Originally published July 16, 2021 , updated on August 31, 2024

What’s the next big thing in content marketing? That’s a question the best content marketing services ask themselves all the time. This is an ever-changing industry. As a result, content marketers need to constantly keep abreast of the latest trends. They need to learn to adapt. This ensures that they are a step ahead of their competitors. Staying on top of these changes and on top of what’s coming next should be a priority to all content marketers.

That said, let’s take a look at six of the next big things marketers need to know about. We’ve compiled this list so that marketers know what to keep on top of going forward.

Outsourcing Content Marketing Services is Picking up Steam

Many companies do not have the in-house resources to carry out all the writing work. As a result, businesses are leaning on professional content agencies for help. These agencies have the ability to write all types of copy. This includes articles, blogs, newsletters, social media posts, advertising copy, whitepapers, and more. Best of all, writers at agencies know how to optimise your copy for SEO. They are also experts at creating brand authority through content. By outsourcing these services, companies have peace of mind. Their brand will be in good hands. Company owners and managers can now focus on running the business.

A Switch From Domain Authority to Topical Authority

Until now, there was a lot of emphasis on the domain authority of websites. As such, content marketers had to focus on backlinks. They also had to push for mentions in other online publications and websites. While this is still a best practice, Google algorithms continue to change. Trends show that in the future, search engines will place more importance on expertise. This means that link-building acquisition will have less value than before. Articles and blogs are judged on how much expertise they share and how valuable their content is. This also means that stories need to be as relevant as possible.

Visual and Audio Content Will Become More Important

This has been happening a lot over the past few years as people look for new types of content to consume. Gone are the days where all you needed was a few long-form articles to capture the interest of a user. Longer pieces of content are still accepted and necessary. There’s no denying that content marketing and content strategy teams need to give more thought to the visual. Plans need to include more visual content in their plans going forward.

Stats show that up to 95% of people remember information they get in video format. Infographics also continue to be a creative way of relaying information and statistics. Podcasts are also becoming more popular across the world. Listeners are tuning in for both information and entertainment. In the USA alone, it is projected that podcast listeners will increase 16% year on year. There will, of course, always be a need for written content, but don’t ignore these stats. Try to mix things up going forward. Incorporate more visual and audio content in your upcoming plans.

Content Marketing Teams Are Becoming Bigger and Smaller at the Same Time

This sounds contradictory, but as content demands increase, so will the teams. But, as the teams get bigger, they will also get smaller as they start operating in silos. In the future, we’re expecting to see content teams specialising in certain or niche areas only. For example, there will be a social media content team. There will be a blog and articles team, a team for podcasts and video and a team to produce newsletters. These splits will happen as content demands increase. There are many agencies and organisations that specialise in this already. They have people allocated to these roles. This is as good a time as ever to hire online content marketing services. This means quicker content creation by someone already an expert in the field.

Location-Based Content

This is already in place in advertising as targeted ads pop up on social news feeds and websites. But location-based or “near me” content will only grow in years to come. People will seek out businesses and services close to them or their place of work. This means that content needs to become increasingly more targeted. Keywords now need to feature location names and places. These need to be places and areas that the targeted audiences frequent on a regular basis. Even without specifically asking for or typing “near me” into search engines, Google feeds people these results anyway. Many people use their mobile devices to search for goods and services. Many users also keep their GPS enabled since many apps need it activated to operate. Incorporate “near me” content marketing in your plan or you will not get found by nearby customers.

More Emphasis on User Engagement

There is an increasing interest in content that gets the most user engagement. The more engagement your content gets, the better chance you have of showing up organically. This could be in search results or social media feeds. This means that content needs to be relevant, informative, entertaining and valuable. These aspects add to the chances of getting high engagement and a better ranking. More people will engage with and share content that they find funny or interesting. All of this counts towards a better ranking.

It’s important for content writers, marketers and content marketing services to keep on top of the next big thing in the industry. Trends in other related industries are also important. These trends often influence buyer behaviour and the customer journey. Marketers also need to know how audiences are consuming different types of media. This will determine the distribution channels and content type. By staying in the loop, no one gets left behind as the world changes.

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