Content Trends for 2021
At the end of last year who could have successfully predicted 2021 along with a pandemic, leading to the rapid rise of home working, virtual meetings and events!
This year, more than ever it is hard to predict the future, but we’ve gazed into our crystal ball and foresee that these 5 areas will be key for content in 2021.
Video Content
Video has been on the rise for many years now, but we think this is set to continue as more and more businesses see its unique benefits.
According to The SEO Platform, 2020 was the year videos finally usurped blogs as the most dominant content format on the internet. At the current rate, they are expected to amount to a jaw-dropping 82% of all global internet traffic during 2021. So, it’s no surprise that 81% of businesses are now using video for marketing.
But it’s not just businesses that are getting behind video, consumers are also a fan of this type of content too. With 90% of consumers claiming a video helps them make a purchasing decision, according to Social Media Today. It’s clear that video content helps consumers to make purchasing decisions and can yield better conversion rates.
Although video has been growing for years, 2021 will be about creating authentic content, which feels native to each individual platform. With platforms like TikTok throwing video creation on its head, 2021 is likely to see a rise of more copycat video features like Instagram’s Reels. Allowing businesses to create fun, fast and energetic videos, which combine information and entertainment.
But also expect to see further use of augmented reality lenses, to allow for creative and immersive video creation, hotspots that allow users to interact with a video in more detail and interactive videos which have accompanying elements such as a quiz or blog post.
2021 will see businesses utilising all of the video tools at their disposal to create engaging scheduled and live video content for brand awareness and to sell products and services.
Not sure how to tackle video content? During March we’ll be sharing some of the best ways to use video content in our ‘No Nonsense Guide to Video’.
Live Content
It might be easy to assume that live content is on the rise thanks to the pandemic, with many events scrambling to go virtual this year. However, live content was already on the upturn and this trend is set to continue in 2021.
According to a Cisco study in 2016, live video was set to account for 13% of traffic by 2021 but Go-Global predicts that by the end of 2020 it will account for a staggering 82% of all internet traffic. That’s a massive upturn in just 4 short years!
The opportunities for live streaming don’t just relate to events, as many people find live streams entertaining because they offer a chance to see raw footage. This can include behind-the-scenes videos, live Q&As, training, recipe demonstrations, fashion tips and more.
Live videos can also be more engaging than other types of content, both for the viewers and businesses that use them. Live streams are, on average, watched 3 times longer and received 10 times as many comments than conventional videos. Ultimately live video offers an opportunity for real-time communication and interaction with people all around the world.
So, it’s no surprise that more than 35% of marketers use live video as part of their social media strategy. The preference for live video from brands is strong, with 82% of people choosing it over standard social media posts and 80% of people over reading a blog.
With live streaming and broadcasting set to explode even further in 2021, it’s worth thinking about how you can utilise this content and what platforms you can utilise to go live. From Facebook to LinkedIn, Twitter to YouTube, Instagram to Twitch – you need to think about where your customers and potential customers are to decide where your live content might get the best engagement.
Not sure where to start? We’ll be delving into live streaming and broadcasting as our April monthly topic. Make sure you follow us on social media for all our tips and tricks!
Podcasts
The audience for podcasts has steadily grown to nearly triple in size in the last decade. Listenership in the UK has been increasing year-on-year, reaching an estimated 15.6 million listeners in 2020.
But despite this incremental growth from listeners, podcasts still tend to be underutilised by businesses. When you consider there are about 1 million podcasts, but more than 600 million blogs, it’s clear this type of content offers a big opportunity. So, it’s no surprise that podcasts are set to go stellar during 2021.
Plus, lift rates for podcast advertising in many key industries range from 23.5% to 79%, up to 30 times higher than the average for non-podcast channels. That’s a pretty impressive return on investment.
Unlike other forms of content, podcasts can be enjoyed at any time of day and alongside many other activities. Whether on the commute, at the gym, whilst cooking or cleaning – podcasts provide an opportunity for users to consume relevant content on the go. With podcast listeners often incredibly attentive and engaged, if you can get people listening you are on to a winner.
The key is to make sure that your topic is relevant to your business but that you find a specific niche to exploit. Such as our Success Is In The Mind podcast, which focuses not only on the successes of building a business but in the failures as well. Unlike other similar podcasts it aims to provide a well-rounded insight into its entrepreneur guests and the reality of when things go wrong before they go right.
Unsure how to get started with podcasts? Our team are ready to help you delve into your first series.
Mix it Up
In 2021 it will become more important than ever to think about cross-channel marketing. But the key is to be smart and think about how to re-purpose content for your different marketing channels.
When you are spending the time creating high-quality and engaging content, you want to ensure you can share it with as many people as possible as this means finding different ways to share it on each marketing channel that feel native.
Every piece of content can be utilised across multiple channels in a different way. For example, the work that goes into a blog post, could also see the key statistics turned into an infographic to be shared on social media, as well as the key blog points being used to create a Twitter thread or a live video for Facebook. The learnings could also be turned into a document to be shared on LinkedIn or taught in an online webinar.
For every piece of content created, marketing teams need to think about how content can be created for their marketing channels and sales materials to ensure any message is reaching as many people as possible.
Not sure how you can start re-purposing your content? Book a session with Tim Jarvis our Head of Content Strategy to see how we can help you.
User Generated Content
User generated content is not new, but we expect it to grow even further in 2021. With the release of the iPhone 12 and other Android mobiles on the market, consumers now have more tools than ever to create and share high quality content.
During 2020 we saw a rise in UGC as it helped us all tap into a desire for human connection despite the weeks and months of isolation and quarantining. It gave businesses and their customers a way to connect and engage online when face-to-face meetings were not possible.
If you can harness and use the content created by your customers during 2021, you enable your team to create less content in-house whilst strengthening relationships with your end users. Plus, there’s the added bonus that any content created by users can also feel more authentic and relatable as it shows how real customers are using products and services.
User generated content can also be a more trusted resource for consumers. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust word-of-mouth more than they trust any other form of advertising. Plus, Millennials are 50% more likely to trust UGC than they are to trust other media.
Depending on your business, user generated content could be as simple as reviews, testimonials or a hashtag contest. However, it could be more complex such as a trail at an event or show or a form of gamification that encourages customers to complete certain actions to unlock
Content doesn’t just have to be restricted to your customers, you can also include content created by your internal team as well, such as selfies on Christmas Jumper Day. Posts, images and videos from your employees can be shared to show an authentic glimpse into your company culture.
Other Areas
These aren’t the only areas set to grow during 2021. We’ll also be keeping our eye on voice search, as with voice assistant software on the increase it is estimated that this year 50% of all online searches will be by voice.
Our team will also be paying close attention to messaging apps, such as Facebook Messenger, Snapchat and WhatsApp, as Facebook in particular is starting to look at how to leverage selling opportunities within WhatsApp – such as shopping carts. It’s likely that several new opportunities may appear within these channels for content marketing.
We will also be watching any opportunities that allow for personalisation. As well as automated email campaigns that are triggered by past engagement data and advanced social media advertising that are already available, we are expecting marketing personalisation to blossom in 2021 thanks to advances in AI.
Conclusion
So, these are the 5 areas of content that we think are set to grow in 2021. What do you think – do you agree with our picks? Let us know by commenting below or getting in touch via social media.
With all of these tools for content creation and sharing, it’s worth remembering to keep it simple by thinking about your target market, where they are and what type of content might help you to engage with them.