The world of marketing is constantly changing, especially in the digital age.
What makes digital content marketing exciting are the ways in which you can stand out from the competition and captivate your audience through optimization. The tricky part is that you need to stay on your toes because best marketing practices are constantly changing.
What worked for digital marketers ten or even five years ago may not align with what works best on the internet today; we're in a period of digital transformation, and it's up to businesses to adapt and evolve if they want to stay ahead.
That's why we're here: to offer up-to-date tips and guidance on optimizing your digital content in 2022.
Optimizing content to make your business stand out
The best way to gain insight into what content strategies will work best in 2022 is to look back at 2021 statistics — What has worked best in the past? What can be done better?
According to Hubspot, the top 3 most used forms of media within content strategy in the past year are videos, blogs, and infographics. In this section, we'll explain how you can use these forms of media to reach your target audience.
Video
The first step in optimizing video content, like any strategic content production process, is determining your goal and audience. Here are some questions to think about before you start production:
- What platform is this video for?
- How long will this video be? (The platform may determine its length.)
- What are competitors doing, and how can you stand out?
- What is the production budget?
When it comes to video optimization, the details matter.
If you put a lot of work into video production, follow it up with a title and description that grabs your audience's attention. The title and description can play a role in whether someone views a video or not, and SEO tactics can be implemented if you are using a platform like YouTube.
If you have the option of creating a thumbnail, this is also an opportunity to optimize further, using a preview image to draw attention to your video.
Whether you are producing a video to be displayed on a website, social platform, or email, have a call-to-action (CTA) ready to go. Some examples include: "Sign Up Now," "Schedule Today," or "Learn More."
A CTA that establishes a sense of urgency or appeals to a viewer's curiosity can lead to higher click-through rates, conversion rates, and ROI.
Finally, don't forget to have a detailed script and a shot list for the videographer, so nothing is missed. Videos should tell a clear story, and you have audio and imagery to help captivate your audience in a way that static content like a blog or infographics cannot achieve.
Read more on why your business should have a video-first strategy here.
Blogs
Blogs serve multiple purposes. One purpose is search engine optimization, where keywords and phrases are chosen that will help a blog rank higher on Google.
When choosing keywords, it's essential to understand the intent behind a searcher's word choice. The ultimate goal here is to attract more views to your website and reach a targeted audience. Think about what specific terms you think your audience is looking for and what unique solution your content, product, or service provides.
Google highly favors content that answers questions posed by searchers – for example, "what is the best craft store in Providence?" – and rewards it with a better rank.
Another purpose blogs serve to establish brand awareness and build trust between company and client or product and consumer. When building brand awareness through blog writing, there is less emphasis on SEO keywords and more focus on the overall message of the blog.
The tone is important, as is the story being told.
Blog writing is your chance to sell your brand as a knowledge expert in a specific category.
For example, suppose a pet insurance brand would like to build brand awareness and come across as a knowledge expert. In that case, they may publish blogs related to veterinarian news or in-depth articles about dog breeds. The information in this blog style does not have to directly connect to services offered by the company, as long as the subject draws in the right crowd and makes the brand look good.
An informational blog is also the perfect place to optimize further with an infographic.
Infographics
An infographic is an excellent tool for marketers who want to establish a brand as knowledgeable. It can be paired with a blog (like a how-to guide), email/newsletter, or social post. Here are some different types of infographics you can consider including in your next piece of content:
- Timeline
- Venn diagram
- Comparison
- Hierarchy
- Process
- Statistics
An infographic can also include any combination of the above elements.
When designing an infographic, visuals should be engaging and lead the viewer's eyes through whatever story is being told. Understanding visual identity in brand development can help ensure your infographic is visually compelling and high-performing.
Infographics are essential because they allow you to educate your audience in a "sticky way." Whereas blogs can be dense and challenging to read, infographics are designed to pull out key information and explain key points or steps in a concise and memorable way.
Remember that while the design is a significant element of infographics, the wording is just as important, especially if you plan to include live text that can be found through keyword searches. Writing should be kept short but impactful. Cut down on fluff and stay straight to the point.
Customize Content for Social Media
The top social media sites for marketers in 2022 include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat, and Twitter.
Though these platforms may seem similar on the surface, the truth is that every social media platform requires a unique strategy that takes into consideration how its users engage with and share content.
In the next section, we'll dive deeper into a few top platforms to show how a marketer can use social media effectively.
Facebook & Instagram
Because Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same company, Meta, we've grouped the two. However, the approach a marketer takes to the two platforms should vary.
Between Facebook and Instagram, Facebook is the best bet for longer-form content like videos and podcasts and for sharing links to websites and blogs. However, Instagram is best used for selling products and services and is a better spot for unique photography, advertisements, and short video clips.
Instagram is also a good platform that encourages follower interaction. Something as simple as daily polls or questions can help build a solid following and make users more likely to take an interest in a product being sold.
For some perspective: despite being considered one of the earlier forms of social media, Facebook still has over 2 billion active monthly users as of 2021; still impressive, Instagram has over 500 million active monthly users.
Although Twitter might seem similar to Facebook in that it is a good platform for sharing longer-form content like videos and infographics and for backlinks to blog posts, users interact differently on Twitter than on Facebook.
Remember that Twitter functions as a newsfeed with constant updates and ongoing conversations when designing your social strategy. Use what's "trending" to your advantage and look to create timely content that reacts to and interacts with your follower base.
Small businesses can make a big impact
Now that you have a better idea of the ways you can optimize content and build your brand, the next step is to put knowledge to action. Any size business can utilize optimization tips and tools to reach higher ROIs.
