Let me guess.
You are probably acutely aware of where you were in March of 2020. You know… that month where the entire world changed? 🌎 The month where unprecedented events took hold of our entire global society, changing the course of everything?
The month that marked the beginning of when Google search traffic exploded from 3.6 billion searches per day to over 7 billion?
As marketing evolves, we’re getting an abundantly clear message: Content marketing is the future of marketing. No other type of marketing is nearly as powerful as content and yields a 4x ROI.
This is why the content trends you should watch are strategies that aren’t actually fads, they’re ideas that are truly sustainable.
Because if you’re jumping from bandwagon to bandwagon – chasing the newest content trend thinking that’ll be what finally brings your business success and gives you freedom, you’re wasting your time.
And that won’t get you anywhere. So, let’s not waste any more of it. 🛑
My focus is teaching sustainable business practices. They’re what helped me earn a 13,000x ROI on the 80+ person writing agency I built from the ground up. So, what we’ll cover in this post aren’t strategies that are here today, gone tomorrow. They’re practical, actionable, and they work.
The long-term of your business is just as important as the short-term. So today, we’re only going to focus on tried-and-true, realistic content trends for 2022.
Ready to take an in-depth look at the very best current marketing trends in content?
Strap in!
Content Trends for 2022 (VIDEO)
Content marketing is a soon-to-be $600B industry.
Because it’s growing like wildfire, there are a lot of marketing trends to talk about.
So, before we jump in, I want to extend a warning. ⚠️
I encourage you not to get caught up in making sure your business is pumping out every content type out there – there’s too much, and you and your business will be spread too thin. You’ll need to focus on the top trends in content marketing that are the most powerful AND give you the best ROI.
Check out the video below to watch me explain the four content trends for 2022 that will matter the most.
Content Trends for 2022: Strategies That Work NOW
There are so many content trends constantly popping up. Lots of advice. Lots of distractions. If you’ve got your hand in every single pot, you’ll be cooking up a recipe for burnout in no time. 🥵
So, let’s get your focus recalibrated on what really matters and makes an impact, so we can shift your effort onto what’s effective to sustainable business growth! Keep your eye on your long-term goals and use these content strategies to get you there.
1. User Intent
I’ve overseen 40,000 content projects for clients. I know how and why SEO blogging for small business works.
But here’s the thing in 2022:
User intent is key. 🔑
Read that twice. Because it always has been.
But in 2021, only 28% of marketers had a measurable strategy around user intent in place.
With how important user intent is to content marketing, that number is absurdly low.
There’s still a ton of room for you to get in on user intent and experience the impactful benefits of focusing your content around it.
So, if you’re putting out content without understanding user intent, that needs to stop.
What is user intent?
Search/user intent is the goal or intention an internet user has when searching a term on a search engine.
It goes deeper than just the keyword they’re using.
It’s the goal behind it.
Here are three straightforward user intent examples to help you understand the main types.
- Ryan typed the keyword “how to secure dresser to wall” in Google search. In this case, Ryan’s intent is informational. He wants to learn something. ❓
- Lorene searched the keyword “buy dog beg” on Google. Here, Lorene’s intent is most likely transactional. She wants to buy something. 🛒
- Nicole searched the keyword “whole foods Boise contact” in Google. Nicole’s intent is probably navigational. She’s seeking a specific page, site, or resource. 🔎
At first, user intent can seem a bit confusing to grasp. But once you understand it, it’s a simple and super effective content marketing tool. So impactful, in fact, that it’s at the very top of this list of content trends for 2022.
Google is prioritizing user and search intent more than ever before, so to get on board, you’ll need to understand what searchers actually want behind the keyword they’re using. You’ll also need to understand what the platforms are showing them after they do a search.
Pro Tip: Already have a keyword but not sure what the user intent is? It’s all in the data. Type it into Google and study the top results. If most of them are informational, it’s safe to assume the intent of most users searching that query is informational.
Here are some other data to dig into when you’re studying what Google is showing as top results for pain points and questions your users have:
- Content type – What is the overall type of content? Is it a blog post, product page, or video? For example, what you’re reading right now is a blog article.
- Content format – What’s the format of the content? Some common formats include comprehensive how-to guides, scannable list posts, reviews, comparisons, and more. My article on the best content marketing tools is a solid example of a list post.
- Content angle – What’s the point of view? This is the unique selling point of the content piece. For instance, “best,” “cheapest,” and “freshness.” Can you guess what the angle of this article is?
All of this data is available to you at any time (for free!) with a quick Google search. Learning and applying this should be part of your rock-solid website content marketing strategy,
Make this easily accessible data your best friend. Because once you’ve got this down you can blast forward with creating and optimizing your content with search intent in mind.
2. Omnichannel & Holistic Content Marketing Ecosystems
I’ve been studying the trends, and it’s super obvious that omnichannel and holistic marketing ecosystems, housed on your own platforms, will be critical in 2022 and beyond.
First up, let’s chat about omnichannel marketing.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Omnichannel marketing (content on multiple channels) means you have content in a variety of formats.
Here’s how that’s done:
When you’re creating content on your own website, make sure it’s not only high quality but use different formats! You should be doubling down on the content types that grow your business.
Don’t just post written blogs. Use images. Make video.
Check this out — YouTube is used by at least 67% of every single age group of US internet users! That includes 77%+ of all people in the US aged 15-35.
Image Source: Statista
Did you know Google owns YouTube?
Google loves YouTube.
And more and more, the search engine results page is prioritizing blogs that contain video. 🎥
One of the easiest ways to come up with video content ideas is to turn your “greatest hits” blogs into videos. If you’ve got some fantastic posts that convert well, get a lot of traffic, bring in leads, etc., that blog can likely make a killer video topic. Simply sit down and talk about what you already wrote.
So don’t sleep on making videos. Sure, recording yourself on video feels a little intimidating and awkward for nearly everyone at first (especially if you’ve struggled with building your own self-worth). But I know you’ll hit your stride with practice. Just keep reminding yourself you’re building your omnichannel content kingdom. 🏰
This all ties into the second part of this content trend for 2022 – holistic content marketing ecosystems.
Your ROI isn’t found in one blog. One video. One infographic.
You need an ecosystem working for you.
Every page and every blog on your website matters. I don’t want you to have an outdated post that has broken links, refers to services you no longer offer, or looks completely different than the posts you’re currently publishing.
As you scale your business, things will shift. That’s natural.
But this big, beautiful ecosystem of yours needs someone tending to all the parts. Think of it as a thriving rainforest that you’re carefully and consistently growing by watering each and every inch. 🌱
So, get back into all of your articles and update your old content! Make sure everything is still relevant not only factually, but also in connection to where your brand stands.
This shouldn’t be done by you – you’re needed elsewhere. You need to be managing your content, not in the weeds creating and updating it. So, delegate this task to an expert content writer/editor.
My delegation process is something I teach all the entrepreneurs I coach. Taking repetitive tasks off your plate is an incredibly important piece to building your overall content strategy (and avoiding content burnout).
You cannot expect your business to be sustainably profitable without treating it as an ecosystem.
And remember, building on your OWN platform is absolutely crucial.
This is so important because it ensures no one can take away your presence online. For example, imagine building all your content (and followers) on Instagram, and then signing on one day to discover you’ve been banned from the platform due to an unpredictable censorship change. 😱
Or, waking up to find out all your content on Blab or Vine has disappeared because the platforms shut down.
It happens.
I do not want this to happen to you.
So, build your content on a platform you own and control, which is your website. And when you add a link to your social media bio, appear as a guest on a podcast, or do ANYTHING else, make sure to direct everything back to your website. This is why we call that ecosystem your big, beautiful content house.
Your content house is going to be key in protecting your brand’s online presence.
When you put your focus on creating and caring for your own content ecosystem, you’re going to see some seriously monumental results, especially through organic traffic and SEO.
This brings me to the next content trend for 2022.
3. Blogging
Sure, there are some social media platforms better for business than others.
But blogging is the content trend that’s not stopping.
Even in the noisy, oversaturated world of blogs, when it comes to the lifespan of your content, blogging is still the clear winner. A single blog can get visibility and bring you traffic for an average of 2+ years.
It’s true. Out of all content formats, a strategic blog lasts the longest. This makes blogging one of the strongest ways to grow your brand through content marketing. 📈
It seems simple — when your business is consistently publishing high-quality blogs that help people, you’ll build brand trust. And once consumers trust you, you’ll be getting an onslaught of targeted leads that turn into raving customers. 🎉
A groundbreaking HubSpot study found that, generally, the more content a blog has, the higher the traffic. So, if you aren’t already, make 2022 the year you blog.
But remember, you need a strategy for your blog. Don’t publish just to publish. Each blog you write should have a heavily researched topic that will bring you traffic and turn that highly qualified traffic into customers or clients. This is all done with strategy.
Are you struggling to stay afloat in your online business and content marketing? Ready to make big moves and experience enormous change with guidance from a mentor who has been there, done that?
Then you need The Content Transformation System. Once you secure your seat in my training program, you’ll get the training and 1:1 mentorship you need to build a sustainable 7-figure business from content.
During my decade-plus experience in this industry, I’ve learned exactly how to set up a business, systems, and a team that frees business owners from overwhelm. I’ll teach you how to do the same in this transformative program, open by application only. Learn more and apply for free today.
4. Build a Remote Team
It is not humanly possible for one person to do everything your business needs to succeed. And it’s definitely not sustainable.
But get this…
According to the FlexJobs Annual Survey conducted between July and August 2021, an astounding 97% of workers now desire some form of remote work — be it fully remote or hybrid.
What does this mean for you as an online entrepreneur and business owner?
It’s time to assemble your own amazing remote team. 💥
Remote teams are the future of work task management. If you’re not building your remote team, or at least learning how to put together a process for a team, you’re completely missing out. Because this is a huge part of starting a brand that lasts through 2022 and beyond.
Now, get this. From January to October of 2021, a record 38+ million workers quit or changed jobs in the US alone.
This doesn’t even include November or December, which both shattered October’s record. December saw the highest numbers of monthly quits the US has ever seen at 4.5 million. 🤯
There’s never been a better time to find remote team members.
We will see more and more talent enter the market. Especially when we note that 92% of people who quit 2+ jobs since March 2020 reported that “the pandemic made them feel life is too short to stay in a job they weren’t passionate about.”
Many people are passionate about writing, design, and digital media – and they’re diving into learning things like how to become a freelance content marketing writer.
These workers are headed home and flooding the creative freelancing community.
So, stop hesitating on hiring that social media manager, video producer, designer, and content writer, etc. And start falling in love with running and managing your business, all through strategy.
I teach you how to do this, step-by-step, in Phase 3, Growth, of The Content Transformation System.
Your Focus as a “Content Hacker”: Facing the Content Trends in 2022
Here’s what we’re so adamant about, at The Content Hacker.
(By the way, content hacker = growth-focused content marketer.)
A content hacker cuts straight to the heart of what their audience wants from them.
NO fluff. No B.S. Whatever kind of content you are producing — from a tweet to a website page that loads in under five seconds and has beautiful copy, to a YouTube video, to a new blog post — it will be content your audience wants, will eat up, and love.
Delivering that is YOUR job.
And it just got more important in 2022.
Content hackers are growth-focused content marketers.
In short, a content hacker is a creator that builds and implements online content in a way that achieves radical growth.
Content that…
Doesn’t add to the noise.
Doesn’t bore their audience to sleep.
Doesn’t fall to the ground, below all benchmarks and goals.
Since 2011, this is the kind of content I’ve been striving to produce.
It’s taken a ton of trial and error, but I built a website from ZERO to 100,000 organic monthly visitors before exiting last fall. 14–16% of which converted, all through the organic content we’ve been able to create and implement that works.
Today, one of my goals in life is to share more resources and education on this topic — truly profitable content marketing methodologies.
And that’s why Content Hacker™ is here – the first-ever platform, publication, resource center, and personal brand devoted to the growth-focused content marketer.
If you’re in search of practical, REAL content marketing measures that work, down to making your life and habits better (it doesn’t begin without that)…
I invite you to come join me.
I’m on a mission to see radical success happen for marketers implementing content for their audiences.
Are you a content hacker? Find out now in our free Starter Kit.
Which Content Trends Will You Focus on in 2022?
All the top trends on this list on this list are related to organic search.
This totally makes sense — 53.3% of ALL web traffic comes from organic search.
So now that you’re armed with the facts, what are you going to do for your business this year?
Do you have a plan to apply these 2022 content trends to your business repeatedly and consistently? If not, you need to develop a crystal-clear marketing strategy that outlines exactly how you’ll get it done.
No more hoping. No more guessing.
Ready to get more out of your life by building a powerful digital business through content, and learning how to manage your entire brand without burnout? My coaching system for creative entrepreneurs, The Content Transformation System, will get you OUT of the grunt work and INTO the delight zone.
