Content Marketing Predictions: 5 Things to Watch for in 2022

2021 is over and done with (some may say, thank goodness!), and we are now at the beginning of a brand (pun intended!) new year. What does this mean when it comes to digital marketing a brand? It means that it’s time to look at five important content marketing predictions for 2022. 

Content Marketing Prediction #1: Strategies Will Continue to Evolve

Let’s face it; the past several years have given many digital marketers a rough ride and a bad headache! Therefore, many online businesses have already seen the necessity of making adjustments to their marketing strategies. With this in mind, here are some things to prep for in 2022. 

Hybrid events: Events that consist of a combination of in-person and virtual components are more inclusive and sustainable. When preparing to host an event, marketers also need to be ready with an online version, live streaming, Instagram takeovers, and social media updates.

Optimizing for voice search: On a daily basis, almost two-thirds of 25-to-49-year-olds talk to a device that is voice-enabled, and smart speakers are popping up in more and more homes – and not just in the U.S.! Voice search necessitates changes in SEO (and in different languages!). Here are a couple of ideas:

Use Q&A: Break down content into Q&A sections that Google and other search engines can easily identify.

Local search: Incorporate local search terms based on research data.

A move toward sustainability. Consumers are becoming more willing to shell out extra cash for more sustainable goods. They recognize that the world’s resources are limited and are focusing more on protecting the environment. Brands should pay attention to marketing their use of sustainable materials in product production and reliance on a more sustainable supply chain.

Content Marketing Prediction #2: Podcasting Will Grow

Podcasts could account for 4.5% of global audio advertising expenditures in 2022, amounting to $1.6 billion (a figure nearly double that of 2021). Podcasts include broadcast radio and online formats such as in-stream ads. There are sound (another pun intended!) reasons why companies are paying more attention to podcast creativity and delivery including:

  • The size of the potential audience: Globally, one in three people listens to a podcast every month.
  • Young demographic: Almost half of all monthly U.S. podcast listeners are aged between 12 and 34. 
  • Podcast affinity: Podcast advertising enables ecommerce businesses to reach an affluent, highly-engaged audience via a medium they enjoy interacting with.

The Rise of Educational Podcasts 

Educational podcasts are growing at a great rate and brands can use them their advantage by focusing on discussions and topics designed to attract and engage a relevant audience.

Example: Top stock trading podcasts often interview real traders with a view to understanding their trading journey and providing listeners with useful trading insights.

  • Interviewing industry thought-leaders for fresh perspectives.
  • Holding a live Q&A podcast session to help strengthen a bond with listeners.

In today’s online world, having a podcast is an important piece of digital marketing success. Americaneagle.com’s podcast and media facility, Americaneagle.com Studios, provides an avenue for ourselves and our clients to educate their customers, promote their brand, and increase their sales. Click the links to listen and learn more about Americaneagle.com’s educational podcasts including Modern Marketing Messages and Lessons for Tomorrow.

Content Marketing Prediction #3: Live-Stream Shopping Will Be Big

Live-stream shopping across multiple social media channels is one of the latest big things to enter the world of e-commerce. This technology offers the ability to advertise and demonstrate products to a live, online audience. The audience is able to interact with this live experience, making it a highly personalized business-to-consumer connection. This trend has already taken off in China, so expect to see more of it in the rest of the world. Here are some things to take note of:

  • Facebook: It’s already possible to sell products through live shopping on Facebook.
  • Amazon: Consumers can shop daily live streams on Amazon Live with celebrities and influencers curating their must-have products and top deals. 
  • Twitter: The platform is developing new shopping tools to enable users to save product listings and make purchases directly from tweeted content in the app.
  • TikTok: There is the new TikTok Live Stream Shopping experience whereby users can purchase items from participating online retailers during a live-streaming event. 

Content Marketing Prediction #4: Augmented Reality Will Become More of a Reality!

The global Augmented Reality (AR) market is projected to increase from $6.12 billion in 2021 to an incredible $97.76 billion by 2028. Many brands are using this technological shift to incorporate AR into their storytelling marketing. AR can create a more immersive experience by bringing storytelling elements to life.

Brands utilizing AR are experiencing an almost 20% increase in engagement rates and a 90% increase in conversion rates.

  • Example: Jack Daniel’s launched an AR app that turned the label on its bottles into an immersive storytelling experience about its brand. App users could just point their phones at a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and watch it spring to life in front of their eyes. The product itself was turned into a vehicle to tell the story of the brand’s founding, how its whiskey is made, and provide a virtual distillery tour.
  • Example: Deloitte created a US Open augmented reality app designed to take golf fans on an interactive and exciting journey that improved their tournament experience.

Content Marketing Prediction #5: Platforms Will Lean into the Metaverse

Simply put, the Metaverse is all about creating a virtual world that encompasses augmented and virtual reality, video, 3D holographic avatars, and other forms of communication. The Metaverse aims to provide a hyper-real alternative world for people to coexist in. It can be thought of as a second world layered over the familiar one we already know. 

Through virtual worlds, digital tokens, and immersive experiences, brands are able to reach a new generation of consumers, one that is, quite literally, technology-obsessed. 

Example: NASCAR has kicked off a multi-year plan to get its brand in front of young gamers on the wildly popular Roblox platform. The organization is utilizing a digital car on Roblox’s Jailbreak game and is also selling apparel for players’ avatars.

In short, if you don’t pay attention to the Metaverse soon, there’s a chance you will be left outside in the old world! Certain industries are already incredibly immersed in the Metaverse, e.g., the gaming sector. 

Conclusion

The above represents five content marketing predictions for 2022. Are your marketing strategies ready for the challenges of the year ahead?

Americaneagle.com is your trusted partner for all things digital marketing. From social media marketing to content marketing and copywriting, search engine optimization, paid search management, and more, Americaneagle.com can help your business accelerate in 2022. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.

 

About the Author

TimAhlenius

Tim
Ahlenius

Tim has been building, designing, and executing websites since 1999, and joined Americaneagle.com in 2009. His specialties include online e-commerce consulting, web and business marketing, and project management. With technical and creative savvy, Tim is a born entrepreneur & problem-solver. When not staring soulfully at Google Analytics, Tim enjoys roughing it Apple-free in the great outdoors.