Preparing Your Content Marketing Strategy for 2022

By DCA Blogs | October 11, 2021

What organization or business has content that you enjoy? Not just like but REALLY enjoy. Maybe a specific podcast, newsletter, or blog comes to mind? Something that really resonates with you. That business went through a process of creating and evaluating to get that juicy goodness to you. That is what content marketing is all about – educating, connecting, and inspiring your followers. 

The goal of the content marketing process, first and foremost, is to provide your followers with the information they’ll truly value. Developing a strong content marketing strategy produces brand awareness and influences customers towards the action you want them to take such as making purchases. It keeps your business products and services relevant to the consumer and brings in the moolah! 

Strategies for content marketing should evolve year after year. Things to consider in your evolving strategy:

  1. How do your followers interact with your brand.
  2. Has your brand changed products or services, or improved existing ones.
  3. Have new social or advertising channels been introduced to the market that you want to explore?

Let’s dive into the stats that could influence your content strategy in the coming year: 

  • Nearly 50% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales representative.  
  • In 2020, 12% of marketers reported actively using a content marketing strategy. In 2021, 82% of marketers reported actively using a content marketing strategy. That’s a BIG leap! 
  • Video is the most utilized form of media within content strategy, with blogs and infographics following. 
  • In 2020, 64% of marketers reported investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). What about in 2021? In 2021, 69% of marketers report actively investing in SEO. That’s up 5% from last year. 
  • Podcast listening has increased by more than 60% in under three years. 

Evaluate and Personalize 

With businesses evolving in 2020 to primarily digital experiences, content priorities have shifted.  Ensuring your audience is given personalized and genuinely valued content is the priority over quantity. Marketers are studying their audience’s likes, needs, and desires to narrow in on content that is important to the consumer – your followers. For example, with analytics, you can track where visitors linger longest and focus your social media and newsletter to lead them to that content.   

Multimedia for Engagement 

Multimedia – such as video clips, gifs, and moving pictures allows readers to process material more quickly. Utilizing this form of content eases visual fatigue and engages your followers. Historically, video content marketing was primarily used to introduce brands, products, and services. Now, video is successfully being used through the entirety of the marketing process. Think: testimonials, special of the day, events, and social reform. 

Fun Fact: National Geographic is using TikTok to raise brand awareness. Roar!  

Podcasting 

Podcasting presents the opportunity for content to be given in a conversation format. This form of content delivery is quickly gaining popularity. By 2023, podcasting is expected to reach more than 2 billion people. Given the variety of podcasts and the number of new podcast episodes per day, it is easy for any consumer to find something that suits their fancy.  

Pro tip: Repurpose your podcast content in other areas of your strategy such as your e-newsletters and social media.  

Refresh your Evergreen Content 

Presenting older evergreen in a new format is an efficient way to keep up with ever-changing online platforms.  

  • Create a fun, informative IGTV series with your existing video content.  
  • Gain traction for your content by creating stories on Instagram and Facebook. 
  • Tease your audio and video content by sharing a short snippet on your social channels. 

SEO Makes a Difference 

71% of marketers report that their business’ 2021 SEO strategy has been to identify strategic keywords utilized in searches. Strategic search keywords include niche, long-tail keywords, and voice search questions.  

What is a long-tail keyword you might ask? An example speaks a thousand words – wait that is a picture.

Example: Buy cowgirl boots is a short-tail keyword. Buy ankle height cowgirl boots in size 10 (hello big feet) is a long-tail keyword. Voice search questions might sound like this: buy ankle height brown leather cowgirl boots near me. With the rise of voice search on mobile and devices such as Alexa and Siri, it’s increasingly important to capture those voice search questions.

Which of these content marketing strategies provide the most value to your audience? Chances are you have plenty of analytics from your SEO dashboard to assess that will point you in the right direction. If you need a hand evaluating and executing the right strategy for you, let’s have a conversation!