Social commerce, gaming, vernacular, short-form and community-led content to drive content marketing in 2022

Community-led content creation is going to be one of the most important trends in the field of content marketing, and brands should identify and groom those influencers who can become their ambassadors for the public, said Dipashree Das, Senior Marketer, Global OTT Content Platform.

Das was speaking on day one of the three-day BuzzInContent Conversations event, in a session organised on the topic ‘Content marketing trends that brands can leverage to stand out in 2022’. The event is taking place in the run-up to the BuzzInContent Awards 2021, presented by MTV and powered by News Nation, which will be held online on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 5 pm.

Consumers today are looking for something different in the product and they want a piece of belonging to the brand and its offerings. Marketers today need to understand the culture and then again mould it according to the needs of the target audience. In this ever-changing scenario, there is an ongoing hustle for getting the right mix, on part of the brands and the marketers. This is where a deep understanding and insights into the vast topic come in very handy.

“Consumers or the audience will like or resonate with stories that put them at the heart of it,” said Das said. She went on to add that community-led content creation is going to be an important macro trend in 2022 and it will only become stronger because of the situations prevailing around the world. She also pushed for brands to find the right group of influencers who can form a connect with consumers and become ambassadors for the brand in the long run.

Speaking on similar lines, Manasi Narasimhan, Vice-President and Head, Marketing and Communications, South Asia, Mastercard, said that the pandemic has brought a significant shift in the way people think and behave, and the finance and FinTech sector is aware of these changes.

She said that while content marketing is very much here to stay the focus of brands in the finance sector should be on empathy and getting the right messenger, ones whom the people trust and already share a rapport with.

“I think vernacular is going to be huge because many of these first-time users are not from the metros but tier one, two or three cities,” she said. “I think it’s about reassurance, telling them they are not alone, we are walking this journey with you. I think that is the role of content marketing in the finance and payment space particularly.”

Narasimhan further said that influencer and short-form content would be the key trends in the coming year.

Push marketing is not going to work in the content space while social commerce led by social video and social media is going to be big, as per Shailja Varghese, Chief Content Officer, Omnicom Media Group.

“What the short video apps are doing these days is very interesting. For example, Moj has partnered with Flipkart, so the creators create content and they (consumers) would be taken to the Flipkart site and then you can shop from there. So, I think the environment is very important, in what mood and state of mind you’re catching the consumer. Whether it’s Trell or others, all of them are exploring this. Social video commerce will help navigate and makes it easy for us and is here to stay,” Varghese said.

According to Varghese, Content marketing using online gaming is something to watch out for in the next year.

Loyalty, in today’s world, from customers is hard-earned and is even harder to maintain. A good marketing strategy ensures that it happens time and again. Brands are, therefore, increasingly engaging in meaningful storytelling to build a community that can become their advocate, which leads to the consumers turning into word-of-mouth advertisers and speakers for the brands.

“Customer loyalty is something brands vie for. Depending on the life stage or category, brands can either educate their customers or look at doing it in a fun and engaging manner to build a community. That’s eventually what brands vie for,” said Yogesh Manwani, President, Lintas C:EX (The content division of Mullen Lowe Lintas Group).

Summing it up, a good content marketing strategy should take into account the long-term perspective, and should be preceded by a deep understanding of the brand, its consumers and the target audience. Consistency is the key and it can be achieved only when brands and marketers figure out what their consumers really want and the X factor they can add to their lives.

To find out more about what the future for content marketing would look like in the year ahead click on the link – (to be provided)