The evergreen content trends that are helping businesses flourish amidst COVID-19
Disha Bafna
The outbreak of Covid-19 has piloted the adoption of online marketing techniques in almost all industries. The need to survive the pandemic has driven the use of the internet as a medium to sustain market standing. Not to mention the looming threat of recession.
Nonetheless, there is a need to stand out amidst the noise adhering to the rising adoption of browsing online for the needs. As simple as it sounds, creative content marketing is the most effective tool at the time. You can create and convey relevant and valuable content easily and quickly. Thanks to the internet, we now have a superpower called targeting – the ability to reach the prospective audience directly.
Content creation as a window to opportunities
The pandemic has resulted in the rapid adoption of modern-day content creation techniques, replacing the traditional medium at a significant rate.
For instance, print ads are getting replaced by online banner ads and social media posts, TV ads are drifting to live video streaming apps. Radio ads by podcasts. Businesses are trying hard to be creative during these unprecedented times. On the contrary to traditional marketing, the digital market has economized the advertisements. The advertising budgets might still be enormous, but so are the returns! Moreover, it is easier to track the effectiveness of an online banner ad.
The common trend amongst all the dynamics is the need to churn new content to tackle fatigue and stand out amongst the lot. Content marketing is the most effective way to create brand awareness. Your customers are always looking for something new to learn, providing them with the current updates will further portray you as a trustworthy brand.
For instance, you are going to buy a product/service, who would you choose to be your seller? A well-known brand or a brand that you never heard of? Adding videos, pictures, and all other creatives in your new content strategy can add value and will create rightful impressions.
Remember, the goal is to provide a solution to the problems and not just sell your products/services. However, we are all aware of the market dynamics; a new year brings new ways to attract customers.
Evergreen content trends that are helping businesses flourish amidst the unforeseen
Let your users talk about you
User-generated content adopts the word of mouth techniques; the only difference is the platform (online) of publishing. A single post can reach all the audiences in the concerned user’s network; this theory involves the creations of the post, images, and videos by your customers around your product or services. In return, you will promote these creatives across your social media and tag the relevant customers.
The benefits of user-generated content? It gives your customers a sense of belonging; they feel as if it’s their brand. Also, it raises the credibility and awareness amongst other prospects. Users are 2.4% more likely to find the creative content credible over the general marketing techniques.
For example- In 2011, Coca-Cola started the share a coke campaign in Australia, Where they had printed 150 common names on the bottles and encouraged people to share it with their loved ones. The idea instantly became a hit.
They later started the same across different countries, complying with the traditional and cultural norms of each country. People began to share pictures with a bottle of Coke on social media, and this campaign became successful across 80 countries worldwide.
Videos are the most crucial aspect of any content marketing strategy. Studies have proven that viewers prefer videos over text-based creatives. The ability to add motion graphics, animations, and background music enhances the user experience, keeping them hooked up till the end.
The growing trends of live videos on Facebook, Youtube, TikTok, Twitch, etc., have made it pivotal for advertisers to include these streaming apps in the content strategy to connect better with the customers. The usage of live streaming increased up to 73% with the outbreak of the pandemic.
However, It is equally important to align the videos with the needs and wants of the customers. We need to keep them informed yet entertain them through our videos, too salesy videos might not attain the desired results.
Turn data into creative
Customers always prefer short and useful data instead of massive blogs and articles. The constant need to stand out has started the trend of converting into banners and images.
Some even went ahead to create memes to share on social media, to better attract the attention with the possibility of going viral.
For instance:- Netflix has been introducing its series in the form of images for a long time now. The results are ground-breaking!
For example, (so- muse.world) Netflix’s revelation of Bojack Horseman ( a titular person living in fictional Hollywood) season 5’s release dates.
Google snippets
Do you notice the box that is placed right under the ad section on google, mostly followed by people also asking? These are featured posts that provide an on-point answer to the questions. The prime benefit is they are free, have high chances of getting clicked, and are considered extremely credible. Thus, google snippets can drive a significant amount of traffic to your website. Moreover, it also increases the number of no-click if they do not click on the following results. Since google snippets are more informatory as compared to other forms, users most likely find it credible and trustworthy. If you are planning to add snippets in your new content marketing strategies – Go Ahead!
Podcasts
About 51% of people in the US listen to podcasts. Despite the statistics, it has been the most underrated mode of advertisement. However, marketers have now recognized the importance of including this medium into their marketing strategies.
Podcasts can be considered as online substitutes of Radio and provide immense opportunities for advertisements along with storytelling. With the increasing numbers of podcast users, it has become relatively convenient to make them aware of the various products in the market. Both the existing ones and the new ones.
Furthermore, it has various SEO and targeting benefits and can also engage a large number of audience. Thus, improving sales. If you are planning to add another specter to your marketing campaign, you should consider podcasts.
Enhanced experiences
Enhancing customer experiences have become of high priority for almost all businesses today. To ensure a pleasant experience, you need to align the layout in a user-friendly manner. Create, structure, and publish your content on all the platforms in a uniform, yet unique form. The tone of voice needs to be the same as it will determine the identity of your brand. Prospects are likely to get demotivated to move further if the website doesn’t stand out or lacks the appeal.
Source- bits and pieces For instance:- Airbnb has one of the most user-friendly layouts. Source- bits and pieces
Select multiple pictures for Instagram:-
A single image is not enough to convey your message? Don’t worry, Instagram brings the carousel to add options where you can choose up to 10 photos or videos at a time; this acts as a mini slideshow with each slide carrying a different message.
For example:-
You can use these ads for repurposing old articles, launching a new product, to inform everyone about the new team building activities, or share moments from the latest events. Instagram carousel ads are being extensively used for storytelling too.
It’s time you use the best of features for a more targeted marketing campaign.
On a concluding note –
The ones mentioned above might not be newly launched content trends, but they have been gaining a lot of popularity lately. Not just for eCommerce but rather all industries. The growing trend of netizens has become the new normal. People are now more willing to shop online than to go outside and risk their lives. Plus, the comfort of online shopping has finally made its appeal to the audience. Amidst this, to stand out from the crowd, you need to be creative and deliver content that aligns with the customer’s needs.
The world might have stopped moving, but we won’t.
Disha Bafna 
