In the world of digital marketing, things tend to evolve with mind blowing speed and frequency. So
what’s in store for 202? Let’s take a peep:
1. User Generated Content Continues to Rule
Numerous surveys have shown that shoppers are more influenced by user generated content than
brand content. UG posts had more engagements and shares than professional content shared by
marketers; this holds true across industries. User generated content can be created using less time
and resources. You can ask your community for help with ideas and content. What’s going to be
different for this year is that you’ll need to see what it is that inspires your audience to share, and
how you can get your customers to create their own content.
2: Video Becomes even more Prominent
Videos are immensely important at all phases of the buyer journey. People may not watch a video
with an intent to purchase, but they are certainly open to discovering stuff. It’s a no-brainer that
people would rather watch videos than read, or simply listen if they want to learn about products
and services. Videos help shoppers research a product, and even to make the decision on which
product to buy. Don’t be stressed by the thought of producing a high quality professional video. Of
course, it depends on your brand, but even an amateur video may do the trick – and if it’s from
another customer who has already used your product, the merrier!
3. Voice
Voice content strategy is today an imperative part of content marketing. Compelling voice activated
content has thrown the doors open to a whole new method of engaging with consumers. Rather
than present unwieldy and expensive websites to potential customers, or put out social media ads
that are becoming increasingly expensive, voice activated content seems to be more effective. As of
now, it is being used to impart information, and help customers with queries. As consumers become
more discerning, we may well see more complicated interactions driven by API in this year.
4. Boosting your EAT
Na, we’re not talking about your diet. Late last year, Google had published a blog about its main
updates, and what you were supposed to do about them, on Webmaster Central. The main
recommendation was to read and understand the Search Quality Rater Guidelines and Expertise,
Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, or E-A-T. Talk about dropping obvious hints! This is a veiled
reminder to all of us, to focus on delivering expertise, authority and trust in all the content that we
publish. In short, no fluff please! Let it be of value to the user. It applies to all of us – marketers
representing brands, or freelance authors writing on brand sites.
So how do you earn links?
Get backlinks or mentions from websites with authority
Provide your bio, credentials and contact information on your about and author pages – part
of EAT information
Link to trustworthy sites of authority to support the data and statistics you have mentioned
in your content
Update your site regularly to include current and relevant info
Ensure your content is of good quality – valuable to the user, and well crafted.
