Content Marketing Trends

Content Marketing Trends For 2022

Each year, trends in content marketing keep changing and evolving. While it can provide marketers with exciting opportunities, it does not come without challenges when it comes to navigating the constantly changing digital landscape.

Ella Neale from Relevance suggests five trends in content marketing in 2022, which provide proven success for brands. No matter your goals, there are fascinating trends to tap into that will help you to shape your approach and reframe your strategy. We are discussing the five content marketing trends that are set to make a major impact this year, and how you can harness their power to reach your target audiences.

Consumers are being bombarded by marketing messages across a multitude of channels these days, to the point that they are tuning out. Personalized marketing is one of the biggest content marketing trends of 2022 because it is a way of building strong connections with your target audience. In fact, according to Epsilon, 80 percent of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand that provides a personalised experience.

Content Marketing Insights

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Hyper-personalization goes deeper than simply calling a customer by his name; it digs into an individuals preferences, needs, and desires. This approach is driven by data, using customer data, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to craft tailored interactions with customers. Digital marketers are able to take into account the characteristics of their buyers, and adapt to anything from content and design to product recommendations.

Content Marketing use in Metaverse

Use of metaverses — shared virtual spaces in which avatars represent users — has been growing consistently, and is a content marketing trend that has more than doubled since 2017. In fact, according to Forbes, it is estimated 85 million people will be using either Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) in 2021. Digital marketers need to understand the nuances of the metaverse and utilize its potential. Millennials and Gen Zers are avid users of metaverses, including games like Roblox and technologies like virtual reality.

With this in mind, strive to build digital experiences that are either a counterpart to a real-world experience, or something that your brand is already doing in real-life. You could deliver virtual advertisements, placing ads on virtual billboards inside video games, or creating virtual installations and events for brands for users to engage with. It is also the place to offer limited-edition assets or virtual products that consumers may be able to get in the metaverse only.

Content Marketing for Millennials

For Millennials, Gen Zers, and Alphas, the medium is more than just cause; it is their future. In fact, according to Accenture, 63% of consumers would rather buy products from brands with a sense of purpose, and would turn away brands without an authentic promise of environmental protection.

To embrace this trend of content marketing, consider including re-commerce within your business model. According to Max Bittner, of Vestiaire Collective, buying used helps to cut carbon emissions in the fashion industry by as much as 90%. Paving the way to the future of second-hand is Apple, with its Buyback program, the apparel-rental brand My Wardrobe HQ, and StockX, an auction house for preloved items.

Your content marketing strategy also needs to examine how you can more efficiently utilize resources. Using the ESG+ framework, luxury brands need to be intentional about sustainable practices and innovation. Without that, consumers will turn away from brands that carelessly waste. Brands also need to revisit what growth means once continued expansion is no longer sustainable.

Content Marketing and Branding

The metaverse allows luxury brands to reach digital growth at twice the rate, but not to experience consumption growth at twice the rate. Gucci created a virtual garden on Roblox, a gaming platform on which players could purchase virtual Gucci products, while Balenciaga has digitized its collections on Fortnite.

An emerging trend in content marketing after the global pandemic is thinking about ways that your luxury brand can provide localized, one-of-a-kind experiences. An effective localization strategy will improve the experience for customers, while also allowing you to deliver your message to a global audience, all while maintaining your brands identity.

There are a few ways that you can enhance your content strategy. First, you should build a brand identity that is extremely memorable, adjust the visuals, designs, and colors of marketing materials based on your target audiences preferences or local tastes. This may include changing the styles and layouts of different marketing assets according to audience preferences. Marketing through popular communications channels within this market is also important, as is optimizing the site and communications channels for local users and search engines.

A good example is Anya Hindmarch, who created a village outside of her Pont Street flagship, tapping into brand roots while building community connections that are well worth visiting.

Content Marketing Strategy

When marketers are developing content strategies, they often focus on making content available to all readers, ignoring diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Prioritizing inclusiveness is a top priority for 2022, and Millennials are most likely to select brands that showcase diversity in their ads. Inclusive content needs to be focused on serving and engaging with people with diverse characteristics. To achieve that, brands must carefully select their words, becoming cognizant of the ways that pronouns, pop-culture references, and idioms can affect readers. Your content also needs to incorporate well-chosen imagery into your marketing campaigns.

Customers will identify with brands when they see someone who looks like them represented in your marketing.

Contact Relevances team of experts for guidance in navigating the content marketing trends highlighted by the report.