Every year there is a new list of top content marketing trends in the marketing world. New platforms are developed, and old platforms begin to be used in new ways. This year has been no different.
From AI to personalization and value-driven content, it’s been a busy year of content marketing efforts.
Let’s review the highlights and see how we can leverage these insights into 2024.
1. AI-Driven Content Creation
We all knew this would be number one. AI is here, and it’s not going anywhere.
Currently, 91% of businesses have an ongoing investment in AI. And 76% of the ones already using generative AI said they use it for basic content creation. Using AI in your content creation can:
- Streamline productivity
- Provide advanced analytics and data-driven insights
- Enhance user engagement
- Increase content creation speed and quality
- Save time and resources
The AI boom is just beginning. Everyone’s excited. And that makes sense since most business leaders think AI’s impact on productivity will rival the Industrial Revolution’s.
But the key to using AI is understanding where it excels and where it fails. AI excels most at data analysis and automating low-level tasks. But it can’t replicate human creativity and emotion. That means it fails to create valuable, high-quality content that connects with your target audience.
So, although it can streamline production and increase efficiency, it’s crucial to always have human oversight at every step of the content creation process. That ensures your content is at the level it needs to be to drive your brand’s success.
2. Short-form video’s rise continues
Besides AI, marketers invested in short-form video more than any other trend. That’s because video is currently the most popular and effective format in content marketing. Here are some other stats to think about:
- 91% of consumers want to see more online videos from brands.
- 79% of people have been convinced to purchase because of a video
- Short-form video has the highest ROI of all marketing trends
Source: Hubspot
And the rise of platforms like TikTok has taken short-form video content to a new level.
Wait, I thought TikTok was just for teenagers to show off their moves, right? Nope, not anymore. It’s not one of the top content marketing trends for brands large and small.
TikTok has spread to a range of age groups, using the platform to share everything from life skills to business trends. And this is how effective its users can be for your content marketing:
- 2 out of 3 users are likely to buy something while they’re on the platform
- 55% of users use TikTok to research new brands and products
- Users are 2x as likely as users on other social channels to recommend something they found on the platform
And TikTok is not the only video platform making a splash with “shorts.” YouTube has a section specifically for short videos, which brands use to create inspiring top-of-the-funnel campaigns.
Should your brand be on TikTok? Something to think about.
3. Personalization
Although 2023 was definitely the year of AI, audiences have also craved content tailored specifically to their wants and needs.
People love to receive a personalized experience. That means it’s essential to have a comprehensive understanding of your audience. In a 2023 Semrush report, audience research was ranked the number one factor leading to content marketing success in businesses. Crafting personalized content using that research immediately establishes an emotional relationship with your audience that fosters loyalty and trust.
One of the many ways personalization has been used is in email marketing. No one wants a bunch of emails that don’t relate to them. So, brands are creating personalized email campaigns at every customer touchpoint. It has become possible through advanced segmentation features available with most email tools, and a lot of it comes through AI.
Personalized messages have a higher ROI. If you think email marketing is dead, get this- according to Instapage, personalized email messages have 6x higher transactional rates, an average ROI of 122%, and 58% of email marketing revenue.
4. Topical Authority SEO
Both readers and search engines are essential, but how do you create content that appeals to both?
Topical authority makes readers and search engines happy because you create engaging content that shows you are an authority in your field. To build topical authority, you need to cover more angles about a given topic.
In the content marketing niche, this can look like writing about writing and blog posts and video marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing. Within those, you can narrow it down to specifics like YouTube and Pinterest marketing. The more you can cover, the better.
Create focused pillar content pieces and interlink them together to form content clusters. When you interlink posts around the same subject, Google begins to see the site as an authority on the topic. This shows your site as a trusted source that visitors can come to again and again.
Readers want value when they go to a site and will stay longer when they find a variety of content relevant to their search query. The good news is that search engines also want readers to see that value. And that’s how you win them both.
5. Podcasts
Podcasts can do everything from building brand awareness to boosting traffic and engagement with your brand. And it’s still increasing in popularity post-pandemic:
- 62% of U.S. consumers listen to podcasts
- The number of weekly podcast listeners is expected to hit 103.6 million by the end of 2023
- The podcast advertising market is expected to reach $3.46 billion by the end of 2023
Source: Influencer Marketing Hub
Another growing content marketing trend is podcasting, combining audio and video. That allows you to repurpose and distribute the same content across different channels. Podcasters turn on their cameras for voice interviews to create video content on top of the audio.
That allows you to repurpose and distribute the same content across different channels. And channels like Colin and Samir are taking it a step further, creating shorts out of their longer-form content and following the “Youtube for podcasting” trend.
Dubbed the Joe Rogan podcast formula, video podcasting is now a thing. It’s a way to use your content on multiple platforms and get more mileage from each episode you create.
Content marketing in 2024
And that wraps up our list of top content marketing trends for 2023. So, what can we learn from all of this?
Well, although we may not be able to predict exactly what 2024 will bring in content marketing, we know it’s time to focus on quality and adding value. AI will continue to grow, with the global AI market size expected to be worth $407 billion by 2027. But we’re also predicting that will mean a mass production of unoriginal content. And we believe that human-created content will stand out more than ever.
Start brainstorming your content marketing calendar now and plugin some ideas. If you are not already there, get into AI and video marketing games and keep testing and tracking. Evolve with the tech developments. Always build in human oversight. And if you’re unsure how to take your content, one of our professional content strategists can help. Cheers to 2024!
