A Content Marketing Institute study revealed that 73% of B2B and 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as part of their overall content marketing strategy, making it one of the most valuable strategies for growing brand awareness, generating sales leads, and building customer trust.
As a business owner, staying on top of the latest marketing trends is crucial if you want to create content that engages your audience and drives results. This article will look at the top trends shaping content marketing in 2024.
Table of Contents
The state of content marketing in 2024
9 content marketing trends of 2024
Conclusion
The state of content marketing in 2024
The content marketing market is vast and experiencing significant growth. Market experts estimate the market size to be worth USD 263.09 billion in 2024 and expect it to reach USD 523.45 billion in 2029, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) rate of 14.75%.
Fueling the growth of content marketing is digital transformation, as businesses are switching from traditional to digital marketing platforms to connect and engage with Internet users. The demand for content marketing has also been driven by the need for a business’s online presence to enhance customer involvement and align marketing strategies with changing consumer behavior.
Therefore, businesses keeping up with the latest trends can reap the benefits of leveraging content creation to attract and convert customers.
9 content marketing trends of 2024
So, what will be the trends surrounding content marketing in 2024? Let’s have an in-depth look.
1. Artificial intelligence in content creation
The use of artificial intelligence to generate content is the first of many trends set to transform content marketing this year. 61.4% of marketers disclosed that they use AI in their marketing activities. This is due to the popularity of powerful tools like ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsoft Bing AI, which have led to the rise of the creation of content using AI.
AI can help you create more content faster, speeding up your content creation process. All you need to do is input a query on the tool of choice, and it will generate the information you want for your content in what’s called generative AI. However, you’ll still need to add a human touch to authenticate the content.
The role of AI extends beyond streamlining the content process. AI-powered tools enable hyper-personalized experiences and smoothen distribution processes, making marketing campaigns more efficient and data-driven. Therefore, by leveraging AI technologies in 2024, marketers can deliver more engaging content that resonates with their audience, optimize their workflows, and save time and resources.
2. Demand for video content
Videos are rapidly dominating the digital marketing space, a trend proving to be a success for 88% of B2B and B2C businesses. According to Statista, online videos had an audience reach of 92.3% among internet users in 2023.
For 2024, the content marketing trend for video is multiple formats and more videos on traditionally text-first platforms. Video-sharing platform TikTok kicked off this trend some time ago with short videos (between 15 and 60 seconds) in the 9:16 format. Short-form videos are still the most engaging forms of video content and are 52% more likely to be shared than any other form of content.
However, expect restoration of attention spans this year as consumers begin to appreciate long-form videos. For instance, Gen Z viewers increasingly watch hours-long videos with deeper insights, explanations, and analysis that they discover in short-form videos.
In addition, TikTok is encouraging its creators to increase the maximum video length to match that of Instagram Reels at 15 minutes. Therefore, as a content marketer, testing different video lengths until you find what suits your audience will be ideal.
3. User-generated content
A significant focus on user-generated content will also mark content marketing in 2024. User-generated content refers to original, brand-specific content created by customers not endorsed by you or your business. UGC may come in many forms, like images, videos, reviews, and testimonials.
When consumers post about your brand on social networks, they can influence their followers’ buying decisions. That’s why 93% of marketers agree that consumers trust content created by customers more than brand content. Another consumer marketing study by Nosto found that 79% of people say that UGC plays a considerable role in buying decisions.
A good idea to make the most of this trend is to actively encourage your audience to make videos using hashtags or start challenges and contests using your products. It’s how brands like Maybelline, The Pink Stuff, Eos shaving cream, CeraVe, and Zara have become impossible to buy due to their popularity on TikTok.
You can also let your employees participate in creating user-generated content featuring your products, like how the Pizza Dough Guy went viral on TikTok, creating content while preparing Papa John’s Pizza.
4. Interactive content
The trend toward interactive content is reshaping content marketing in 2024, offering businesses a powerful means of engaging audiences and standing out in a crowded digital landscape. It entails a brand’s ability to incorporate quizzes, polls, surveys, and interactive videos to engage users, fostering active participation and memorable immersive experiences for customers.
Examples of successful companies that have adopted interactive elements in their marketing efforts include Function of Beauty and Clinique.
Function of Beauty (a hair brand), for example, asks for information from users about their hair goals, hair type, preferred fragrance, and color in order to provide tailored product recommendations. Through this personalization, users get to gain great experiences. Clinique, a make-up company, uses a similar approach with its Foundation Finder, where visitors can answer questions about their skin tone, coverage preferences, and skin goals to suggest foundation types and shades.
To capitalize on this trend, you should pay close attention to personalization and adapt interactive content to suit your target audience’s preferences. Moreover, encourage social sharing through these gamified elements to enhance organic reach, leveraging the networks of engaged customers.
Interactive content is also a powerful tool for collecting data that provides insights into user behavior and preferences. You can then utilize these insights to refine your content strategies and create content that captures your customers’ attention and suits rapidly changing consumer expectations, ultimately leading to brand loyalty in the digital world.
5. Voice search optimization
An increasing popularity of voice-activated gadgets has led to a new trend in content marketing: voice search optimization. According to Statista, the voice recognition market will grow from USD 10 billion in 2020 to approximately USD 50 billion in 2029 at a CAGR of 23.7%. With more consumers turning to voice assistants like Alexa and Siri, brands like Starbucks and Domino are quickly adapting to cater to orders through natural language queries.
Your business can jump onto this trend by using conversational and long-tail keywords and matching content to consumers’ spoken inquiries. You can also provide content in the form of FAQs that answer frequently asked questions by users and ensure it is optimized for voice-activated search. Moreover, local SEO tactics can be impactful because voice searches often have a local focus.
Overall, brands can improve their visibility, adapt to evolving user habits, and maintain their position at the top of search engine results by optimizing their content for voice, thus creating a seamless and easily accessible user experience.
6. Importance of mobile optimization
For content marketing professionals, mobile optimization is an inevitable trend in 2024, as most online users browse content through their smartphones. In fact, 55% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices, and 92.3% of internet users use a mobile phone.
To cash in on this wave, your business must focus primarily on responsive website design to provide fluid and aesthetically pleasing interfaces across different screen sizes.
Emphasize quicker loading speeds and improve the site speed for mobile consumers who need instant access. Using user-friendly interfaces and intuitive navigation to enhance the mobile experience can reduce bounce rates while promoting engagement. Also, match the content to the mobile search purpose using short and effective headlines because voice queries are preferred in search on the go.
By focusing on mobile optimization, you can meet the specific needs of today’s mobile-centric audiences, increase your visibility in search engines, get more organic traffic, and ensure a competitive advantage in an ever-changing digital space.
7. Immersive content experiences
Another quickly growing content marketing trend is immersive experiences, as brands attempt to entertain and retain audiences’ interests through a distinct approach. Through virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), interactive videos, and other cutting-edge technologies, brands like IKEA, Volvo, and Qantas Airways are prime examples that take consumers into a world that transcends all forms of conventional marketing. This tendency stimulates a closer relationship between the business and the target audience through fun, lasting, and interactive experiences.
In 2024, you can leverage the full potential of immersive experiences by focusing on user interaction, personalization, and emotional engagement. This entails integrating interactive features in 360-degree videos, virtual try-ons, or even gamified content to increase consumer engagement. In addition, incorporating augmented reality into physical or interactive product experiences allows your consumer to see and use a product before making a purchase.
In a busy market where all the brands look similar, embracing immersive experiences makes brands stand out and creates an impactful impression that consumers will remember. This trend facilitates a more profound and richer brand-consumer relationship that builds customer satisfaction, loyalty, and word-of-mouth support in the ever-crowded landscape of content marketing.
8. First-party data collection
A new trend in content marketing is that brands collect first-party data from their target audience to develop more personalized and targeted campaigns for their customers. In this trend, brands are fetching rich customer information using different platforms, including websites, social media platforms, and newsletters.
Big data plays a significant role when marketing to audiences, and obtaining vital customer information such as consumer habits, areas of interest, and demographics can assist you in developing highly personalized content that appeals to your audience. This data-driven approach personalizes your content marketing efforts to suit various customer needs.
Additionally, using first-party data enables you to build trust among consumers because you are accountable for their information usage and show intent in delivering relevant and meaningful content.
9. Sustainability and social responsibility
The sustainability and social responsibility trend in content marketing reflects a growing consumer demand for ethical and environmentally conscious practices. Today, brands are increasingly integrating sustainability into their narratives to appeal to socially conscious audiences. This follows a study by Business of Sustainability, which revealed that 78% of consumers are willing to buy from an environmentally friendly business.
Therefore, this year, expect more brands to create content highlighting eco-friendly initiatives, ethical sourcing, and corporate responsibility efforts. The approach not only aligns businesses with societal values but also fosters consumer trust and loyalty.
Companies will showcase transparent communication, sharing their commitment to positive social impact. As consumers become more discerning, content marketing is pivotal in conveying a brand’s dedication to sustainable practices, contributing to a broader movement toward consumption. Not only does it benefit the environment, but it also enhances reputation and competitiveness in an era where ethical considerations hold significant sway.
Conclusion
Armed with foresight into the key content marketing trends of 2024, you now have an incredible opportunity to future-proof your strategy. By embracing these new best practices around video, personalization, and more, you can ensure your brand stands out from competitors. Furthermore, taking time to optimize and enhance experiences will set you up for success in the years ahead.
