursued by just a handful. It was considered impractical and unreal. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of things. It threw the entire education system into a deep hole and left just the Internet to bring it up. It was difficult in the beginning and seemed undoable. But today, it’s running smoothly and seamlessly. The audience is, in fact, more comfortable to take up online courses.
It’s predicted that educational institutions and coaches will more likely engage themselves and their students in virtual sessions. Therefore, building an online course with the help of a platform or plugin can prove powerful for your brand. It’s preferable to the audience as it’s convenient. All you have to do is own a smartphone or a laptop and an internet connection and one can easily learn a new skill or course from the comfort of their homes. Doing so will not gain your brand a community and goodwill that’ll eventually help you with your products or services
Podcasts to be Dominating the Minds
Podcasts have started to become a mainstream content marketing trend in 2021. They are a form of modern-day storytelling that engages the audience very strongly. Weekly podcast listeners are expected to reach 115 million by the end of 2021. So if your brand’s niche has a demand for audio content, the podcast is the way to go about it. It has got the modern generation hooked.
When you start experimenting, initiate with a clear vision in your mind. The intention of your brand and how you project it through a podcast is extremely important in order for it to sustain. The best part about it is you can repurpose the content of a podcast in various forms since it’s long-form content. You can convert excerpts of it into pieces of blogs or articles, YouTube videos, or short-format videos like IG reels, social media stories, or LinkedIn posts. Moreover, if you don’t want to produce podcast content by yourself, you may consider appearing on other podcast shows that might interest your audience.
Digital marketing is a dynamic industry. The trends in content marketing keep changing from time to time. In this ever-innovative landscape, it’s important for your business or brand to adopt the upcoming content marketing trends of 2021. So when you plan for your content strategy 2021, do keep it in kind to include these content marketing trends of 2021.
Shape My Content is a content marketing agency that plans for its client’s content calendars in advance keeping every trend in mind. Reach out to us and craft a rich content marketing strategy.
