5 Important content marketing trends and developments in 2021

Jun 14

Content marketing : you can no longer ignore it in 2021. Where a few years ago it was mainly something that was done on the side, it is now an indispensable part of a serious marketing strategy. More and more companies are discovering the power of content and are focusing on creating it. Blogs, videos, infographics, white papers… try to stand out in this abundance of content. The battle for the reader and Google has started.

Which content marketing trends for 2021 should you definitely keep an eye on if you also want to produce content that will be seen and read this year?

1. Focus on creating quality content

A trend that already announced itself last year and will only become more apparent in the coming year: the time of mediocre, superficial and 'snackable' content is over. Not only do readers give up – after all, no one is waiting for mediocre articles now that the content is up for grabs – Google is now also making increasingly higher demands on the quality of content. The EAT update that Google rolled out in 2019 is a good example of this and places even more emphasis than before on expertise, authority and reliability.

The fact that Google itself says that EAT is “very important” indicates that we need to focus on expertise, authority and reliability when creating content. The question is: how do you do this? Among others by:

Create content that exactly matches the needs of your target group;
Do in-depth research and refer to statistics and figures from reliable sources in your content;
Build your own trustworthiness and get listings from other high-authority websites.

In short, the content must be of high quality. This means that content must be: in-depth, targeted, fact-based and therefore useful to the user. Writing a quick blog in between all the work is therefore no longer possible: take your time!

2. Personal and data driven content

In line with the first content marketing trend – in which the focus is on quality – we must also ensure in 2020 that the content we produce is personal and exactly meets the needs of the target group. How do you find out what your target audience expects from your content? By doing in-depth research, asking questions, interacting and discovering who your target audience is. Because only if you know your target group well, really know it, you can create content that actually appeals to them. In short, by creating content based on data, you tailor your content to the individual user.

Personal and data-driven content serves a purpose and fulfills a (specific) information need. This is not only important to the reader, Google is also attaching increasing importance to this in 2020.

3. Authentic and honest content

Research shows that 90% of consumers think the authenticity of companies and brands is very important. In other words, people want to hear an honest and transparent story. It is important as a company to stand for something and to propagate your values in a consistent way. Show who you are and what goals you pursue. People are becoming increasingly critical and prefer authentic and transparent organisations. In 2020 you really can't get away with selling hot air! You have to gain consumer trust. You do this by providing information, providing manuals or entertaining – without any strings attached.

4. Content is more than just blogging: broaden your horizons

Blogging is an important part of content marketing. That is not surprising when you look at what writing SEO articles yields:

But content marketing is much more than just blogging. If you only focus on the people who read blogs and articles, you miss out on the people who prefer to watch videos or listen to audio messages. Do you really want to stand out with your story in 2020? Then you would do well to broaden your horizons and briefly explain your article in a video, read it in a podcast and organize a webinar. Or pour the blog into a clear and well-arranged infographic. And how about a white paper or e-Book?

5. Video content

This trend has been announced for a while, but will 2020 finally be the year in which content marketers and companies really get started with video content? If you have to believe the numbers, yes. For example, research by HubSpot shows that 62% of respondents say they watch videos from start to finish, while only 27% say they read a blog from front to back. Blogs are therefore mainly scanned and not read thoroughly. In addition, it appears that the respondents, and especially the young people, prefer to watch a video:

The power of video is great: you can explain or show something to your target group in an attractive and smooth way, without the viewer having to make a lot of effort. This is in line with the user's ever-shortening attention span. In addition, a video extends the time a visitor spends on your page; something that Google again attaches great importance to.