How should you prepare for 2022, so you can grow your business with content marketing? Look no further, just keep on reading!

I finally did it! I launched my own podcast (check out The Content Marketing Cheat Sheet Podcast) and YouTube channel. I have been working towards this goal for about a year, and it finally feels right to launch it. I am very excited to be part of your online journey.

I included a downloadable monthly content calendar for the first three months, which you can use as guidance on what to post online to connect with your audience. You can click here to download the content calendar.

So the last year has been very exciting for me. I officially launched my business, The Social Wisdom, and created my online course for solopreneurs, bloggers, and small business owners who want to grow their online business with content marketing.

So if you want to step up your content marketing game in 2022 but are not sure where to start or if you want to change careers and become a Social Media manager to either work for yourself or someone else, I encourage you to enroll in my online course How to gain credibility online and turn passion into profit with content marketing. My online course contains a step-by-step roadmap on creating high-quality content your audience will love, even if you think you are not a creative person. You can read more about my course here.

I have six trends that you should follow in 2022 to make an impact online.

1. Video marketing is the next big thing!

TikTok and Instagram Reels are currently defining the social landscape and are definitely not going anywhere. If your company is not creating reels, you miss out on huge opportunities. If you are not on TikTok, I encourage you to create an account today, right after this episode.

TikTok officially dethroned Google and is getting more traffic than Google, according to a ranking by Cloudflare. Nowadays, users search for answers to their questions on Tiktok. This is your chance to get in front of your audience.

But users are not only spending hours consuming TikTok videos. On average, users 18 years and older spend almost 42 minutes on Youtube daily, and video posts on Facebook receive six times more engagement than a photo post.

So what does that mean for you as a marketer or business owner? If you are not incorporating a video strategy in your marketing, you miss out on great opportunities to get in front of your audience to build a relationship. Videos are great for showing off your personality and positioning yourself as someone knowledgeable in your niche.

2. Focus on educational content

As we head into 2022, content marketing will play a significant role because consumer behavior is changing. It is now more important than ever to educate your audience with your content.

Effective storytelling can help to build trust and encourage your audience to engage with you online. In the long-term, this can create a cult following. So focus more on creating content that educates your consumer about your product, why they should use it, and how it can help them rather than pitching the product. Like I said in the past, content marketing is king, and I believe the only way to establish a genuine relationship with your audience.

3. Understanding what your audience wants is more important than ever

Understanding your audience's needs is crucial. I've seen in time and time again that businesses ignore the needs of their audience and instead create a "me me me me" online presence. If you just publish "look how great my product or service is" type of content to fill your channels or constantly pitch your product to your consumers, you will not succeed. Instead, listen to what your customers have to say and tailor your content to their needs.

The future of marketing is about focusing on customer needs, not selling. Insights and metrics allow marketers to hyper-targeted customers online. Understanding your clients will help you build long-term relationships which lead to brand loyalty and more revenue.

If you want to see success with your online efforts, you need to stop pushing your customers to buy and instead focus on what they want. Nowadays, people want to feel like they are part of something. So with this information in mind, focus on building relationships while providing value before selling your product.

4. Attention span is getting shorter

Your audience's attention span has gotten shorter and shorter over the past few years. In a blink of an eye, the user has moved on to the next video with the constant craving for new content. I call this the "oops the squirrel" syndrome. Meaning you are focusing on one thing, but there goes a squirrel, and you are completely distracted by the squirrel and most likely don't return or remember what you were doing. The same goes for your viewers if your video is point blank boring, or takes forever to get to the point - oops, the squirrel - and your viewer has left your video.

That's why it is crucial to hook the viewer within the first two seconds, or your video will get lost in the jungle of content.

When creating video content, produce it in a way that feels native to the platform and doesn't appear like a typical ad. However, your content should always provide value to your audience and strategically refer to your offer. Chasing random trends without a strategy won't help you achieve your marketing goals.

5. Instagram Live and story content are more important than in-feed content

If you want to grow on Instagram in 2022, you need to focus on posting reels, stories, and going live rather than in-feed content. The majority of Instagram profiles are discovered through reels, and people tend to gravitate towards short-form videos rather than photos.

Sometimes it helps to look at your own content browning behavior. What type of content do you like to consume and why?

6. Shopable content

Shoppers are getting more comfortable and irritated when you have too many steps in your check-out process. Ideally, your visitor should be able to shop from their cell phone on a mobile-optimized website. Since the surge of home-delivery apps for pretty much everything, customer buying behavior has changed. According to Facebook, 60% of Instagram users say they discover new businesses on the platform, which is a huge potential. If you are selling products, create a storefront on Instagram, post shopable posts, and make it easy for clients to check out.

Bottom line:

At the end of the day, if you master the art of content marketing, you will be able to differentiate yourself from your competition.

If you want to position yourself as an expert in your niche and turn passion into profit with content marketing, be sure to check out the Social Wisdom Academy to learn more about my online course. Until next time Goodbye or how we say in Germany Auf Wiedersehen!