14 Content Marketing Trends in 2024

Content marketing is constantly evolving with marketers looking for new and innovative methods to reach audiences, build brands, and sell products. Keeping on top of the latest content marketing trends is essential to remain competitive, especially as 73% of B2B marketers and 70% of B2C marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. As we step into 2024, content marketing continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, driven by AI, shifting consumer behaviors, and an ever-increasing competition for attention.

Stay ahead of the curve with these top content marketing trends of 2024:

1. AI Impacting Content Marketing

Artificial intelligence has been around for some time, but over the last 2 years, with the public introduction of ChatGPT, marketers have adopted the technology at an increased rate. According to one survey, 76% of marketers currently use generative AI for basic content creation and to write copy. But it doesn’t just stop there, content marketers are using AI to create social content, images for advertising, video scripts, podcast scripts, product descriptions, and the list goes on.

As seen below, marketing and advertising professionals had the highest AI adoption rate of 2023 in the US, with this number expected to grow. Throughout 2023, we have seen numerous AI-based software products and apps being created that are tailored to the needs of content marketers, including AI for ad creatives, content strategies, social image creation, product descriptions, and search engine optimization.

As AI models continue to advance with new features and more learning and understanding of the world, there’s no telling what the future will hold for content marketing. However, with the current state of AI, marketers can save time, and money, and increase productivity through the adoption of this advancing technology.

If you are considering adding AI to your content marketing efforts, be sure to combine it with your professional input and overview – don’t rely on AI to do everything for you.

I do predict that the internet will become flooded with generative AI content and the need for unique human-generated content will rise; even Google has adjusted its algorithm to focus on first-person perspectives to try and eliminate some of the AI-produced content and provide helpful experiences to users.

2. Influencer Marketing Will Continue to Grow

Influencer marketing is old news – but it’s an industry that is growing year on year (as seen below), providing benefits to and encouraging content creators whilst also providing an attractive ROI for marketers. From 2022 to 2023, according to the latest influencer marketing statistics, the industry increased by 29% from $16.4 billion in the previous year, proving itself as one of the key content marketing trends to stay ahead of. 67% of marketers are actually planning on increasing their influencer marketing budget in the next 12 months.

Audiences trust influencers more than brands, for example, 50% of Millennials trust product recommendations from influencers with this number dropping when it comes to celebrities and brands. Therefore content marketers can utilize influencers within their strategy, particularly for product sales. Currently, data shows that businesses are making $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, on average, showing that it’s also cost-effective marketing. 

Some things to keep an eye on:

• Content Co-Creation: Influencers are now active partners in content creation, bringing their unique style and perspective to the table. Brands collaborate with influencers not just for their reach but for their creative input and deep understanding of what resonates with their audience.
• Niche Influence: The rise of micro and nano-influencers has shifted the focus from broad reach to deep engagement. These influencers have smaller but highly dedicated audiences, offering targeted and highly relevant content.
• Long-Term Relationships: Instead of one-off campaigns, brands are building long-term relationships with influencers. This approach allows for more cohesive and consistent storytelling and strengthens the association between the influencer, the brand, and the audience.

3. Podcast and Audio Content Will Continue to Surge

As of December 2023, there are 464.7 million podcast listeners globally and this number is predicted to reach 504.9 million by the end of 2024. The demand for audio content has continued to grow year on year, demonstrating its importance in content marketing. The convenient nature of audio allows audiences to dive into topics ranging from news to niche topics, all while multitasking or on the move.

Driven by increased mobile usage, improved access through smart devices, and a growing appetite for personal, on-demand content, podcasts should be a key focus area of your content marketing strategy.

There are many reasons to start a podcast, whether it’s for educational purposes, building an audience, generating trust, or adding revenue to your business (the podcast industry is currently worth $23.56 billion). Integrating audio content into your marketing mix can include starting your own podcast, advertising on existing podcasts, and repurposing content into audio content.

Don’t just jump onto this trend ‘because’ you should ensure it aligns with your brand goals and vision – in addition to the time consumption of running a podcast.

Some things to keep an eye on:

• Diverse Formats and Topics: Podcasts and audio content now come in a variety of formats, from short-form news updates to long-form interviews and serialized storytelling. The diversity in content ensures there’s something for every listener, regardless of their interests or time constraints.
• Increased Production Quality: As the number of podcasts has grown, so has the quality of production. High-quality audio, compelling storytelling, and professional editing are now the norms, not the exceptions.
• Integration with Smart Devices: Smart speakers and voice assistants have made accessing podcasts and audio content easier than ever, integrating easily into daily routines.

4. Personalization at Scale Will Surge – Especially With AI

Personalization at scale is essentially using data to personalize experiences for users or consumers, which is more recently driven by advancements in data analysis, AI, and machine learning. Brands now have the tools to understand and cater to individual preferences, behaviors, and needs, creating highly personalized content experiences that resonate on a deeper level.

In such a crowded consumer environment, personalization is more important now than ever, especially when 60% of consumers say they’ll become repeat customers after a personalized shopping experience. I expect to see personalization at scale and hyper-personalization take the stage as one of the key content marketing trends in 2024.

Some of the ways personalization could be supported include:

• Data-Driven Insights: Utilizing big data, brands can analyze user interactions, preferences, and behaviors to create detailed user profiles.
• AI and Machine Learning: These technologies enable real-time content customization, delivering relevant content to users at the right time and place.
• Dynamic Content Delivery: Content can now dynamically adapt based on user data, ensuring that each interaction is personalized and relevant.
• Predictive Analytics: By predicting user needs and preferences, brands can deliver content that meets and even anticipates individual requirements.

67% of e-commerce companies say they’ll invest more in personalization in the future and by adopting personalization in content marketing, benefits can include increased customer retention, improved customer experience, and improved brand loyalty.

Some examples of implementing personalization include:

• E-commerce Product Recommendations: Online retailers like Amazon use user browsing and purchase history to recommend personalized product selections, significantly increasing conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
• Customized News Feeds: Platforms like Facebook and Twitter analyze user interactions to tailor news feeds, showing content more likely to interest and engage each individual.
• Personalized Email Campaigns: Companies use customer data to send personalized emails based on past purchases, website activity, and user preferences. For instance, Netflix sends personalized show recommendations based on viewing history.
• Interactive Websites: Some websites dynamically change content, layout, or recommendations based on real-time user behavior, providing a unique experience for each visitor.

5. Video Content Will Continue to Dominate

Video content has continued its growth year after year and a recent study shows that as many as 91% of consumers want to see more online video content from brands. In 2024, video content is still expected to remain on top, especially with the growth of TikTok – which recently introduced advertising features and the Creativity Program Beta which encourages more people to create content and more brands to be present on the platform.

YouTube remains on top and will be just as important for content marketing in 2024, especially as YouTube has 1.7 billion unique monthly visitors. However, other platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and even LinkedIn remain important for distributing video content – depending on your audience and goals.

Some ways to use video content include:

• Live Streaming: Real-time interaction through live streaming continues to grow, providing an authentic way to engage with audiences, conduct Q&A sessions, and showcase events or behind-the-scenes content.
• Short-Form Videos: Platforms like TikTok have popularized short, engaging videos. These bite-sized pieces of content are perfect for capturing attention and delivering messages quickly and effectively.
• Educational and How-To Videos: Users increasingly turn to video for learning. Tutorials, webinars, and explainer videos are in high demand, offering significant value to viewers.
• User-Generated Video Content: Encouraging users to create and share their own videos related to your brand creates a community and provides authentic testimonials.

6. SEO Will Shift – Impacted By AI & Algorithm Updates

Google’s algorithm updates are no stranger to SEO professionals, especially as there are over 1000 updates every year – with major updates potentially causing websites to lose (or gain) millions in revenue as a result. When less than 1% of searchers click on the second page of Google results, any shift in rankings can severely impact a site.

What’s new in 2024?

Well, there have been 2 major changes to search in 2023 – Google released an update that prioritizes ‘First-Hand Knowledge’ focusing on unique content (trying to remove AI trash from search) and the SGE (search generative experience) which has shifted the display of search results, potentially impacting CTRs for websites. These are both fairly new features and the impact will likely become clearer in 2024.

There will also be new updates throughout 2024 – especially as AI adapts with new features and tools. Google will try to make ‘search’ as beneficial and ‘easy’ to the user as they possibly can, which can reshape major parts of SEO. Of course, the major ranking factors will remain, and as Google always says – focusing on creating authentic and high-quality content for the user!

Some SEO best practices:

• Focus on Quality and Relevance: Ensure your content is well-researched, informative, and directly addresses the needs and questions of your audience.
• Improve User Experience: Make your website fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. User engagement metrics like time on site and bounce rate are becoming indirect SEO factors.
• Incorporate Voice and Visual Search: Optimize for voice search with conversational keywords and question-based content. For visual search, use descriptive, keyword-rich file names and alt text for images.
• Build E-A-T: Establish authority by creating in-depth content, citing reputable sources, and gathering reviews and testimonials. Showcase the expertise of content creators where relevant.
• Understand User Intent: Go beyond keywords to understand what users are really looking for. Create content that answers their questions and provides comprehensive information.
• Stay Updated: SEO is constantly changing. Regularly educate yourself on the latest trends, algorithm updates, and best practices.

7. Voice Search Optimization Is Essential

In the past 6 years, voice search has grown exponentially, and as devices become more advanced (especially with AI) voice search will become more accurate and faster, and encourage more usage. Every time you ask devices such as Alexia, Siri, and Google Home a question, it will return results from the web; content that you could have created – if you optimized for voice search that is.

People are increasingly relying on voice commands to search for information, shop online, and manage their lives. This shift towards spoken queries requires a fresh approach to content creation and optimization and will link into your overall SEO strategy as content will need to be adapted.

Key points to consider for voice search optimization:

• Conversational Tone: Voice search queries are typically more conversational and longer than text-based searches. Your content should reflect this natural language to match how people actually speak.
• Question-Based Content: Many voice searches are phrased as questions. Structure your content to answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions relevant to your topic.
• Local SEO: Voice searches often have local intent, such as finding nearby services or establishments. Ensure your local SEO is strong, including accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) details and local keywords.
• Featured Snippets and Position Zero: Voice assistants often read out the featured snippet in response to a query. Aim to structure and format your content to increase its chances of appearing in this coveted spot.

8. Increased Niche Content Targeting to Combat AI

Although ‘niching down’ is already a good strategy for reaching specific audiences, targeting specific demographics through content is likely to increase going into 2024, making this one of the top content marketing trends to look out for. This is partly due to the saturation of content thanks to AI (and some laziness) where masses of content are being produced and published, making it difficult to stand out and maintain a good ‘reach’ with content.

AI will actually help in this situation too. Using AI for data analysis, profiling, and content suggestions, marketers can not only identify suitable niches for content but also understand how to target them effectively to get results. According to Growth Badger, nearly 3/4s of bloggers that make at least $50k/year state that they create content for a niche audience, demonstrating its effectiveness.

By focusing on specific, well-defined segments of the market, brands can create more relevant, impactful, and engaging content that resonates deeply with a particular audience, rather than getting lost in the vast amounts of content flooding the internet.

Some tips to consider:

• Market Research: Conduct thorough market research to identify underserved or specific segments within your broader market. Look for gaps in the content landscape that you can fill.
• Understand Your Audience: Dive deep into the demographics, psychographics, and behavior of your niche audience. Understand their language, pain points, and where they spend their time online.
• Create Specialized Content: Tailor your content to address the specific needs, questions, and interests of your niche. The more specialized your content, the more it will resonate with your target audience.
• Engage in Community Spaces: Find and engage with online communities where your niche audience gathers. This could be forums, social media groups, or other online platforms. Listen to their conversations and understand their culture.
• Collaborate with Niche Influencers: Partner with influencers who have a strong presence in your target niche. Their endorsement can lend credibility and significantly expand your reach within the niche.
• Feedback and Adaptation: Continuously gather feedback from your niche audience and be willing to adapt your strategy and content based on their needs and responses.
• SEO for Niche Keywords: Optimize your content for niche-specific keywords. These might have lower search volumes, but they’ll have less competition and higher relevance to your target audience.

9. Increase in UGC Usage

User-generated content should be a part of every content marketing strategy, yet as few as 16% of brands have a strategy for using user-generated content. Based on some of the content marketing trends mentioned in this article, it’s clear to see that UGC will be important in 2024. With the flood of AI content, content marketers

UGC is content created by customers, fans, or followers, including reviews, testimonials, photos, videos, and social media posts. This type of content resonates with audiences because it reflects real experiences and genuine enthusiasm, making it a powerful tool for building trust and loyalty. According to Stackla, 79% of people say UGC impacts their purchasing decisions highly. Not to mention that it’s free content!

You can read my other article on how to leverage user-generated content and follow some of these tips:

• Create a Hashtag Campaign: Encourage users to share their content with a specific hashtag. This not only organizes the content but also promotes sharing and visibility.
• Feature UGC on Your Platforms: Regularly feature user content on your website, social media, or other marketing channels. Acknowledging and showcasing user contributions encourages more participation.
• Hold Contests or Challenges: Engage your community with contests or challenges that prompt them to create and share content. Offer incentives that align with your brand and audience interests.
• Make it Easy and Appealing: Provide clear guidelines and make it easy for users to share their content. Explain how and where to post, and what type of content you’re looking for.
• Engage and Respond: Actively engage with the users who submit content. Like, comment, and share their posts to show appreciation and encourage further interaction.
• Ensure Legal Clarity: Always get permission before using user-generated content for your own marketing purposes. Be clear about how you intend to use the content and respect users’ rights and preferences.
• Incorporate UGC in Product Development: Show that you value user feedback by incorporating suggestions and ideas into your product development. This not only improves your offerings but also strengthens community ties.

10. Increase in Ephemeral Content

Ephemeral content is temporary content that only remains visible for a short amount of time (typically 24 hours). It then disappears and cannot be found again – examples would be Instagram Stories or Snapchat. Ephemeral content capitalizes on the “fear of missing out” (FOMO) and can significantly boost consumer engagement and brand visibility. In 2024, ephemeral content is likely to see an increase, especially as audiences prefer short-form content.

Ephemeral content, again, should be built into every content marketing strategy, especially as roughly 500 million users utilize Instagram Stories daily. Using temporary content can boost engagement, build trust, and increase awareness. For example, if you start a live stream – people will be notified, if you have a good engagement rate – your stories can appear on ‘explore’ pages, and this form of content will be separate from your other content.

Some ideas for ephemeral content could be:

• Behind-the-Scenes Content: Share glimpses of your daily operations, product creation process, or team culture. This type of content humanizes your brand and builds a deeper connection with your audience.
• Limited-Time Offers and Promotions: Create urgency with time-sensitive offers or promotions exclusive to your ephemeral content viewers.
• Interactive Polls and Q&A Sessions: Use features like polls, questions, or quizzes to encourage direct interaction and gather valuable feedback from your audience.
• User Takeovers: Allow influencers or notable figures in your industry to take over your account for a day, providing fresh content and perspectives to your audience.
• Teasers and Previews: Build anticipation for upcoming products, events, or announcements by providing sneak peeks or teasers.
• Storytelling Sequences: Craft a series of connected stories that unfold over several posts, keeping viewers hooked and coming back for more.
• Highlight Customer Stories or UGC: Feature content created by your customers or fans, showcasing their experiences with your brand and encouraging others to share their own.

11. Increase in Visual and Light-hearted Content

With the overload of AI content and people looking for ‘easy-going’ content, there’s a noticeable shift towards more visual and light-hearted content in the digital space going into 2024. Visual storytelling, combined with a light-hearted tone, has proven to be highly effective in capturing attention, enhancing message retention, and encouraging shares. For example, memes can get a 60% higher organic reach than other forms of visual content.

Light-hearted content often evokes positive emotions, making it more memorable and shareable. Content such as images, videos, infographics, and animations tend to attract more views and engagement and have a higher likelihood of being shared, expanding its reach and impact. This can also include written content, such as Tweet below from well-known fast food brands:

Some things to consider in your content marketing strategy:

• Use Relatable Humor: Incorporate humor that resonates with your audience’s experiences and preferences. Memes, witty remarks, and humorous observations about common situations can add a relatable and enjoyable element to your content.
• Embrace Visual Storytelling: Utilize tools and platforms that emphasize visual content, such as Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. Create visually rich posts, stories, and videos that tell a story or convey a message in an engaging and aesthetically pleasing manner.
• Animated Explainers and GIFs: Use animations and GIFs to explain concepts, showcase products, or simply add a dynamic and fun element to your posts.
• Interactive Visuals: Incorporate interactive elements like quizzes, polls, and sliders in your visual content to increase engagement and participation.
• User-Generated Visual Content: Encourage your audience to create and share their own light-hearted or visually appealing content related to your brand. This not only provides you with authentic material but also creates a sense of community and involvement.
• Consistent Visual Branding: While experimenting with different types of visual content, maintain consistent visual branding to ensure recognizability and cohesion across all your platforms.

12. Increased Usage of Threads

Threads is a new social platform from Meta, launched in 2023. It currently has roughly 141 million users and only took 2 days to reach 70 million users – capitalizing on people jumping ship from Twitter (now X) when Elon Musk took over. The concept is almost identical to X but offers a new and fresh platform to establish content marketing efforts.

Threads is a great platform to repurpose content and reach different audiences. The key is to interact and engage with your audience, creating an active community whilst also promoting the content you need. Simply posting content on the platform would not have as much of an effect as posting and interacting with comments and other brands.

As 2024 progresses, I expect Threads to become an established platform for content marketers and brands. Some tips:

• Plan Your Narrative: Before starting a thread, outline the main points you want to cover. Keep your audience engaged and make the thread cohesive.
• Keep It Digestible: Each post within the thread should be concise and focused. Aim to make each entry valuable on its own while contributing to the overall narrative.
• Use Visuals and Media: Enhance your threads with images, GIFs, videos, or links to add depth and interest. Visual elements can help illustrate points and break up text-heavy content.
• Encourage Interaction: Ask questions, prompt discussions, or invite feedback within your thread to increase engagement and make your audience feel involved in the story.
• Highlight Key Takeaways: Make sure each thread has clear takeaways or conclusions. Summarize the main points at the end to reinforce the message and provide value.
• Cross-Promote: Share your thread across other platforms or link to it from your website or newsletters to maximize its reach and impact.
• Monitor and Respond: Keep an eye on the responses and engage with your audience. Answering questions and participating in discussions can further increase engagement and build relationships.

13. Increased Marketing on TikTok

TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users and in the U.S. TikTok users have now passed 150 million per month. Focused on short-form video content, TikTok mainly appeals to the younger generations but is a key platform for content marketing. Since the introduction of advertising and the Creativity Beta Program on TikTok this year, I expect to see slightly longer content, more engagement, and a focus on high-quality content – making it a great platform for marketing your content.

According to various datasets, TikTok is actually the 5th highest social platform for active users, and for total users, the number continues to grow. Of course, if you plan to utilize TikTok in your content marketing strategy, you will need to create video content which can be more challenging than other forms of content.

Some tips to help you:

• Know Your Audience: Understand the demographics and interests of TikTok users. Tailor your content to appeal to the younger audience’s preferences, humor, and style.
• Embrace Visual Creativity: Utilize TikTok’s array of filters, effects, and music to create visually engaging and fun content. Don’t be afraid to experiment and let your brand’s creative side shine.
• Short and Sweet: TikTok videos are short, so get your message across quickly and engagingly. Hook viewers in the first few seconds to keep them watching.
• Hashtags and Challenges: Use relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your content. Create or participate in challenges that encourage user interaction and content creation.
• Influencer Collaborations: Partner with TikTok influencers who resonate with your target audience. Their endorsement can lend credibility and significantly expand your reach on the platform.
• Monitor Performance: Use TikTok’s analytics tools to track the performance of your content. Understand what works and refine your strategy based on user engagement and feedback.

14. Demand for High-Quality Content Will Increase

If you haven’t noticed already, there is a theme around these content marketing trends in 2024 – mainly the impact of AI. As mentioned already, the floods of AI-generated content hitting the internet will continue into 2024 and there will be an increased demand for high-quality content to combat the poor quality machine-generated content.

A worrying statistic is that 75% of marketers are using AI for basic content creation and 76% for generating copy – worrying, assuming that this content is used in its AI-generated form. There’s no denying that human written – high-quality content stands out from any form of AI content, and as more people consume content throughout 2024, it will become clear to the average Joe what is poor-quality AI content and what is high-quality content.

Some tips for creating high-quality content:

• Invest in Research: Dedicate time and resources to thoroughly research your topics. Use credible sources and provide data and statistics to back up your claims.
• Focus on Expertise: Leverage your own expertise or collaborate with experts to create content that offers genuine insights and authoritative information.
• Quality Over Quantity: While it’s important to maintain a consistent content schedule, never compromise quality for the sake of quantity. It’s better to publish less frequently but ensure each piece is valuable and well-crafted.
• Engage Professional Writers and Creators: Consider hiring professional writers, editors, and content creators who can produce high-quality content that resonates with your audience.
• Utilize Tools and Resources: Use tools for grammar checking, plagiarism detection, and SEO optimization to enhance the quality of your content.
• Gather Feedback and Iterate: Regularly gather feedback from your audience and be willing to revise and improve your content based on their responses.
• Stay Updated and Informed: Keep ahead of the latest trends, research, and developments in your field to ensure your content is current and relevant.