3 Content Marketing Trends Consumer Brands Can Not Ignore in 2021

Thanks to a global pandemic, a political shift and a new focus on inclusion, consumers want to connect with brands on a personal level in 2021. 

In other words, your company’s stance on societal topics — such as human rights, diversity and sustainability — matters more than ever…and savvy consumer brands are taking note.

Online Consumers = The New Normal 

Online retailers are supplementing the surge in e-commerce with a new emphasis on content marketing. The objective is to increase reach and engagement with relevant online audiences, while nurturing leads and, ultimately, driving sales.

As a digital strategist, one of my favorite aspects of marketing online is developing purpose-driven content. 

Whether the purpose is to educate an audience, to increase search engine visibility or to humanize/establish trust, content builds the foundation for an effective digital marketing strategy across web, email and social. 

Read on to discover how you can connect with new, and existing, consumers this year with one of the following content marketing strategies.

Embrace the Art of [Brand] Storytelling

Stories are our verbal DNA. They stand the test of time and break through the noise as well as clamor to get through to the target audience.

Brand storytelling is all about shaping your own narrative in the eyes of your customers. 

A story helps in building an emotional connection and hence, remains something that people remember. This is particularly true when you present yourself from the customer’s perspective — in other words, tell the customer’s story. 

Companies can also share stories of employees’ interactions with customers to make the narrative more relatable. 

Another way to get people talking about your brand is to tell your story with a bit of cheeky humor. Audiences find such stories more engaging and such brands more approachable.

The final ingredient of successful storytelling is delivering a powerful message that talks about something bigger than the business itself – an idea, a vision, a belief.

Make it Personal with Video 

Personalized videos give brands the opportunity to make your brand stand out by catering to the unique needs of your consumer. In fact, according to Convince & Convert, 81% of customers want your company to find out about them to tailor your products for them.

You don’t have to create a different video for every client you approach. Instead, focus your content on an audience with shared interests and subtly integrate the viewer’s company identity within it.

From an engaging thumbnail or cover photo, to sharing a YouTube video on your company website and email newsletters, there are unlimited ways to expand reach for your visual content.

The best part? According to HubSpot, personalized videos as call-to-actions are 202% better performing than usual call-to-actions.

Repurpose and Make it Relevant [Again]

I’m a huge advocate for evergreen content creation! Here’s why:

From blog posts to webinars, when you create content that’s continuously relevant, you can reuse that content without investing valuable resources to come up with the same thing. What’s more, by repurposing content, your business can greatly reduce its costs and reach a wider audience.

Repurposing entails collecting relevant information and ideas that resonate with your target audience(s), while showcasing brand affinity. Content marketers can hone this strategy by gathering topics that speak to brand personality, purpose and values.

Tell Me: How do you plan to strengthen content marketing efforts for your brand in 2021?