Content marketing 2024: Big trends to follow for better results

Content marketing is a powerful marketing tactic that can help businesses increase their visibility, generate leads and boost sales – without being ‘in your face’.

Unlike traditional marketing, which pushes products or services to targeted audiences through one-way promotion or advertising, content marketing attracts potential clients through the creation and sharing of content that is informative and useful.

It is a slower, more persuasive marketing approach that, done right, allows property and finance professionals to connect and engage with their audiences, build trust and establish credibility; it is all about reputation and relationships.

As marketing guru Seth Godin once said: “Real content marketing isn’t repurposed advertising, it is making something worth talking about.”

Top content types: What consumers want

Blogs / articles
Social media posts / campaigns
Case studies / testimonials
Videos
Infographics / images
White papers
Ebooks
Email marketing
Podcasts

How to unlock the power of content marketing

Even in the face of ever-changing digital trends, content marketing remains a vital marketing strategy for small, medium and large businesses.

This is no surprise considering the global population’s main reason for using the internet is to find information, according to the Digital 2024 Global Overview Report, jointly published by We Are Social and Meltwater. On average, internet users aged 16 to 64 spend six hours, 40 mins online each day.

Analysis contained in the Digital 2024 Australia version of the report reveals the growing importance of digital in Australia. There are now 25.21 million internet users in the country, equating to 95% of the population. This is a year-on-year increase of 1% (248,000 users). Australian internet users aged 16 to 64 spend an average of six hours, 14 minutes using the internet each day – an increase of 6.5% (22 minutes) year-on-year.

This growth offers businesses and professionals, including mortgage brokers, real estate agents, conveyancers and accountants, great opportunities to promote their offerings and engage with clients through content marketing. The key to unlocking its power, however, is to create quality content your audience wants, and then take advantage of the digital reach.

One way to get the most out of your content strategy is keeping abreast of the latest trends.

1. Working with AI

The growth of AI is possibly the biggest trend affecting content marketing. When it comes to content creation, the use of AI need not be an all or nothing approach; humans can use its abilities as a base on which to write or create the content they need. Research by search engine marketing company Semrush shows that AI can be used to:

Lay the groundwork for content writing
Enhance the quality of SEO content
Conduct SEO analysis on content created
Help marketers create niche content
Personalise content

2. Social media searches

More young people (Gen Z) are using social media to search for information instead of search engines as they get more direct, personal responses to their questions. Many also rely on social media to read reviews and garner information on specific businesses or products. According to the Digital 2024 Australia report, these are the social platforms and apps Australians spend most of their time using each month:

3. Social media shopping

Many online shopping consumers are purchasing products from businesses’ social media pages instead of their websites.

Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat have integrated shopping capabilities that allow users to buy products from business’ social media pages. Content that brings consumers to companies’ social media pages can potentially lead to sales from the same page.

4. Voice search optimisation (Voice SEO)

Voice-activated technologies – such as Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant – are becoming more popular as people seek faster and easier ways to search for information. There are currently 4.2 billion voice assistants in use, with this number expected to climb to 8.4 billion by the end of 2024, according to statistics from data reporting and analytics solutions provider Demandsage. Its analysis also reveals that:

More than one billion voice searches take place every month
Voice search assistants answer 93.7% of search queries on average
Voice search shopping is expected to cross US$40 billion (AUS $61.58bnn) this year

5. Meme marketing

A 2022 study found that 91% of respondents preferred businesses to be funny and 90% are more likely to remember ads that are. Creating topical memes is one way businesses can use humour in their content marketing strategies, thereby increasing their visibility and encouraging user interaction and engagement.

6. Interactive content

Interactive content, such as quizzes and polls, can effectively engage audiences and drive conversions. Such content makes consumers stop scrolling long enough to take part or read the results, and helps them remember you.

An added benefit is that businesses get to learn more about their consumers through their responses.

7. More video content

Video marketing statistics from WYZowl show that:

91% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service
82% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a video
89% of consumers want to see more videos from brands in 2024
87% of consumers say video quality impacts their trust in a brand

Customers will generally only buy your product when they understand what it does and how it can help them. Explainer videos will give them the information they need.

8. Podcasts

Podcasts are growing in popularity as people can listen to these audio stories while walking, driving, relaxing or carrying out daily tasks. Creating podcasts that contain useful and engaging content can help you connect with consumers.

In 2023, 43% of Australians listened to podcasts each month, according to Statista. This makes Australians the world’s most avid podcast listeners. The rate of growth in podcast listenership means that, by 2030, more than two-thirds of the country’s population could be monthly podcast users.

Content marketing: It pays to be trendy

Property and finance professionals can use the latest trends to their advantage when creating and sharing content for marketing purposes. Based on the top content market trends for 2024, businesses should consider making the following moves:

Work with AI to create and optimise marketing content
Create content suitable for social media and the platforms your target audiences are using
Optimise content for voice searches
Use humour as a way to get your name out there
Create and share interactive content
Make more videos
Create podcasts

You could call in the professionals

Good content marketing is not just about writing and sharing content; it is about creating quality, engaging content that reaches your target audience – wherever they are online – and captures their attention. Content that encourages interaction, establishes trust and helps build relationships is the foundation of any good content marketing strategy.

Hunter & Scribe specialises in copywriting and content writing for financial services and property professionals. To enhance your content marketing strategy through the creation of SEO-strong website content, social media copy and digital marketing copy, get in touch today.

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