How it has changed and where it is headed in the next decade

In recent years, many marketers have begun to ask, “What is the future of content marketing?” And is it worth our investment?”

I think that’s a fair question because a solid content marketing strategy is one of the best ways for a company to shape its brand identity, capture the interest of potential customers, and retain an engaged audience.

However, content marketing is constantly changing. And it definitely doesn’t look the same as it did 10 years ago.

To fully understand the evolution of marketing, we must understand where it has been and where it is going. In this post, we take a look at how content marketing has evolved over the last decade and how experts predict it will evolve in the next decade.

Table of contents

How content marketing has evolved over the last decade

Google has changed the game.

In 2011, Google completed its milestone Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) study.

It was found that 88% of buyers engage in the so-called Zero Moment of Truth – a discovery and awareness phase in a buying cycle in which a consumer researches a product before purchasing it.

Google’s research also found that word of mouth was instrumental in influencing this moment.

The study offers a unique reference point in the context of content marketing development. It captures the essence of how and why Companies had to focus on content marketing in the early 2010s.

It was tacit evidence that companies’ stories were being told online – well beyond the control of their marketing departments – and it was in their best interest to help shape those conversations.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

The ZMOT study highlighted the need for sound search engine optimization (SEO). Ranking for relevant keywords in search engines has become almost essential to strengthening a company’s online presence and surviving in consumers’ zero moments of truth.

However, this study wasn’t the only bombshell Google dropped in the early 2010s.

Around the time the study came out, Google’s search ranking algorithm changed so that “Keyword stuffing” – the practice of repeatedly loading a web page with specific keywords in an attempt to influence search engine rankings.

Since then, Google’s search engine results have shifted toward more comprehensive and relevant content.

Many companies and services like Captain words have used these algorithm changes to provide optimized articles with comprehensive research.

The change represents a continued effort by Google to provide users with positive and helpful online experiences. And that’s exactly what it did. The shift paved the way for companies to focus on producing higher quality and meaningful content.

Social media rose.

However, the development of content marketing was not exclusively linked to search engines. The meteoric rise of social media – one of the biggest disruptive trends in human history – also had a profound impact on practice.

I remember when Facebook became popular in high school.

Anyone and everyone was on the platform. As social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X became integral parts of everyday life, they presented content marketers with new challenges.

Pointed vs. passive consumption

As social media has evolved, a different way of consuming content has been popularized than through search engines. The difference boiled down to the question of “selective versus passive.”

Consumers use search engines to find content more specifically. When you use a search engine, you are generally looking for a specific answer or topic.

Social media allows users to consume content on their favorite platforms more passively. The content you see in your Facebook feed finds its way to you, not the other way around.

This trend created an incentive to create more shareable, attention-grabbing content that could be easily distributed across social media channels.

In fact, in 2024, social media is still one of the top three marketing channels with the highest ROI. It’s the first stop for many Gen Z and Millennials when looking for new products, and 31% of consumers use it to find answers to their questions.

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video made an advance.

Over the decade, videos also emerged as one of the predominant content marketing mediums, particularly among younger consumers.

As of 2024, short video content offers the highest ROI, almost 25% of marketers plan to invest more in this video format than other content marketing strategies.

Additionally, 89% of consumers report wanting to see more videos from brands.

Videos are inherently engaging. It’s generally easier to follow than blog posts, email newsletters, or eBooks. As the decade progressed, audiences grew to like it more and more. In the late 2010s, platforms like YouTube played a central role in content marketing.

Obviously, content marketing has undergone several changes in the 2010s, but as I said at the beginning of this article, the practice is not and never will be static.

There are still many changes to come, especially with the addition of artificial intelligence.

How AI is changing the future of content marketing

Love it or hate it, AI is on the rise and changing the future of content marketing.

In recent years, generative AI has found its way into marketers’ everyday workflows, promising to save time and help create better, more personalized content.

From 2024, 40% of companies have taken a proactive approach to AI and added dedicated AI experts to their marketing teams.

AI can automate marketing-related tasks.

Remember Microsoft’s Clippy, the helpful little writing assistant? I’m old enough to remember chasing Clippy around the screen.

However, if you have no idea what Clippy is because you were born after 2007, it was Microsoft’s early version of a virtual assistant designed to assist users with tasks like page layout and spelling.

Think of generative AI as the new Clippy, only better. 60% of marketers see AI as their new virtual assistant. Marketers use AI for specific tasks, such as:

• Write content.
• Write content.
• Idea and inspiration.
• Content overviews.

Using AI, marketers say they can save up to three hours on each piece of content.

AI can help your content perform better.

In our study 56% of marketers say their content created with generative AI performs better than content created without it.

There are a few reasons for this. Generative AI can help:

• Identify knowledge gaps in your content.
• Optimize your text for best SEO practices.
• Tailor your content to your brand’s tone of voice.

As AI becomes a more permanent part of marketing, it’s helpful to think of it as an intelligent tool to improve your workflow and optimize your marketing channels.

Marketers are keeping AI at arm’s length.

Although AI is changing the way marketers approach their work, they are still skeptical about integrating AI into their workflows.

Above all, 60% of marketers Those who regularly use generative AI fear that it could damage their brand’s reputation due to bias, plagiarism, or a lack of alignment with brand values.

To effectively integrate AI into marketing, marketers should avoid copying and pasting AI-generated content and claiming it as their own. It’s good practice to fact-check AI content and humanize it – not only to ensure it aligns with your brand, but also to ensure it overcomes Google’s algorithm.

In March 2024, Google began cracking down low-quality AI content.

By humanizing AI content, such as Such as rewriting in first person or adding quotes from subject matter experts, make sure you create content with your audience in mind (while reaping the time-saving benefits of AI!)

How EEAT influences the algorithm and marketing strategies

I can’t talk about the future of content marketing without mentioning EEAT. EEAT – or expertise, experience, authority and trustworthiness – is the core principle behind all of our content at HubSpot.

Google first introduced the EAT concept in 2018 and added the second E, Experience, in December 2022.

With recent changes to its algorithm, Google prefers EEAT-focused content. This means that valuable content has a higher priority in search engine results than low-quality content.

(Don’t forget that Google doesn’t like low-quality content anyway.)

Marketers are finding creative ways to ensure their content meets Google’s EEAT expectations. To achieve this, marketers are changing their strategies to include the following:

• Write blog posts in the first person perspective.
• Including quotes from subject matter experts where relevant.
• Share optimized transcripts of videos or podcasts on your blogs.
• Citing credible sources, such as: B. Studies of websites with high domain rankings.
• Creating relevant case studies and sharing these insights with your blog readers.

It’s helpful to remember that EEAT-focused content is no more difficult to create than regular content. Instead, the larger focus is on ensuring your content resonates with your audience on a deeper, more personal level.

Additionally, marketers can continue to leverage AI to create this type of content. The key is to add the human touch. Remember, this is human content powered by bots.

How content marketing will evolve in the next decade

Video content will continue to dominate.

As I mentioned earlier, at the end of the last decade, video has become one of the most important – if not the most important – media for content marketing.

There’s no sign of the trend stopping any time soon, considering short videos are currently generating the highest ROI.

56% of marketers Those who use TikTok plan to increase their investments and efforts on the platform. Additionally, 14% of marketers say they plan to try live streaming in the near future, which is available on almost every video sharing platform.

Video content is becoming more valuable.

And how canvas B2B Content Director Rachael Perrypoints out: “Video content is now positioned for massive growth, especially as video-first social platforms like TikTok continue to dominate.”

Perry says, “These days, almost everyone creates and absorbs visual content, and videos are a great way to bring your brand to life and build more personal connections with your audience.”

“Video creation used to be complex, but there are new tools that make it easier. When you understand what your audience really needs, videos can help you deliver that value in a memorable way.”

All in all, it looks like the exploration and expansion of video as a prominent medium for content marketing will continue. The priority of marketers will be to stand out, which is why over 30% Of those not currently using video in their marketing efforts, plan to incorporate it into their strategies in 2025.

This could mean highlighting the quality of the content you produce and ensuring that it:

• Attractive and contemporary.
• Well crafted and produced.
• Relevant to the viewers.

Video content opens up new opportunities for flexible brands.

CEO and co-founder of Slidebean, Jose (Caya) Cayassotold me he encourages brands to move away from the more traditional avenues of content marketing – blogging, email marketing and SEO – to create “bigger moats” around their content efforts.

He says: “(At Slidebean) we decided to bet on it YouTubeand it has become our primary source of revenue and brand awareness. Alternatively, companies like Morning Brew and Duolingo are breaking through on TikTok – but (video marketing) requires us to constantly reinvent ourselves and disrupt the status quo of typical corporate content.”

Cayasso adds: “You have to be incredibly smart and adaptable to be successful with video content – ​​even more so if you are a brand and not an individual.”

Regardless of how individual producers and companies manage to innovate in video marketing, the medium will be a mainstay in the development of content marketing in the future.

Adaptation to mobile devices will be important and new Opportunities.

As people rely more and more on their mobile devices, content marketers must adapt their marketing strategies, including adding new marketing channels. Before I explain new channels you can use, let’s discuss a proven strategy that shows no signs of success: mobile browsing.

Mobile surfing

Accordingly StatistaIn the last quarter of 2023, global mobile data traffic accounted for almost half of all web traffic.

Mobile device usage is increasing astronomically and it is in every content marketer’s best interest to keep up with this trend.

In January 2024, Google dominated the global mobile search market, generating over 95% of mobile searches. Compared to previous mobile search trends, Google’s dominance shows no signs of slowing down.

However, a mobile-friendly website will be central to successful SEO efforts. And much of the content you create must also meet these requirements.

11% of marketers say that a mobile-friendly website is a worthwhile investment of their time and effort. Blogs should be easy to navigate on smartphones. If they are not accessible, the bounce rate will be higher, which means you will lose your audience.

Having easily accessible video content that your audience can watch on mobile devices is also a big help. Prospects and customers need to be able to get as much out of your mobile resources as they do your desktop resources.

Mobile messaging

Smartphones are not just for surfing the Internet or watching short videos.

Some people actually use them for their intended purpose – calling and messaging.

As content marketing shifts to short-form content, mobile messaging is becoming a valuable marketing channel.

The majority of marketers already use messaging as part of their marketing strategies. In fact, 87% of marketers plan to continue or increase their investment in mobile messaging through channels like SMS, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

Of marketers who integrate messaging into their strategies, 10% say it is one of the biggest drivers of their ROI.

So how can you use mobile messaging to drive more attention to your content? Simply. With Messaging you can:

• Send images or short videos to engage your audience.
• Send short links that direct your recipients to a new blog post on your website.
• Create a messaging campaign sequence to promote your long-form content.

Virtual and augmented reality

This shift towards mobile devices will also open up new opportunities through new types of media. Newer mobile technologies – like virtual and augmented reality – will have a very real place in the future of content marketing.

Virtual and augmented reality offer your audience an immersive 3D experience. For example, Amazon, Wayfair and Ikea are currently using virtual and augmented reality to show users how furniture fits into their living spaces.

You can also use virtual and augmented reality to provide a unique storytelling experience. As your audience interacts with the interactive content, they learn more about your brand and how it can benefit them.

Although virtual and augmented reality are not yet mainstream marketing strategies, there is a real chance that they will become powerful marketing strategies in the future with the help of AI.

Successful content will be more empathetic, targeted and customer-focused.

Google’s ranking algorithm aims to prioritize the content that means the most to searchers. By Google’s standards, the top-ranking search result for any keyword is ideally the one that best matches users’ search queries. And in all likelihood, they will continue to tinker with their process to pursue that interest.

While there’s no telling exactly how the algorithm will change in the future, one fact remains: marketers need to focus on quality content that resonates with consumers. This means you need to understand your audience and put significant effort into how best to reach them.

Create content with your audience in mind.

As HubSpot Senior Content Strategist Amanda Zantal Wiener sums it up: “I see a trend reversal in content, especially in the area of ​​empathy.

In the coming years, marketers will begin to create more content that is truly created with the mindset of putting themselves in the shoes of others – be they their customers, prospects, partners, or someone else in their audience.”

She adds: “They will ask questions like: ‘What does my audience need from me right now? What can I create that will really help them?’ This becomes a requirement for marketers as they begin brainstorming content.”

Your content should be helpful and not so much advertising.

Content marketing is more about audience enrichment than product promotion.

If this turnaround holds true, content marketing will continue to become more focused, focused, and customer-centric as the practice evolves.

Like Katelyn Seese, Content strategist at Blue frogputs it succinctly: “Content marketing has the power to create real connections with your audience and educate them about the value of your brand beyond your services, products or offerings.

Consumers today care much more about the who and why of your brand than just what you do. Understanding who your audience is and why they need your brand is key to creating meaningful content that truly resonates with your audience.”

Of course, creating content isn’t easy. Luckily, Kim Giroux, marketing director at Nice.aibelieves the future will include an increase in tools designed to help your writers create content And Design.

Humanize your content.

Giroux told me: “Over the next decade, content creation will be automated with tools based on artificial intelligence and natural language processing.

The widespread adoption of such tools allows marketers to create high-quality content in a fraction of the time. At the same time, integrations will simplify tech stacks and end-user experiences. Professionals no longer need to understand complex tools, while workflows and team collaboration work seamlessly.”

She adds, “With automation the norm in content creation tools, designing or branding content such as presentations, infographics, blog posts, and white papers will be effortless.”

“The days of spending hours formatting and integrating brand elements and design principles into every piece of content will be long gone. “Using smart technology, visually appealing, branded promotional materials can be created instantly, freeing marketers’ brain power to focus solely on the messaging and strategy behind a brand.”

Pro tip: AI content is good, but often not great. To create AI-generated content that resonates with your audience, you need to humanize it.

As AI becomes more popular, humanizing AI-generated content will continue to become the norm.

Personalize it.

In addition to humanizing your content, personalization continues to become an important trend in content marketing. Over the last decade, we’ve seen the power of personalizing marketing efforts based on individual audiences.

In fact, it was marketers who wanted to offer their customers a more personalized experience 215% are more likely to say their 2023 marketing strategy was very effective compared to marketers who forego personalization.

With new AI tools that can provide real-time insights into how audiences are interacting with content, brands can quickly personalize it to create a more meaningful connection. AI tools can help:

• Change CTAs based on user profiles.
• Recommend related content based on user interactions.
• Improve static websites and make them more dynamic and interactive.

Historical optimization is becoming increasingly important.

Accordingly StatistaThe most difficult aspect of an SEO expert’s job is developing an effective content strategy. Your content strategy shouldn’t just be about producing new content and then calling it done.

Instead, Basha Coleman, marketing manager for historical optimization at HubSpot, believes the future of content marketing will include increased awareness and commitment to historical optimization.

She says: “As we enter an era where competitive content appears every minute, content teams will find that it’s worth getting more value out of every minute they spend on content development.”

Coleman adds: “This means existing material, updated with new data and trends, can compete with brand new content on the same topic while spending less time and resources creating it.”

If you haven’t already, consider investing in a strong optimization strategy for 2025 and beyond. This helps you consistently create relevant and high-ranking content without constantly starting from scratch and is a crucial SEO tactic for maintaining authority in the SERPs.

Marketers will use more interactive content on their websites.

Today, consumers are interested in easy-to-understand, interactive content.

This is why interactive content like a quiz or calculator is more engaging than static media 14% of marketers plan to add it to their arsenal.

To meet your audience’s needs, consider how you could implement more interactive content that breaks up long sections of text and gives the viewer an alternative method of consuming content.

As Vice President of Marketing Trustworthy Health Jill Callan explains: “As the average attention span shrinks to less than that of a goldfish, brands can no longer afford to have one-sided conversations with their audiences.”

Callan says: “Interactive content on your website or blog can help engage visitors and make complex information easy to understand.

“At my company, Trusted Health, we have used this approach to engage our nursing audience with things like our salary calculator, which helps nurses get detailed information on salaries and cost of living for each state. The best part? Creating contextual user experiences doesn’t have to consume valuable product or engineering resources.”

If you’re not sure how to get started, you’re in luck. Callan gave me three tips to kick-start your interactive content journey:

• Integrate an ROI calculator on your website to show potential customers how you can save them money. An interactive tool immediately shows the value of your product instead of relying on text-heavy copy to explain it.
• Crowdsourcing product innovation. Reach out to your brand advocates and loyal customers to learn about their pain points and product wish lists. Use these insights to create a product roadmap.
• Create a quiz. Not only are quizzes a great way to engage visitors, but they also give you a better understanding of your audience so you can create more targeted campaigns in the future.

Customer pickup Data will change.

The way we use cookies and other advertising tracking tools will change dramatically over the next decade. Marketers must continue to prioritize the security of their prospects and customers’ data or risk losing the trust of their consumers.

From 2024, 81% of marketers rely on third-party data to inform their marketing strategies. However, as more consumers want to protect their private data, marketers must find more creative ways to support their marketing efforts without third-party data.

There are three other ways for marketers to collect data from consumers without risking security breaches. These are:

• Zero-party data.
• First-party data.
• Targeted social media ads.

Let’s take a closer look at these alternatives to third-party data collection.

Zero-party data.

Zero-party data This is data that is voluntarily collected from customers in exchange for something of value. Zero-party data goes beyond collecting contact information. Instead, the following is recorded:

• Personal context.
• interests.
• Preferences.

This type of data is insights that consumers willingly share, such as survey responses or feedback. In return, prospects and customers can expect a more personalized consumer experience.

As Senior Director of Marketing at Microsoft Advertising, John Cosleytold me:

“Zero-party data is the foundation for a relationship based on trust and exchange of values. For consumers, it promises a more personalized and relevant experience with brands. In return, brands and companies receive better insights and a longer-term relationship.”

By using zero-party data, you can build trust between your brand and its consumers while ensuring you provide your customers with the most personalized content possible.

As other types of data collection – including third-party cookies – are phased out, marketers will move to zero-party data over the next decade.

First-party data.

While zero-party data is information that a customer provides themselves, first-party data provides deeper insight into how the customer interacts with your brand and its marketing channels. First-party data includes insights into:

• Purchase history.
• Demographic information.
• Online Chat Transcripts.
• Social media interactions.

25% of marketers plan to collect first-party data from their customers, particularly from interactions customers have with their email campaigns.

Bounce rates, open rates, and click-through rates can be a good indicator of how well your recipients are responding to your marketing efforts.

Relying less on third-party data and more on your customers’ interactions will help you create better marketing campaigns and help build stronger relationships with your customers.

Targeted social media ads.

25% of marketers plan to analyze engagement with targeted social media ads to inform their next marketing and retargeting campaigns.

Retargeting is crucial for marketers who want to continue to capture interest from users who have already shown interest in their brands. By analyzing how they interact with ads, marketers can find better ways to customize campaigns without having to collect sensitive personal data.

As the decade progresses and more marketers and consumers become more protective of their data, marketers will need to find new angles and creative uses for the information at their disposal without relying on third-party data collection.

Content marketing is constantly evolving

If there’s one thing you can take away from understanding content marketing’s past and future developments, it’s this: Don’t get too comfortable.

New trends and challenges are constantly emerging, and it is always in your best interest to stay up to date on them.

And most importantly, focus on consistently creating high-quality content that your audience can always get something out of.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for completeness.