By Tanit de Pouplana, on 25 January 2024
The generation, publication, and distribution of content have proven to be highly effective for companies in consistently generating leads and increasing brand recognition. In the competitive market, especially in certain sectors, digital marketing strategies need to align with emerging trends to maintain good results in the coming year.
Hyper-Personalization and Efficiency in Content Creation Thanks To AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable tool for content creation, capable of generating blog posts, social media copy, and video scripts. While human intervention remains crucial for refinement and personalization, AI is expected to evolve, enabling the creation of increasingly personalized and targeted content. This enhances user engagement and improves the effectiveness of content-focused marketing campaigns.
Expect a rise in the use of AI-equipped tools for creating appealing content, with humans focusing on refining and personalizing it to align with the company's tone and voice—a trend known as hyper personalization.
Greater Emphasis on Immersive and Interactive Content
Immersive and interactive experiences are gaining traction, prompting more companies to create content with these features. This not only boosts traffic but also enhances audience participation and interaction, positively influencing the SERP.
Interactive content fosters a unique and memorable experience, establishing a stronger emotional connection between the brand and the audience. This approach improves information retention and understanding while catering to the audience's preference for spending more time with interactive content.
Although not entirely new, the evolution of AI and augmented reality is taking immersive and interactive content to new heights, from 360º videos to product or service trials, gaining increased importance as users seek such engaging experiences.
Leveraging First-Party Data
First-party data, acquired through various channels like campaigns, forms, and social networks, is gaining increased importance for brands. Gathering data through surveys, event attendance tracking, and monitoring interactions across channels enables the creation of personalized content aligned with audience interests.
This data-driven approach contributes to creating more personalized and targeted content, enhancing the overall effectiveness of content marketing strategies.
Embracing Longer-Format Content
Despite the prevailing trend of creating short content for entertainment, long-form content is gaining popularity, especially for informative and educational purposes across written, video, and audio formats.
Long-form content allows a deeper exploration of topics, establishing connections with the audience, educating them, and positioning the brand as an industry reference. Quality takes precedence over quantity, with well-documented and updated information ensuring user trust.
Anticipate a shift towards more informative and useful content as companies recognize the value of providing in-depth knowledge. Platforms like TikTok are adapting to this trend by allowing longer videos, up to 15 minutes.
The Ascendancy of Voice Search for Content
The surge in voice searches, driven by smart speakers and mobile devices, is influencing content marketing trends for 2024. Optimizing content for voice search involves considerations such as conversational language and long-tail keywords.
To be a reference in voice searches, websites should focus on factors like page loading speed, using long-tail keywords, incorporating frequently asked questions, and optimizing content with rich snippets.
Social Networks as a New Search Engine
Social networks are evolving into crucial channels for reaching target audiences. Users, especially younger generations, increasingly turn to social networks for information, making it essential for brands to optimize content for these platforms. However, this doesn't diminish the importance of web content for search engines like Google.
UGC Takes the Spotlight in Social Networks
User-Generated Content (UGC), including comments, videos, and images created by users, is gaining prominence. Encouraging audiences to generate content through campaigns, challenges, or contests can be achieved through hashtag campaigns, fostering an authentic connection with the audience.
UGC not only requires no financial investment from the company but also instills trust in the audience, as the opinions of fellow customers are considered more credible.
Multichannel Purpose
Consumers access content from various platforms, necessitating a presence on multiple channels. Rather than creating unique content for each platform, companies are focusing on adapting content. This requires a well-planned content calendar, a content management system (CMS), and active engagement on social networks.
In conclusion, the content marketing trends for 2024 revolve around adapting content to new technologies and changing consumer habits. Staying updated is crucial to avoid falling behind in this dynamic landscape.