Welcome to The Make it Massive Podcast, a bi-weekly audio sequence about all issues ecommerce by BigCommerce.

On this episode, content material advertising and marketing professional Ann Handley joins the Make it Massive podcast to recap essentially the most compelling 2021 content material methods. She additionally reveals must-know tendencies for what’s on the horizon in 2022. It’s a deep dive you don’t wish to miss.

All episodes of The Make it Massive Podcast are actually out there on Spotify, Apple and Google.   

The Make it Massive Podcast: Episode 15

Beatriz McPherson: I wish to take a second to look again at 2021. What had been a few of your favourite tendencies?

Ann Handley: “A number of the issues that I noticed final 12 months that had been my favourite tendencies had been undoubtedly impressed by the pandemic.

“A type of we noticed was how digital occasions and webinars might actually be taken to the subsequent degree. Definitely you probably did that together with your occasion. It was spectacular! I additionally assume that there are a variety of different corporations who’re actually pushing the boundaries, and I beloved to see that. 

“Then definitely the second factor is video. We’ve seen a complete lot of video and the evolution of video. I feel we used to consider video as this standalone factor. We now have case research, and weblog posts, and lengthy articles, and white papers, and ebooks — after which we even have video. 

“As a substitute, I feel what we’re seeing is that video is built-in all through every thing that we do in advertising and marketing. It’s not a standalone tactic anymore. We’re utilizing video as a method to join with prospects in a world the place many people have been remoted…

“I simply wish to point out yet another as a result of I feel it’s a extremely enjoyable one, and that’s that I’ve seen a number of manufacturers, particularly within the B2C house however slightly bit in B2B too, leveraging extra cultural moments and memes.

“I really like that as a result of I feel it speaks to the rise of social platforms and creators on these social platforms, but in addition to manufacturers beginning to concentrate and letting plenty of their advertising and marketing nearly begin with creators first or viewers first.” 

BM: In the event you needed to sum up content material advertising and marketing in 2021 in three phrases, what would they be?

AH: “I feel it might be, ‘Unleash the Kraken.’ — solely I’d say it actually loud like, ‘Unleash the Kraken!’

“Content material advertising and marketing has definitely been round eternally, and in its trendy iteration, it’s been round since no less than 2010. So it’s been right here for many years, definitely. However what I noticed in 2020 and 2021 is that so many extra corporations actually needed to rethink their content material advertising and marketing applications and their content material advertising and marketing efforts, as a result of content material was all of the sudden entrance and heart in what we would have liked to speak and inform our story to our prospects and our prospects. 

“So in 2020, I feel we noticed plenty of corporations who had been like, ‘Holy, wow, we higher actually step up our recreation.’ Then in 2021, I feel so many corporations had been simply killing it.”

BM: What tendencies do you assume are going to hold over into the brand new 12 months, and what new techniques are going to be actually vital for retailers to proceed rising their content material advertising and marketing?

AH: “Even in that world the place there are nearly limitless methods to attach together with your viewers, I do consider that your electronic mail e-newsletter is actually on the coronary heart of your communication technique with your individual viewers.

“There’s a few the explanation why I feel that. Primary, it’s you personal the information, proper? As a lot as I really like TikTok — I imply, there’s nothing I really like higher than scrolling TikTok, and I really like what manufacturers are doing there. There’s such creativity and it’s only a incredible platform.

“Regardless of all of that, I nonetheless assume that the e-mail e-newsletter is the place you really personal the information. All these different platforms, you’re preventing an algorithm, proper? The algorithm is in management. 

“I wish to be the place my buyer is in management, and I would like that bar to be tremendous excessive.

“For instance, if I’m on the e-mail record of a model…and I don’t really feel like they’re delivering worth to me, I can unsubscribe simply, proper? One click on and growth, I’m gone.

“Flipping that round, as a marketer, I really like that that bar is so excessive.You possibly can’t simply put no matter on the market and name it a day. As a substitute, you at all times should offer worth to the people who find themselves in your record. 

“I really like that the bar is so excessive in electronic mail newsletters. So yeah, I feel electronic mail newsletters, primary, are a tactic I’d put on the high of my 2022 record.”

BM: How can retailers actually meet shoppers the place they’re by means of content material?

AH: “Every little thing that we do in our advertising and marketing ought to come by means of the lens of constructing belief, proper? Constructing belief, primary, and secondly, of displaying affinity. And what I imply by that’s…be sure that every thing that you simply publish or every thing that you simply produce is reliable, proper?

“So, are you constructing belief? Are you displaying me who you’re? Are you truly responding to DMs? Is it an precise individual? Are you empowering that individual otherwise you to indicate up together with your entire coronary heart and your entire self?

“It sounds so elemental. However I can depend on one hand the variety of manufacturers who I feel do this tremendous properly. So just be sure you are doing that, as a result of I can’t construct belief with a product. I can construct belief with an individual. So just be sure you’re displaying me that individual. 

“Take into consideration every thing you do throughout each asset you publish or produce as: Are you constructing belief, and are you additionally displaying affinity? In order that’s actually the place each model must be fascinated by assembly prospects by means of their content material.”

BM: What are a couple of methods outdoors of social and electronic mail which you can actually add that extra component?

AH: “I feel specializing in the expertise that you simply’re delivering to your prospects and your prospects is so key. 

“And that phrase expertise — how will we truly do this? I feel finally what it actually means is how do we predict by means of issues from our prospects’ standpoint or from our prospects’ standpoint.

“Step into your prospects’ footwear, get proper inside their pores and skin and begin fascinated by issues from their standpoint.”

For extra insights, stream full episodes of The Make it Massive Podcast on Spotify, Apple and Google.