Content Trends to Look Out for in 2021

Another year has passed (and a crazy one at that) and with it comes a fresh set of content creation and marketing trends to look out for in the next 12 months. The year 2021 will be just as unparalleled as the one before it, both in terms of how our working lives, and personal lives, will be affected throughout the pandemic. In this respect, it is difficult to say where we will be in 3 or 6 months’ time. However, we can, here at Embryo, be a little more certain about what to expect in the content marketing world, including the content trends to look out for in 2021. If content is your thing, then carry on reading to find out what’s worth getting excited about and where things will change in the year ahead.

Create Quicker and Easier Transactions

As a nation, we are collectively a lot more web-savvy, and familiar with technology, than ever before, regardless of the demographic. This is due to many factors, such as advancements in assistive technology, government schemes to help older and disabled people get digital skills, and the fact that using technology was our only option to remain in contact with each other throughout the last year.

This has made today’s online audience more familiar, and comfortable, with obtaining information and making transactions online. As a result, they expect answers and information quickly, and concisely, to fulfil an immediate need. Most of us use our devices for help and inspiration while we are in the middle of a task. If this isn’t provided by your content, users will simply go elsewhere.

Content in 2021 will need to make answers and information easy to find. Any associated call to actions, or products to purchase, should be made clear – right here, right now. This way you satisfy the user’s primary needs – to know, to go, and to do or buy.

Think Mobile First – Even More So Than Before!

Thinking mobile-first has been a key consideration at the start of every year for as long as we can remember, and it will continue to be so for years to come. In fact, there may come a time where ‘think mobile first’ becomes ‘think mobile-only’.

It’s no longer good enough to have a mobile-friendly website, and this has been the case for a number of years. You need mobile assets to serve your mobile customers, which have been increasing in numbers year-on-year since 2014, with more than a 220% increase in the last 7 years.

Mobile assets can include:

• Mobile apps.
• Simplified CTAs and lead-generation forms.
• Buy now one-click options.
• Clutter-free conversion funnels.
• Local search optimisation.
• Integrating auto-complete functionality for entry fields.

Stream Your Video Content

Face-to-face meetings are still off the cards, for now, making personal meetings and conferences impossible. Because of this, video calls, and video streaming, have become more popular than ever been before. Almost everyone in the country has had at least one experience with a video call platform, like Zoom, in the past 12 months.

All companies and organisations are now having to host virtual events or conferences online too. As a result, we are all becoming more familiar with how they work and what can be achieved with them. Streaming videos has always been a way to effectively engage influencers and generate leads, but even more so in 2021. More of us are at home and engaging with online content, creating wider audiences for content creators and influencers.

Become a Topical Authority – Not a Keyword Warrior

Link building and keyword optimization are losing emphasis on search engines like Google. This once very effective, and primary, method of search engine optimization is no longer Google’s main concern. What matters more is how much you really know about the subjects you mention on your website. More emphasis is being placed on depth of expertise, and whether or not you are a topical authority, here at Embryo, we use Frase which is a fantastic tool that allows us to go beyond keywords and delve deeper into topics for our clients.

You should stop creating content around one keyword, and instead focus on how well your piece of content fits into the context of your overall site. You can do this by creating long-form content, interactive, or sharable, content, and pillar pages that become the foundation of your expertise on specific topics. Collaborations will become more important as a result of this, allowing other subject matter experts to add their knowledge to your content.

Expect Competition Growth

The effects of COVID-19 on our local high streets has been distressing for many, but online sales are booming. This further reinforces something we have believed here at Embryo for some time: if you are not online then you do not exist. More and more businesses are investing in their online marketing strategies, and therefore the competition is inevitably growing.

This means more time and effort is spent on getting content noticed and shared. Nevertheless, this growth in competition causes a cycle for all industries involved. Increased competition equals increased audience numbers, and potential influencers, to like or promote your content. In short, the more people involved the better.

Conduct Original Research

Continuing on from above, one effective way of ensuring you create authoritative content is to conduct your own original research. The internet is a vast ocean of online content and it can be hard to stand out from the crowd, especially if you’re just a small fish. This is made even truer if your content is only contributing towards the existing thoughts and opinions of others, and facts that have already been established. The only way you can become a thought leader is by having your own thoughts first and establishing a solid understanding of the subject you are portraying, allowing you to form a valuable piece of content.

Discover and unearth more about a problem and crowdfund answers to understand it better. You can then use this information to come up with a solution, perhaps one that hasn’t been done or thought of before. Whether or not your findings confirm, or deny, any initial expectations or hypothesis doesn’t matter, it is still useful information for your business growth and for others who may be looking for similar answers online.

Did We Miss Out On Any Other Trends?

We hope this blog whetted your appetite for what is to come in the world of content in 2021! If you think we missed any then let us know! We’d love to hear from you!