It is not possible to build an effective marketing strategy based on assumptions, especially when it comes to Content Marketing.

Content Marketing is one of the most popular gizmos in Online Marketing. It has a significant impact on the digital marketing landscape. The humongous popularity of content marketing is reflected in the abundance of platforms available online, and the features offered by them, to which marketers and entrepreneurs are drawn to.

Dynamic in nature, content marketing is always evolving. Since people have ever-changing likes and preferences, the content should be crafted by keeping the ongoing trends in mind. Original and fresh content holds top value in the parameters of content marketing and online marketing in general. This type of marketing is useful, authentic, and perfectly suited for the internet-savvy audience.

The channels, tools, and applications used for content marketing will continue to evolve, but here are some trends that might turn out to be useful for content marketing in 2020: 

1. User-generated content: As per reports, 85% of users find user-generated content more effective than brand-generated content. User-generated contents keep the customers engaged and allows marketers to produce content using fewer resources and in a shorter time frame. One way of generating authentic user content is by tapping into the consumer community and extracting fresh ideas out of them.

User-generated content provides excellent social proof. Coming across content from real users on social media platforms increases the credibility of the brand and enables genuine trust among customers. It is incredibly vital to bring a brand’s promises into perspective. The opinions that are put forward by the users are unbiased and genuine; therefore, it is more trustworthy to the audience. The absence of a sales-pitch improves the authenticity and credibility of the content and the brand overall. 

2. Continuous rise in Video Content: Even if the audience is not interested in buying, but they are surely open to discovery. Video content is easy to access and consume. People are engaged in fresh and creative videos, just like they are watching a short film or an episode of their favorite show on Netflix. Videos act as a link between the brand and the customers. The brand’s ideas are presented in a better and engaging way.

With the ever-growing popularity of video content, the trend is undoubtedly here to stay. So, marketers and businessmen need to create a proper video marketing strategy with fresh content to build the desired trust they want to develop amongst the audience. Video content also increases the number of shares and social engagement, and an original video with fun elements, animation, precise information and unique content is most likely to be shared by the audience.

3. Reactive Content: Today, everything and everyone are on social media. Even if the audience doesn’t like to engage, it surely observes and reacts. In a culture where there are endless discussions, unending content cycles, viral media and online discussions, it can become a little difficult for brands to keep track of the trends preferred by the audience.

Reactive content could be a little hard to produce, but it is a brilliant way of tapping into the trending topics and conversations in real-time. 

4. Engaging Podcasts: Brands that are venturing into this field of content marketing are using podcasts to educate the audience about their brand identity and providing tips, tricks, and advice on their respective sectors. The podcasts can be wide-ranging or extremely niche, depending upon the need of the hour. Podcasts featuring celebrities and experts are immensely popular among the consumers as they feel a sense of connection and trust while their favorite celebrity is talking about the brand.

As the prevalence of podcasts is not going to diminish anytime soon, there will be millions of podcasts flooding the internet as brands will try to dip their toes in this medium of content marketing for increased user engagement. 

5. Employee Advocacy: Although employee advocacy is not exactly a form of content marketing, examples of employee advocacy can be extremely beneficial for the overall voice, identity, and impression of the company.

Many brands are slowly beginning to showcase and celebrate their employees. They are also encouraging their staff to express their views and experiences about the brand or the company as an employee. This process helps in adding depth and personality to a marketing strategy. The trend will continue to persist as long as the consumers’ trust, brand’s transparency, and purpose are the topmost priorities. 

6. Quality over Quantity: Quality content is more of a general rule than a trend in the digital marketing landscape, but surely will continue to be relevant till the end of time. Forbes claims that when it comes to digital marketing, quality always wins over quantity and makes the brand more personable in the long run. In the age of transparency, consumers lookout for authenticity.

Consistency and quality are the two main pillars of original, authentic content. Posting excessive content to increase customer interaction may turn the other way round and overwhelm the audience. Creating a schedule for posts and updates and the overall posting of content online is an excellent way to deliver quality content that might hold value in the eyes of the consumers.

7. Smart Device Content: An abundance of smart devices has been observed in recent years. It is a good idea to capitalize on smart devices with effective content marketing. To make the most of this trend, understanding the little nuances of the shifts in patterns can enable SEO experts and brands to craft more compelling and relatable headlines and focus on long-tailed keywords within the content.

Secondly, by looking into the voice queries, it would be possible to gain more insights into the type of information consumers are looking for. This, in turn, can help in tailoring the existing content for SEO, and also inform about future content-creation initiatives.

Overall, content marketing revolves around fresh and engaging content. As long as the content reflects top quality, every other trend would become easy to keep up with. Knowing the types, channels, and mediums can be challenging, but having a grasp on the right kind of content selection and quality would surely enhance the overall creativity and credibility of the brand, enabling better customer response and growth.