Content marketing is not a new concept, but it is arguably more important than ever from both a consumer and business perspective.

Trust is high on the agenda of potential customers in the privacy age, especially given that consumers around the globe feel financially insecure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, where they look to spend their money looks vastly different to that of pre-2020, with dependability and confidence key criteria when selecting brands.

Businesses too are looking to get back on their feet as COVID-19 has rocked the global economy. Content marketing focuses on the customer; a form of communication that focuses on educating and informing a target audience with the purpose of solving their problem.

Businesses need to tap into this opportunity as consumers expect brands to understand their needs, and tailor content and solutions to suit.

With that in mind, brands should look to have content as a key part of their 2022 marketing budget. Here are five key content marketing tips and trends that brands should look to implement in 2022:

1. Data-informed content

Communicating without insight is like shouting in a dark room and hoping someone responds. Worse, brands can fall into the trap of spending precious business resources - namely money and time - to produce content that fails to hit the mark as it is not informed by data.

Content marketing focuses on the customer, so be sure to understand their problem and decision-making journey. Specifically, ensure that you connect your technology to the user journey. Ask yourself, “why would a potential customer land on my website or blog, and what would they want to see? And what action will they take?”

2. Tap into video

Video helps grab attention, and more importantly, keep it. According to an infographic by Social Media Today, 83% of people claimed that video increases the time they spend on a page. In addition, 85% of people said they would welcome more video content from businesses.

This represents a great opportunity for content marketers. If you have a blog, use video via social media, for example, to help drive traffic to your content. Also, look to embed video even in your written content to further engage your audience. The key is to understand your audience’s needs and develop videos to suit.

3. Mobile first

68.1% of all website visits in 2020 came from mobile. This was up from 63% in 2019.

Smartphones are information hubs for users. More importantly, users are more in control than ever regarding their content preferences. So, it is crucial that content marketers continue to optimize the mobile experience, with speed the most important factor in an age where users have lower attention spans due to the instant gratification that smartphones bring.

4. Focus on quality SEO

Trust is not only a key factor for consumers, but also for Google. A website’s authority is an important aspect in how Google determines its search rankings, and in a competitive digital landscape, brands need to focus strongly on their SEO.

Yes, optimizing articles and content through checkpoints such as meta descriptions and image alt text is important, but a focus outside your own blog or website is also key. Building a strong backlink profile is vital in driving strong domain authority as the higher this authority, the likelier you are to rank higher in Google search.

Guest posting on other high-authority, relevant websites and investing in PR are tactics that are not outdated. Bloggers and influencers work hard to build their own social media following and web presence, so tap into these where relevant to drive traffic to your site, and more importantly build trust in the privacy age.

5. Tap into social shopping

Factors such as isolation and time at home have seen a huge rise in social media use. There is a shift towards social shopping, and the numbers suggest there is a huge opportunity for businesses to implement this as part of their social media strategy:

Number of social commerce buyers has increased by 25.2% in the US.

Number of social commerce buyers is on track to cross 100 million by 2023.

18% of US consumers clicked a “buy” button on social media in 2020, up from 13% in 2019.

Plus, as many as 70% of consumers look to discover a product on Instagram. Social shopping, in conjunction with thought leadership in content marketing, can allow brands to deliver a seamless experience for users online that can help build trust and drive economic recovery.

Effective content marketing can play a key role in helping businesses rebuild. Consumers are seeking brands they can trust, so it is important for these brands to put themselves in front of their target audience in the decision-making journey.