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As the year draws to a close, make time to evaluate your strategies and determine what worked and what didn’t.  Improve your chances for success and start the new year right by planning your marketing strategy for 2022. 

Recent events have caused many marketers to rethink how they communicate with existing and potential clients. You might have seen the changes in how people utilize tech and social media, whether it’s meeting virtually, using augmented reality to show people around, or selling items online when businesses can’t personally welcome customers in their brick-and-mortar stores.

Now more than ever, having a well-thought-of digital marketing strategy, especially content marketing, is crucial to keep a business afloat.

Why Is Content Marketing Important?

Content marketing is a critical component of any digital marketing strategy.

According to HubSpot, 70% of marketers actively invest in content marketing. This is because, compared to other digital marketing strategies like pay-per-click (PPC), it gives a better long-term return on investment. It is also a more subtle way of promoting products to potential customers. 

Don’t get left behind. Here are five content marketing trends to watch out for in the coming year. 

Work On Customer Retention

Content marketing may significantly grow sales, improve search engine rankings, and increase lead conversion. But few discuss content tactics to retain existing clients.

Here are some content-focused strategies to keep clients interested after the sale:

  • Keep your website up to date to improve customer satisfaction and encourage repeat visits.
  • Engage your customers by encouraging them to contribute video reviews of their experiences with your product or service.
  • Include special offers, appealing product features, news about impending changes, or discounts in your email marketing efforts to reengage disengaged customers.

Optimize SEO 

Content marketing and SEO require consistency and are directly connected. Fresh, original, and creative content index faster and rank higher than repetitive and low-value materials. SEO-friendly content marketing is required to boost the likelihood of website visitors. 

Most users only look at the first page of results in search engines. Sadly, your material won’t be seen until it’s on these first few pages. So, optimizing your content does pay off. Furthermore, your material should help clients who are trying to solve problems. Use relevant keywords in your content and target certain users to help Google detect and rank your website.

If you’re looking for a way to upgrade your SEO and other marketing practices, partnering with an expert is always a good investment. Companies like Caffeine Marketing   will help you come up with strategies to increase online exposure, improve customer engagement and branding, and spur financial growth.  

Create a Podcast

The pandemic has significantly impacted brand-customer communication. The use of digital media sky-rocketed, as did the variety of formats available. Because a podcast is a terrific method to share information on different topics, you can establish yourself as an industry influencer and use it as a content marketing technique.

Podcast Insights recorded almost 2 million podcasts and over 48 million episodes by 2021. This proves that more companies are seeing its value. As a content marketing approach, it will assist you in sharing insights and getting your products and services noticed in a more subdued way. You may also advertise it and gain followers by using your social media accounts. What text cannot convey, a podcast can.

Invest In Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI technology makes it easier to process and analyze data, which aids in faster decision-making. As technology advances, additional tools for data analysis and marketing content creation will become available. This automation will allow personnel to focus on their core duties, thus improving productivity and efficiency.

Furthermore, customers want timely, almost immediate responses. AI-powered chatbots will be used in content marketing in various communication platforms, aside from the website. This advancement will mimic real-life conversations between customers and companies making information exchange more seamless and engaging. 

Use Voice Search

Voice search technology is changing the way we search and when we search online. It has become increasingly popular over the past few years. Alexa-enabled gadgets are a good indication that voice-activated entertainment is in high demand and will continue to grow in 2022. Millions of smart speakers have been sold internationally and many houses have intelligent devices with voice search capabilities.

Voice searches can acquire information from the internet by identifying keywords or sentences with ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘how’, and ‘best.’  This also employs SEO and AI to acquire data from internet users. Aside from developing keyword-rich articles or videos, companies may also optimize voice search results and get their material to the top of search pages by using SEO tactics to improve brand exposure and recognition.

You may optimize your content for voice search in three ways:

  • Focus on local searches. Most of the time, a voice searcher is seeking something local and use a mobile device to look for nearby stores, restaurants, and activities. Including information about your business and catering to the local market will help search engines recognize it, expose it to voice search users, and possibly improve your SEO.
  • Use voice-search-friendly long-tail keywords. Voice searches are frequently in the form of a question. Using natural language and specific long-tail keywords or phrases, along with question and answer-based content, help improve ratings on search engines. 
  • Design a mobile-friendly website. Many of the voice searches are completed on smartphones. Thus, ensure that your site displays properly on handheld devices so users can locate information quickly and conveniently. 

Conclusion

Needless to say, your business can benefit from a well-planned content marketing campaign.  Remember that meeting customer expectation begins with a search. If you can adapt your content and marketing methods to the trends, you will improve your website ranking, brand exposure, which can result in more sales and revenues. 

These 2022 trends will help you plan for the upcoming year, so keep an eye on them.