Just like fashion, content marketing trends can change with the season. These trends can be driven by new technologies, global events, new and emerging platforms, shifts in consumer behavior and demand for certain content types. As a business owner, it’s your job to continually monitor the changing landscape of your industry and your customers in order to meet people at their point of need. This is vital if you want to stand out from what can sometimes feel like an endless sea of competitors.

Don’t worry! If you’ve been struggling to keep up with the current trends, this article is for you. We’ve been keeping an eye on the latest key content marketing trends to help you make better strategic decisions for your business. Let’s dive in!

1. Storytelling

Of course, storytelling has always been key to capturing attention and giving meaning to a brand. But in today’s marketplace, more than ever, your stories must connect with customers on a personal level, in a way that compels them to take action (there’s the reason it’s called a “Call to Action”). Instead of telling customers what you think they want to hear, take the time to carefully understand your customer’s pain points, their needs and desires. Then you can craft compelling stories that will help them, rather than just becoming more noise within an ever-more-saturated digital world.

2. Video

Consumers want more video content than any other type of media right now. Think about it: TikTok and Instagram Reels have absolutely blown up in recent years. Video stops users from scrolling, especially on social media channels and on websites. Furthermore, video is incredibly versatile and shareable. To take advantage of this trend, prioritize a video marketing strategy that allows you to connect with customers in fun, meaningful, on-brand ways. It’s a warm and welcoming method of humanizing your brand, and video can also provide purposeful storytelling as discussed above.

3. Audit Your Content

A steady volume of content alone won’t help attract customers, bring in repeat customers or drive sales. Instead, it’s the quality of the content that matters. Therefore, it’s important that you make content audits a priority. That means taking the time to understand what content is performing best for your brand.

Gathering this information can further your goals in a few ways. First, it can help you hone in on what customers care about and what they want to see more of. Secondly, it can serve as a guide for what content types to avoid. Thirdly, it gives you the chance to try new things. And lastly, frequent audits help to create business efficiencies (whether from a time, resource or monetary standpoint). In short, knowing what your customers want to see means you can streamline efforts to deliver relevant content that will appeal to your target audience.

4. Prioritize SEO Tactics

More people than ever are on digital platforms ; whether it’s social media, apps, websites or online forums — you name it, there’s someone on it. That’s why SEO (or search engine optimization) tactics are key to winning the attention of customers, both current and prospective.

A strong SEO presence will help you raise your rank within search engine results, thus giving your brand more visibility and ultimately more brand trust. To show up on the results page, it’s important to prioritize efforts like mobile optimizations, backlinking, link building and keyword inclusion throughout your content.

5. Virtual and Hybrid Events

As a result of the pandemic, methods of connecting with customers that were once considered “outdated,” like webinars and virtual events, have made a huge comeback. Even as COVID-19 restrictions have lessened, today’s digital consumers welcome a hybrid approach to receiving and connecting with a brand’s content. Better yet, the balance of virtual and in-person touch points extends into your e-commerce presence as well. If your business is a brick-and-mortar location only, consider taking yours online. Today’s customers will actively seek out a brand’s digital presence, if only to determine whether they’re interested in shopping in store. Consider how an omnichannel, digital and in-person presence will help you resonate with a larger customer base.

The Takeaway

As a business owner, it’s important to constantly monitor and optimize the health of your business. These content marketing trends can help you do just that. And, while you’re thinking about ways to optimize your business, consider how offering a lease-to-own solution* like Acima Leasing can help you appeal to a larger base of customers — specifically those who don’t wish to shop for things with cash upfront or those who wish to shop without using credit*.

For those who are looking for an alternative to using credit*, Acima opens the door to shopping power. Explore Acima Leasing’s lease-to-own solutions* and see how becoming an Acima retailer could improve your business.