Marketing strategies are ever-changing, and staying up to date with trends and changes is one of the best ways to stay relevant to your audience. In this blog, we’ll explore what to expect as content marketing continues to evolve throughout 2024.

What is Content Marketing? 

Content marketing encompasses the creation and dissemination of various types of content, such as articles, videos, social media posts, and emails. Its purpose is to educate, promote, and raise awareness about your offerings to an engaged audience.

Differing from traditional outbound methods, content marketing is an inbound strategy. It aims to craft content that naturally attracts an audience interested in specific products or services.

Given the ever-increasing volume of online content, it’s crucial to develop material that resonates with and engages your audience.

Next, we’ll explore key content marketing trends from this year, providing insights for effective planning in 2024.

What’s Next in Content Marketing for 2024

As we transition into 2024, our focus shifts to prospective developments in content marketing that build on the foundations established in 2023. We expect these trends to grow and change as they adapt to new technologies and changes in consumer behavior. Let’s dive into what we expect from content marketing in 2024.

Generative AI as Marketing Assistant

This year, the emergence of generative AI, particularly ChatGPT, has taken center stage in the digital marketing landscape.

In 2023, we saw that ChatGPT has helped assist marketers in content idea generation. As more marketers become more comfortable using generative AI, ChatGPT and Bard will become essential tools for generating content marketing ideas and helping teams produce more high-quality content with the same resources.

One exciting area for generative AI is its ability to integrate into a chatbot. Automated chatbots aren’t new; brands have been using them for years, but ChatGPT’s ability to understand natural language and respond in real-time creates more satisfying experiences than traditional chatbots using a handful of pre-written canned responses. This technology gives website visitors access to a virtually limitless stream of brand-related content. From answering simple questions to having in-depth conversations about your products, the possibilities for using generative AI for more human-like chatbot systems are endless.

The Power of Influencer Marketing 

Consumers are now more likely to purchase from a brand if they feel a personal connection to the brand. One of the ways brands have built that connection with consumers is through influencer marketing. 

With influencer marketing, brands use individuals; this could be famous personalities like professional athletes and actors or individuals with a strong enough following on social platforms to promote their products. The goal of influencer marketing is to use individuals that consumers trust or can relate with, to market a brand’s products or services in a more “authentic” way. 

According to a study conducted by Deloitte in 2023, “40% say they are more likely to purchase a product after they watch a creator review it.” In addition, “nearly half of the consumers surveyed said that if an online creator they trust has reviewed a brand’s product, they are more likely to trust that brand.”

Moving forward, influencer marketing is projected to remain a powerful marketing strategy. According to Sprout Social, brands expect to “spend $7.14 billion on influencer marketing domestically in 2024,” a substantial increase from $6.16 billion in 2023.

The Continued Dominance of Email Marketing

Despite the near-constant pronouncements about the death of email over the years, email continues to be a powerful content marketing tool and sales driver. According to a consumer trends report by Marigold, “over half of consumers (52%) purchased a product directly as a result of an email they received. This is also reported to be a 4% increase compared to 2022.” 

This year, email marketing has proven to be a highly effective marketing tool when done strategically. This goes beyond blasting and sending occasional newsletters. A good email marketing strategy has a clear subject line, a solid call to action, and updates customer preferences so that they receive content they are interested in. 

Customers have very noisy inboxes, with the average customer receiving about 100 – 120 emails daily. With such a high volume of emails being sent everyday, you need to offer something more valuable than your competitors and give your customers a better experience. 

Effective content marketing in the context of email emphasizes clear subject lines, compelling calls to action, thoughtful segmentation, and, most importantly, tailored content to cut through the clutter. Because of the level of personalization that’s possible, email is your opportunity to show your customers how thoughtful your content can be.

As we look ahead into 2024 and beyond, the landscape of content marketing continues to evolve, driven by innovative technologies and changing consumer behaviors. The integration of generative AI into content creation and customer interaction marks a new era of personalization and efficient content production strategies.

Fundamentally, the key takeaway for marketers is the need to embrace these changes. We have to adapt to these new technologies while maintaining a focus on creating content that genuinely resonates with and adds value to our audiences. 

As we navigate through 2024, the most successful content strategies will seamlessly blend technological advancements with an authentic, consumer-centric approach.