The year 2020 is highly anticipated as a very exciting year for Content Marketing!
Businesses, brands, agencies, and digital marketers are looking forward to Content Marketing trends in 2020 and find out how these trends can help their marketing efforts evolve into a whole new strategic level.
There’s no doubt that digital marketing technologies will continue to evolve at an overwhelming pace and would affect the whole content marketing arena as a whole.
But while automation, digitization, and the use of Artificial Intelligence are slowly gaining ground in the content marketing arena, there is a growing emphasis towards personalization.
It stems from a subconscious desire to put humanity back into marketing – a clear focus on people and less on technology.
So, sit back, relax, and discover how your Content Marketing strategies can evolve in 2020 with the following trends.
1) Personalization Takes Center Stage
As mentioned earlier, there is a growing trend towards personalization despite advances in technological innovations and solutions. This trend is not relegated to the types of products or services brands and businesses offer, but also in the personalization of content they use for marketing.
• Up to 90% of consumers find personalized products, services, and content much more appealing. In fact, 63% of these consumers would get annoyed upon receiving a generic marketing blast.
• As much as 80% of consumers would rather do business with a brand or company where they can receive a more personalized engagement or experience.
• A more personalized email that is triggered based on the recipient’s online behavior is much more effective by as much as 3x over the usual email blasts.
• This move towards personalization based on targeted users’ behavior and preference is being adopted and applied successfully by top brands, including Amazon and Netflix.
2) Video Content is as Strong as Ever
Video is by far still the most popular and most effective type of content most online, and offline users would like to consume.
But don’t limit your Content Marketing strategy to just driving traffic through video. Various video content forms that include 1:1 Video, Live or Streaming Video, and the interactive 360˚ Video are highly effective ways to drive engagement between a brand or business and their targeted consumers.
• The mere use of a video thumbnail in marketing or the simple act of putting the term “video” in an email’s subject line is enough to increase open rates by as much as 19%.
• Up to 72% of businesses that successfully made use of video content for marketing claims a high improvement in their conversion rates. The likelihood is high, as studies show that video can influence the online purchasing decisions of as much as 52% of consumers.
• If brands or businesses want their targeted customers to learn more about their products or services, the most effective way to execute this – across all types of screens – is through the use of video content.
• Including compelling and relevant video content in your online presence and your digital marketing strategy can drive organic search results better by as much as 50 times.
3) Micro-Moments Are Going Mainstream
A digitally savvy consumer wants their needs and wants met at the very moment they intended to receive that particular need or want – and they rely heavily on and take action through the device or gadget they have on hand.
• It is in this critical Micro-Moments in a consumer’s online behavior where instant decisions on what they want to Know, Do, Go and Buy can be acted upon by marketers whom Google describes should “be there, be useful, be quick.”
• The customer journey of consumers whose “expectations are high and patience is low” can now be influenced by digital marketers who can act and deliver results at that very precise micro-moment.
4) Content Marketing Remains as the Dominatrix of SEO
In 2020, Google continues to put greater value on websites that offer relevant, well-researched and regularly updated content in search results. Google’s own John Mueller advises marketers to stop chasing after fancy gimmicks and SEO trends – and focus on creating well-written content.
• Google’s rollout of the BERT system puts a greater shift on focusing more on the natural language that online users make use of when doing an online search.
• As much as 88% of B2B marketers believe that creating highly relevant and effective content makes their brands or businesses a credible and trusted source in the eyes of their targeted audiences.
• Content marketing is effective in generating as much as 126% more leads and up to 6x higher conversion rates over other marketing strategies.
5) Interactive Content Marketing Takes Flight
Consumers’ penchant for interactivity is not limited to their ability to poke, tap, or swipe across the screen of their mobile devices or gadgets, but also on the types of content they would like to consume.
This feature is something that as much as 91% of consumers find as new and original – and are actively thirsting and looking for such types of innovative content.
This makes Interactive Content one of the hottest and most sought-after digital marketing trends in recent periods – and is a more memorable and engaging way of connecting with targeted customers and generating profitable business results.
Some of the more common examples of immersive and Interactive Content include:
• 360° Virtual Reality Videos
• Quizzes and Polls
• Augmented Reality Ads
• Interactive Photos and Ads
• Embedded Calculators
• And More!
6) Community Participation through User-Generated Content (UGC)
The digital consumer today, particularly those coming from the Millennial and Gen Z market strata, not only wants the content they consume highly personalized or interactive – they even want to participate in the generation of such content directly.
• Tapping consumers to share their unique User-Generated Content (UGC) is a rich and highly potent source of content that your targeted audiences can directly identify with. Such UGCs can be generated by offering would-be participants discounts, incentives or even partnerships
• Making use of UGC as a Content Marketing strategy is highly effective in:
o Generating brand-consumer engagement
o Driving conversion rates
o Influencing purchase decisions of as much as 90% of consumers
o Generate support for a worthy cause
o Increase online audiences and subscribers
The Take-Away
As Digital Marketers, it pays to know where the market is heading and what trends and challenges, particularly in the types and forms of content, that will create greater influence and impact on consumers in the coming year and subsequent period.
Knowing these trends can help set your organization’s mindset towards understanding how you can harness the potential and effectiveness of such trends – and prepare your brands and businesses for a bright, personalized, and consumer-interactive future.
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.