2021: 7 trends in content marketing

Nowadays, there is hardly a company that does not use content marketing for its own purposes. And it's not just large corporations that are concerned with providing high-quality content for their customers. Medium-sized and small companies have also already recognized the great importance of content marketing.

In 2021, a number of trends can once again be identified which should not be neglected as part of the content marketing strategy. When implementing the new trends, companies benefit significantly from the support of a competent content marketing agency. The following article presents the seven hottest content marketing trends.

Humanity and personal influences

Basically, the trend can be observed that the Internet is becoming increasingly personal. Users thus notice it immediately when advertising and content are merely designed for the masses. For companies, this means that they must take appropriate countermeasures.

Authenticity and trust play a particularly essential role in this context. Trust can be created, for example, by providing proof of services rendered. This can be achieved in the form of influencers or testimonials.

A personal public appearance by the managing directors is also an effective means of establishing an emotional connection with the target group.

Create user-generated content

Content that is produced by users themselves is referred to as user-generated content. If such content is published by a company, it is possible to create more content in less time and with the use of fewer resources.

Companies can produce this type of content through sweepstakes, for example, where users must complete a specific task, such as posting a photo, in order to enter.

Advantages through micro-influencers

Nowadays, the trend can be observed that the very large influencers, who have several hundred thousand followers, must increasingly lose credibility.

In the context of content marketing, YouTube and Instagram continue to be extremely important platforms, of course, but the current trend is to use micro-influencers for successful marketing. They have the advantage of being much more credible and authentic than the big stars of the industry.

Use audio and video formats

Live videos on Instagram or Facebook are currently very much in vogue. The reason for this is that these video formats make themselves look particularly authentic. The company appears extremely close through the live appearance, which significantly benefits trust and customer loyalty.

Audio content, such as voice assistants, audio books and podcasts, is also becoming increasingly important, as these increase usability for the target group in many areas. The fact that the content can be consumed in any situation positively shapes the user experience, which is particularly important for search engines.

Podcast trend

In 2020, according to a study, more than a third of respondents have consumed podcasts. Thus, this format offers extremely high potential, which companies should definitely use to their advantage.

Although smaller podcasts today have a hard time asserting themselves against the already established competition, they nevertheless generate a high degree of credibility and trust among users. However, whether a podcast succeeds depends heavily on the people executing it. In any case, the target group should be able to identify with them.

Content marketing in voice form

In the future, content marketing will no longer be limited to text content. The popularity of voice assistants, such as Siri or Alexa, is steadily increasing. The same is true for so-called voice apps.

These often use text-to-speech technologies, which convert texts into voices that sound extremely true to the original. Companies thus get the chance through voice assistants to bring users into contact with their brand name.

Shopping on social media

Customers are increasingly able to do their online shopping directly on popular social networks these days. There are already some online retailers who use "shoppable posts" in this context, which significantly shorten the customer journey. Many users find this function a great relief when shopping online.

Social commerce can also significantly increase the number of spontaneous purchases. However, the quality of the content must not be neglected in this area either.