Content is growing and expanding quickly—encompassing more formats, more depth, and more strategic focus than previously. Why?
Because content is also becoming more important to brand authority, consumer trust, and overall business growth. Here are the trends content marketers need to know for 2024.
1. “Content” doesn’t just mean the written word
It’s time to face it: “content” doesn’t just mean blog posts like it did 10 years ago. Now, the boundaries and expectations around content are changing to include all kinds of formats, such as:
- video
- social media posts
- webinars
- interactive landing pages
- presentations and slide decks
- in-person and virtual events
- podcasts
- outbound sales content
- newsletters and emails
- in-app messaging
- and more!
Of course, blog articles, white papers, original research and other written forms of content are still just as important. The main thing to remember here is that these aren’t the only types of content that today’s buyers expect.
Instead, content is being presented, distributed and repurposed in more ways than ever. Having a variety of content formats and presentations allows you to meet customers where they are: on different channels, at different stages of the buying process. What’s more: it also allows customers to learn about your business in the form that they resonate with the most.
2. Email newsletters are getting a second wind
We’re seeing the rebirth of email newsletters as we head into 2024.
Platforms like Substack and Beehiiv are paving the way. Now, it seems that everyone—from startup founders to celebrities to your next-door neighbor—are starting (and succeeding with!) email newsletters.
This is great news for content marketers.
Since email is an owned channel, your email deliverability and readership isn’t at the mercy of a social media algorithm. Instead, email is much more effective because it’s delivered directly to your audience.
And as consumers and business leaders alike create higher demand for email newsletters, your ability to reach and connect with your audience via email is growing.
Consider, for example, that over 500,000 users pay for email newsletter subscriptions on Substack. Or that Hubspot found email to be one of the top marketing channels for 2023 and beyond—even above content marketing more generally.
As we head into 2024, companies and brands who dedicate time and resources to doing email newsletters well will have access to a massive growth opportunity when it comes to content.
3. AI is top of mind for most when it comes to content
Of course, also top of mind when it comes to content in 2024 is the growth of AI.
- Will AI generators soon be writing all of our content for us?
- Are AI tools useful at all, or should they be avoided at all costs?
- Will AI kill the SEO industry?
All of these questions have been heavily debated amongst content marketers, but one thing is for sure: AI will change the nature of content in 2024 and beyond.
The problem is that relying too heavily on AI—as some teams are already doing—will create a sea of generic content that doesn’t provide much value for your audience. While AI-generated content can allow you to exponentially scale your output and provide short-term gains in metrics such as organic traffic, it doesn’t provide long-term gains such as increased engagement or conversion.
The key for content teams will be learning how to use AI effectively, rather than avoiding it, or assuming it can replace your entire staff. By using AI effectively, you can scale your processes and help your team be more efficient, without damaging your brand reputation or missing out on conversion-focused content.
4. Lead with thought leadership
As the content marketing world responds to the increasing ocean of AI-generated content, higher-quality, expert “thought leadership” content is becoming a major trend for 2024.
What exactly is thought leadership, though?
Thought leadership is content that showcases a specific perspective and expertise. It usually includes original research or first-hand experience as well.
Thought leadership offers a necessary antidote to some of the downfalls of AI-generated content. Instead of publishing generic content, you can offer a specific, unique, first-hand perspective and experience. Instead of creating ho-hum content your audience has heard a thousand times before, you can create something original that strengthens your brand authority and trust.
We expect to see even more companies invest in content that showcases their original ideas, perspectives, experiences and expertise in 2024. Need someone to help you develop thought leadership content for your brand? A content marketing agency can help you highlight and showcase your team’s expertise.
5. Search is evolving, but not going anywhere
Is SEO dead?
Marketers have been asking this for years, but the truth is that there are still an estimated 8.5 billion searches made every day on Google.
If you want some of that traffic for your own business, then SEO is a necessary element of your content marketing strategy. However, that doesn’t mean that search isn’t facing some major changes for 2024. For instance:
- Google has updated their algorithm to prioritize “EEAT” factors in ranking content. EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Content that demonstrates these factors (such as thought leadership content) will rank more highly in SERPs.
- Video is increasingly ranking higher in search than in previous years.
- Google’s “perspectives” search results are favoring videos, discussion boards, forums, social media posts, personal websites and other forms of first-person content.
- The introduction of AI into search results changes how users will search and find information, as well as how information is accessed (i.e. the rise of “zero-click content”)
SEO is still an important element in content marketing, but it is evolving as technology and internet usage changes. As a result, content teams need to understand modern SEO and adapt old playbooks for new rules. In order to prioritize and publish content effectively, teams need to write content for humans—but also understand how to reach those humans via search engines.
6. Strategy is more important to stand out
Finally, strategy is only becoming more important in 2024 for teams who want to stand out with content.
For instance, the old “spray and pray” method—publishing high volumes of content in the hopes that some of its word “stick”—may have been effective at one time. Today, the huge volume of content that already exists online means that content must be strategic to be effective.
If you don’t already have an effective, data-driven and modern content strategy in place for 2024 and beyond, a content marketing agency can help. Our team here at Red Basket serves clients in a variety of industries in developing and executing a strategy that makes sense for their audiences, as well as their internal resources, budgets and goals.
What’s your 2024 content strategy?
As we approach 2024, the content trends we’re seeing point to an expansion of the content marketing industry. Not only is content becoming deeper—more reliant on expertise, more strategic—it’s also become more varied, expanding to include videos, emails and more.
To scale up your success with content in 2024, a trusted content marketing partner, like Red Basket, can help set you leagues ahead of your competition. Working with a content marketing agency not only helps ensure you’re ahead of the trends, it can also help you:
- scale your content production to meet your goals
- create high-quality content that stands out, ranks in search and connects with your audience
- repurpose and distribute your content effectively to increase reach
- create a content strategy that drives results for your business
Our team understands content. We’re here to help you spend less time chasing content trends, and more time delivering content that achieves your goals in 2024.
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