Why Your Content Strategies Need To Change In 2020 & How To Adapt

Gone are the days when keyword-rich content, excessive linking and using exact-match domains are all you need to rule the ranking roost. The rapid growth of digital marketing means that increasing numbers of brands are engaging clients and customers with online content, and are getting smarter with their strategies. It’s estimated that over 90% of B2B and just under 90% of B2C marketers rely on content in every single one of their marketing campaigns, and this includes the whole spectrum of content: website content, blogs, articles, guest posts, eBooks and guides, along with podcasts, YouTube videos and tutorials. So, therein lies the issue. How do you compete when everyone seems to be using the same strategies? How do you make your content stand out among the noise? It can seem like a daunting task, especially with all of those pesky Google updates we keep hearing about. So what to do? In this post, I outline content strategies that will see you right for 2020, and help you make your mark in your industry.

Micro-Moments

Think of any time you’ve wanted information on a particular topic, product or service. It’s likely you’ve typed your search into Google, read the snippet that’s appeared, clicked onto the website and gone from there. Using ranking position and reviews as a trust signal, along with the SSL certificate (the padlock next to the website’s URL) has likely swayed your buying decision too. It’s simple. People don’t want to trawl through pages and pages of irrelevant content to find the information they’re after, and as Google tells us – micro-moments are the way forward. Micro-moments comprise of the following:

• The ‘I-want-to-know moments’: When someone is exploring or researching, but is not necessarily in purchase mode.
• The ‘I-want-to-go moments’: When someone is looking for a local business or is considering buying a product at a nearby shop.
• The ‘I-want-to-do moments’: When someone wants help completing a task or trying something new.
• The ‘I-want-to-buy moments’: When someone is ready to make a purchase and may need help deciding what to buy or how to buy it.

The key to targeting your customers then is creating content that utilises these micro-moments – providing your customers with answers that get straight to the point and help them engage on a much deeper level, in a fraction of the time. For example, someone in an ‘I-want-to-buy moment’ may seek guidance on the benefits of a specific product – so why not include an FAQ section, a demo and customer reviews on its dedicated page? The demo and customer reviews could also be repurposed for social media posts and email marketing campaigns, so it’s certainly something to think about.

User Intent

User intent considers the reasons why users conduct a specific search in the first place, with Google now assigning a higher rank to pages that not only fit the search term, but the search intent of the particular query. Developing content around this ranking factor is also imperative to success, and can be done by considering the type of query your customers are searching in relation to your product or service.

There Are 4 Main Types Of User Queries:

• Informational: Broad queries used when the user is looking for information.
• Navigational: Specific queries used when the user wants to visit a specific website.
• Investigational: Searches such as ‘Best iPod in 2020’ or ‘Reviews of Tefal saucepans’.
• Transactions: Action-focused searches used when the user wants to do or buy something.

Terms Searchers May Use Based On Search Query:

• Informational: ‘how’, ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘guide’ and ‘tutorial’.
• Navigational: Brand names, product names and service names.
• Investigational: ‘top’, ‘best’, ‘review’ and ‘comparison’.
• Transactions: ‘buy’, ‘order’, ‘price’ and ‘voucher’.

Creating content that responds to these 4 types of search queries will help with clicks and conversions. Using Ahrefs Keyword Explorer is a good way to come up with ideas, and then all you simply need to do is add in the modifiers mentioned above.

Therefore, ideas for content include:

• Informational: A blog on ‘A Guide To The Best Headphones in 2020’.
• Navigational: A web page on ‘Bose Headphones’.
• Investigational: A review of a recent release.
• Transactions: CTAs on product pages.

By creating longform content that is well-linked, well-written and answers the questions your audience are searching the answers to, you’ll be miles ahead of your competition.

This Time It’s (far more) Personal

Your audience doesn’t want to receive the exact same collection of content that all of your other customers are getting, instead receiving content that is specifically targeted to their interests and needs in relation to your brand. Dynamic content is key here – and is content that changes based on the behaviour, preferences and interests of the user. For example, say your website sold various types of sportswear, such as football kits, hockey sticks and swimming gear. Should you integrate an email marketing campaign – you may decide that one version focuses heavily on football, and another on hockey – and the version your customers receive is based on their interests and buying habits. By targeting them with information they’re actually interested in (e.g. football news, offers and future events), this content will encourage readers to go further down the buyer’s journey – which is ultimately what you want.

These strategies might not seem novel, but you’d be surprised how great an impact they could all have on your business practices. If you’re looking for more advice on how to adapt your content strategies for the new year, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today on 0161 327 2635. We’d love to hear from you.