11 Top Content Marketing Trends to Know About
The Gist
- AI-driven experimentation. Marketers will use AI agents to streamline content creation and free up teams for high-level tasks.
- Visual content growth. The rise of AI tools will fuel more high-quality visual and video content.
- Evolving search behavior. Content discovery is expanding beyond Google to platforms like TikTok and AI tools.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include new data and information.
Content marketing is often the heart of B2B marketing strategy. It is the best way to share messaging about the value of a service, product or software solution. And, content marketing changes as technological changes arrive.
No arrival is as massive as the arrival of GenAI. AI solutions have ushered in new ways to combine content from different media as a means to retain customer interest. But the path of that consideration has been straightforward as new media strategy dynamics have emerged.
Content is meant to offer information and messages within a variety of media — written content, video, images, audio. The type of media can vary from file type (.pdf, .mp4, etc.) and by media type such as memes, infographics and more. By offering information in various formats, businesses have a better chance to attract customers.
For years, content was mainly static media — only a limited number of formats and element changes were possible in a given task. With AI incorporated into platform and software features, more programmatic and dynamic delivery of that media is now a reality. As a result, marketers face a broader set of choices that influence how customer experiences are delivered.
11 Top Content Marketing Trends to Watch
To understand what dynamics are in store for 2025, let’s look at what content marketing trends and concepts are emerging that are gaining customer interest — and enticing marketing budget decisions.
1. Searching for Content Is Happening Everywhere
Consumers’ first search alternative to Google came as an Amazon website, where customers searched for a variety of products. Next came TikTok as a search engine for video content. Now, early AI adopters are learning how to use AI as a search engine. All of this reflects how content discovery has grown beyond the days of Google vs. Bing.
The search behavior has led to longer time spent with media, namely video. On TikTok, for example, adults are spending a longer time watching videos — averaging approximately 55 minutes per day, according to Emarketer. This is five minutes longer than the average for YouTube, although YouTube does have twice as many US users (237.4 million vs 102.3 million on TikTok). The video-watching behaviors reflect a significant engagement shift — people are treating video as a preferred content consumption choice.
Despite the variety of starting points for discovering content, marketers are realizing that strengthening their online search profile still plays a key role in how many customers explore online.
For example, people are turning to GenAI tools, yet GenAI-powered search queries the same website pages as traditional search engines, summarizing the results and referencing the URL in many instances. From Google’s GSE to OpenAI’s eliminating the timeframe limitation in the training of ChatGPT, marketers realize that their content’s discovery is more vital than ever to attract potential customers.
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers should reevaluate SEO campaigns that involve their strategic content, particularly with video. They must launch with strategies that incorporate where customer search behavior and content discovery are forming. This means updating organic and branded search tactics, from outbound links to target keywords.
Related Article: Master Your B2B Content Strategy Like a Pro
2. Marketers Will Use AI Agents to Advance Content Experimentation
AI has reinvigorated how content is crafted. Yet more content is stored across different repositories.
This is where AI agents are helpful. These are multiple AI agents coordinated on several computing platforms to complete a task.
AI agents can help brand managers sync personalized content more readily. AI agents that can pull content from different repositories when crafting content will help marketers with media planning, media operations and content creation. The end benefit is a freer content marketing team that can focus on higher-level tasks.
Many AI agents can also manage the scale of content production. Ann Handley, CCO at MarketingProfs, and author of “Everybody Writes,” noted aspects of the content lifecycle changing because of the scaling potential. In a Sitecore webinar, she highlighted a troubled mindset of producing more content. “I don’t think creating more and more content has ever been the answer,” she explained. “In a world where we have AI increasing our efficiency, it is incumbent on all of us to take a more measured and responsible approach to AI implementation.”
What Marketers Should Expect
Expect marketer experimentation with AI to turn towards managing AI agents, as the lifecycle of content produced is managed across more platforms. The opportunity to use agents will feel as chaotic as it did in 2024, but it also holds promise for better identification and adjustment of systematic content creation that frees employees up along the content production chain.
3. You Should Expect More Visual Content
Professionals from across many domains were speechless when the first AI-generated images were shared online. Though they contained some inaccurate details — such as how many fingers were on a hand — the images ushered phenomenal interest in forming new visual images.
The rise of video generation tools has provided better response accuracy and more customization. MidJourney users, for example, create high-quality imagery using AI image and video generation tools designed to let you export videos that can run well on small or large screens, explore various color and image combinations and select the preferred viewpoint of an image subject.
What Marketers Should Expect
With AI-enhanced features permitting better quality synthesization of content into a desired output, marketers should expect to audit the results to ensure that brand messaging objectives are being met. Assessing how AI-generated content aligns with brand and consumer messaging can indicate messaging issues before presenting the image to customers.
4. Platform Audience Changes Will Impact Influencer and Marketer Choices
I noted last year a potential trend of users selecting platforms based on their media preferences. That trend is accelerating. Users are fleeing platform X to join federated social media platforms they feel are better moderated and less susceptible to misinformation.
This means brands need to assess where influencers are operating against current audience interests instead of past behavior. Doing so can protect investment in content being aimed at the wrong audience and ensure that the voice of a brand remains authentic.
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers should remain aware of how well influencers best match their intended audience so that messaging stays aligned to brand objectives. Influencers should be more alert in assisting with content meant to stir meaningful conversations and customer interest.
Related Article: Crafting a Video Content Strategy for Greater Social Media Impact
5. Consumers Will Want More Comfort and Reminder Content
Over the years, social media has taught marketers to plan messages meant to drive app downloads or rewards program membership. Marketers realize now that content must also communicate why customers should continue their subscription or purchase more from an app. To deliver an immersive consumer experience, marketers, particularly retailers, are integrating digital tools into the execution of marketing strategies, be it registrations at business conferences or more in-store purchases.
As a result, content that reminds customers of brand benefits are increasingly appearing in social media feeds, comforting customers as they remind them of how a given brand benefits them. Chain Store Age reported how coupon and retail app usage rising in an attempt to reduce churning.
Ivana Taylor, founder of marketing consultancy DIY Marketers, noted how businesses of all sizes are seeking to reassure customers.
“Recognize that customers are seeking solace in these stressful times; they’re on social media not just browsing, but actively seeking products and services that offer value, comfort and a sense of understanding. Leverage your social media presence to be a beacon of positivity and purpose, undersell the hard pitch and, instead, focus on showcasing how your offerings enrich lives, align with customer values and create a stress-free experience.”
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers will see more content campaigns that leverage more personalized communication without seeming to be over-intimate and intrusive. This allows for a more comforting tone while maintaining a directness essential for personalized messaging and service. No-code/Low-code applications will make content creation easier, especially one infused with AI in their backend.
6. Content Must Continue to Prioritize Brand Safety
Protecting brand safety has always been a priority among marketers. The broad access to AI-based content creation tools has unleashed the ability of uninformed people to more questionable content.
The one silver lining for marketers worried about misinformation is that it did not flourish on social media platforms as much as expected. Meta reported that AI-generated content made up only a fraction of election-related misinformation that was caught and labeled by its fact-checkers.
However, social media remains the primary choice people use to share content, reflecting the intersection of communication and technology. Because they are public platforms, they remain the most vulnerable way a brand message can be mixed into misinformation messaging.
Several required steps before posting are in place, such as YouTube requiring AI-generated content on its platform to be labeled to ensure users can distinguish real content from fake content that is potentially used to spread misinformation.
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers should remain very alert to platform news regarding content moderation. With AI being rapidly ingrained into content creation tools, a distinction for real content becomes paramount to ensuring that a message is genuine and that brand safety is upheld.
7. Marketers Should Prioritize Content That Gains Audience, Not Just Goes Viral
Marketers have sought content that can carry a message, but they also know that more nuanced content selection must buoy campaign messages that truly connect with people.
Rajsheda “Rocki” Griffin, a social media strategist who started a successful Clubhouse community and social media consultation called Social with Rocki, posits that going viral may not yield meaningful results for a campaign objective or KPI (key performance indicator) target.
“A business owner will rarely have a viral video that is specific to the business,” she explained. “Most businesses post inspirational content, motivational quotes and moments or behind-the-scenes content that does not lead to a sale. As an agency, I’ve had one client go viral with 5.5 million views and her business exploded with her ideal customers and clients because the video was a representation of her brand. I have gone viral at 1.4m views from an inspiration post and gained only 70 followers, no sales and no increase in engagement for the other posts in my feed…
“Be mindful of the chase for virality as it may lead to a waste of time that could be used to develop a marketing and content strategy that will grow your business, sales and awareness.”
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers should plan content that elaborates on long-term customer interests, such as brand mission and customer experiences with products or services. If customers value a brand because of its stance on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) — which many reports have indicated company rollbacks on promised programs — then the brand should produce content demonstrating how its DEI commitment stands out. Effective storytelling through content strengthens brand messaging.
Related Article: Can AI Transform Your Digital Content Strategy?
8. New Tech and Multimodal Content Will Enhance Messaging
AI expansion into devices will mean more opportunities to experiment with how content can be processed with AI. Processor chips designed to accommodate AI are being introduced into laptops, such as Apple’s M4 Macbooks. Meanwhile, open-source development software allows large language models (LLMs) to run locally, making it more convenient to explore chatbot and assistant performance. These innovations mean marketers will have ways to combine multiple content types into engaging customer experiences that will feel personalized in messaging.
Not every strategy will take off — only the ones that craft good inclusive messaging. Juntae Delane of Digital Delane, for example, cautioned that, despite growing interest in augmented and virtual reality to create captivating customer experiences, challenges remain in gaining an audience amidst the constant stream of information.
Delane explained, “Marketers will need to master the art of crafting compelling, concise narratives that captivate their audience’s interest… marketers must combine advanced technology with effective content strategies. By doing so, brands can create a customer experience that goes beyond mere engagement and becomes truly unforgettable.”
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers should watch how consumer and industry trends will further evolve from the past year. The first consumer devices will be expensive, like Apple’s Vision Pro, a virtual reality headset priced at $3499. But platforms and apps that leverage device features for better customer experience are starting to emerge.
For example, TikTok has an enhanced app experience for viewers on tablets and foldable devices. The changes address people watching longer videos, creating new opportunities for landscape or portrait-oriented content.
9. Content Spotlight Will Turn to Podcasting, Thanks to AI
Podcasting has been building audiences for a while. That trend is being confirmed through building advertising interest as well. Emarketer reported that podcast ad spending is increasing, with US podcast ad spending reaching $2.28 billion this year. The ad spend is a 15.9% increase over 2023. Furthermore, communities around podcasts are forming, offering a new potential viable audience that marketers can connect with.
To meet that budding demand, a few launched AI tools have incorporated more multimodal content creation features. Most notable is Google’s Notebook AI, a cloud-based notebook similar to Notion and Evernote, which uses AI to craft audio conversations from text that can be used for podcasts.
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers should note how their AI content tools ease content creation for podcasts. The tools should allow users to simplify podcast production, which in turn creates more opportunities to sell advertising spots.
10. You’ll See a Rise of Bespoke AI Agents to Manage Content
The most prominent AI solutions launched productivity features, ranging from mini-agents, such as CustomGPT and Gemini Gems, to management features like Claude Projects. All of these are designed to streamline repeated content creation tasks ranging from adding your own content to simplifying element changes.
What Marketers Should Expect
Marketers should examine their workflow after incorporating these bespoke solutions to see how they provide value for content creation. For example, marketers can periodically note whether Gemini Gems usage is really enhancing brainstorming for video concepts and saving time for crafting videos.
Marketers should also brush up on understanding how these agents and features work along with prompts and responses. This means developing familiarity with prompting techniques such as Chain of Thought and other reasoning techniques emerging from AI usage. The prompt instructions for these agents can incorporate these techniques as rules, resulting in a better control of content personalization that matches customer segmentation.
Marketers should also manage subscriptions as many of these tools have been made available within the paid tiers of AI platforms. AI solutions can sometimes have a steeper tier pricing than what customers have seen from past online subscriptions for software.
11. Marketers Will Explore Prompt Practices to Excite Customers
CMSWire’s State of the Digital Customer Experience report noted how the rush to AI-based content will bring marketers new ideas and reimagined best practices. The same rush will encourage marketers to explore prompts that can repeatedly deliver useful content.
The prompt techniques can be learned at marketing and tech conferences, enhancing other marketing concepts learned. Kelly Stewart, a marketer whom I met at Content Marketing World in 2023, explained how “joy-based marketing” resonated with her. “It comes from forging an authentic connection with your audience by talking ‘to’ them, not ‘at’ them.”
What Marketers Should Expect
Look for webinars and conference sessions that elaborate on the most recent prompt techniques. Many conferences have adjusted their session schedules to include AI prompt and creation techniques. Good sessions will center on techniques backed by research or a published white paper, so take advantage of these opportunities.
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