As consumer habits evolve, so do the way they interpret content. Content marketing and the success of marketing campaigns change every year. In 2020, we saw the world go digital. In 2021, we’ll see firsthand how this new-age digital trend translates into buying behavior and marketing shifts.

Take a step back to the 1970s. Back then, the term ”marketing” was still new to the majority of the American population. The first publication of Marketing Week wasn’t published until 1978 (via Marketing Week). Televisions were reshaping the way consumers processed information. The world experienced a dramatic shift, and thus the beginning of modern commercialization was born.

Here in 2021, we’re experiencing a similar shift. The digital world and content marketing are nothing new, but the global pandemic of 2020 created one of the most dramatic universal shifts in modern history. In a matter of days, the world turned almost entirely digital.

Before 2020 my dad had never been on a Zoom call. My mother had never even heard of it. Shopping online was a task for the younger generation and ordering groceries for delivery was merely a folktale for those living in rural communities.

As marketers looking and analyzing trends for the new year, it’s easy to see which content marketing strategies are here to stay.

1. Videos

If consumers can’t touch your product or meet your team in person, how will they trust (and use) your product or service? Videos.

This content strategy is not only great for humanizing your brand, building trust, or showcasing products; it has significant SEO benefits. Videos with closed captioning are among the strongest SEO tools a business can use to increase online visibility, especially if paired in a long-form blog or a landing page. The building, editing, and blasting out video content can often appear daunting and time-consuming, but the benefits of incorporating this into your content marketing strategy have endless benefits for branding, ROI, and SEO.

Need another reason to pull out that camcorder (or more likely your iPhone)? Including videos on your website and blogs increases your chances of obtaining Google’s zero-point position.

Check out this Send it Rising video by CEO Kellen Kautzman:

2. Long-Form Blogs

Beyond the pandemic, Google made some hefty changes to their algorithms in 2020. It’s something many of us in the content marketing world were expecting. Because of this, blog strategies and online content is changing dramatically in 2021. Long gone are the days of 350-450-word articles blasting out five times a week on your corporate blog page. Instead, Google and other search engines are looking for long-form (we’re talking 1000+ words), rich, in-depth content with videos and other multimedia. If you are currently blogging as a business, review and ensure that you replace quantity for quality this year.

3. Visual Storytelling

Visual storytelling is far from a new content marketing strategy, but that does not mean it isn’t still effective. If anything, images are getting stronger as the years continue. Many businesses lack visual storytelling within their brand because of the misconception that every image they share online needs to be professionally shot and edited. This is untrue. Sharing only the “perfect” images of your business can deter customers from engaging. When sharing photos online, they should be a mix of

• Branded photos
• Behind-the-scenes
• Company culture
• Employees
• Community involvement
• Company parties or events

Approximately 65% of the population consider themselves to be visual learners. Reach a greater audience by incorporating photographs and images to illustrate your message.

4. Guides/eBooks

Guides and eBooks compliment long-form blogs and content. If you’re a photographer and haven’t created a “2021 Wedding Planning Guide” yet, now is the time. I can guarantee your competitors are doing it. The same is true for lawyers. If you are a divorce lawyer in Dallas, you should probably develop a downloadable PDF guide for getting a divorce in Texas. Not only can it provide a valuable resource for your clients, just like videos, but it also has massive SEO benefits.

5. Highlight Reels

If you’re on Instagram, you’ve probably noticed “reels” popping up more frequently on your newsfeed. Why? Look back at number 1 on this list—videos reign supreme in the content marketing world. This also translates to social media.

It explains why TikTok was the most downloaded app in the Apple store at the end of 2020. Users love videos, and even social media platforms that once relied solely on images is paving the way for videos in 2021.

Internet Marketing & Content in 2021

In the internet marketing world, the clients that consistently post videos, guides, images, and in-depth content outperform their competitors nearly every time. We see it firsthand every day here at Send it Rising.

If you’d like a full review of your current content marketing strategy, we’d be happy to do a free audit. Contact our team here.

About the Author

Shalee Super is the Content Director at Send it Rising Internet Marketing. She began her career in SEO as a travel blogger and freelance writer and has been featured in Travel + Leisure, Forbes, and USA Today. Shalee joined the Send it Rising team in 2018 to help other businesses with SEO and gain visibility online. Contact her at [email protected].

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