Content marketing trends examined — is content still king?

‍🕑 5 min read

If you are cutting corners with your content.

Then do not worry. Bill Gates' famous 1996 essay "Content is King" no longer seems to hold true.

These days, everyone creates tons of content. That shapes the content marketing trends of today. And when Bill said it, there was still very little content to be found on the web.

To succeed, content is making the shift to high-quality, unique content that adds value for your target audience.

The New Approach is Testing, Iterating and Scaling Up

Round 1. Brainstorm with ideation

Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing and communicating new ideas.

This is what I discussed with my team:

Input statement: is content still king?
Feedback: brainstorm a better title
Output: Content Marketing Trends under the microscope. Is content still king?

Outcome: the audience will think something along the lines of “Why is content no longer king? What kind of trend is this?”

Next, I did a little research in Google's search results around content is king. It did not take long, maybe 15 minutes, 20 at most. 

Then I decided to make something of it.

Round 2. Creating short-form content

Our attention spans keep getting shorter. And that is a fact.

Next, I move on to creating short-form content:

Short-form content is concise, impactful information that can be consumed quickly, often in under 60 seconds or anything from a few hundred to 1,000 words in a blog post. Think of short videos, catchy social media posts, concise blog articles, infographics and mini podcasts.

It is like an espresso shot in content marketing: small but powerful.

And why is it so effective?

Short-form content increases audience engagement, is easy to digest and remember and fits perfectly with scrolling behaviour on smartphones and tablets. It is also ideal for social media and can be produced quickly.

A practical example for a blog post:

"5 Tips for a Perfect Espresso in 30 Seconds"

1. Choose fresh, quality beans
2. Grind the beans just before use
3. Use the right water-to-coffee ratio
4. Watch the water temperature (90-96°C)
5. Get the extraction time right (25-30 seconds)
   

Round 3. Creating long-form content 

Only once the short-form content resonates do I move on to creating long-form content. 

Unlike short-form content, long-form content focuses on in-depth, comprehensive information. It is like a full dinner instead of a quick espresso. 

Long-form content usually consists of articles, blog posts or videos of more than 1,000 words or longer than 10 minutes. This gives you room for thorough analyses, detailed explanations and extensive examples.

This type of content is ideal for building authority, improving SEO and offering added value to your target audience. 

Why choose long-form content? 

It lets you cover complex topics fully, build deep relationships with your audience and show your expertise. Search engines also often value comprehensive, quality content.

A practical example for a blog post:

"The Ultimate Guide to Making the Perfect Espresso: From Bean to Cup"

1. Introduction: the history and culture of espresso
2. Selecting coffee beans: varieties, origin and roasting
3. The art of grinding: techniques and equipment
4. Water: the importance of quality and temperature
5. Espresso machines: types and how to use them
6. The extraction process: timing, pressure and techniques
7. Troubleshooting: common problems and solutions
8. Variations: from ristretto to lungo
9. Conclusion: your path to the perfect espresso

Made for those who want to dive deeper into the subject.

Keep unnecessary pressure off your website

Still in doubt? Google's E-E-A-T guidelines (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) can then affect a website that consists mostly of poor content.

So show your own experience. Share your personal insights and case studies.

The 80/20 rule of content marketing

Now you have your content ready. The next step is promotion.

The 80/20 rule is a well-known one. Spend 20% of your resources on content creation and 80% on promotion. 

Yet this is still overlooked far too often.

With more than 600 million blogs and 70 million new WordPress posts a month, visibility is a challenge. Between 2021 and March 2022, newer platforms such as Webflow also gained more than 450,000 new websites.  

Of course you can use AI. At zoekmachinespecialist.com we mainly use AI for research and for help with good titles and meta descriptions, for example. You can also write with AI, but it needs a fair amount of editing, because the quality simply falls short.

Also stop writing the same “reheated leftovers” content, which has been repeated, chewed over and regurgitated so often. Have someone review everything before you publish it. With content creation and AI, you want to stick to the 60/40 rule, so create about 60% with AI and edit 40% yourself.

What you can do yourself

Update your content: Wikipedia's constant presence in search results is no coincidence. Regular updates keep your content relevant and appealing to readers and search engines alike.

Blog regularly: 44% of bloggers publish 3 to 6 times a month. The more, the better, but always make sure the quality is there.

Send emails: besides creating your content, share it via email too. 

Post on LinkedIn: share your content on LinkedIn too, where suitable. There are more channels you can use. These are a few of our favourites at zoekmachinespecialist.com.

Questions about Content Marketing Trends

How often should I publish new content?

Quality comes before quantity. Focus on creating valuable content, even if that means publishing less often. A consistent schedule of 3-6 times a month is a good starting point.

Is AI-generated content bad for SEO?

Not necessarily, but pure AI content often performs less well. Use AI as a tool for research and generating ideas, but let people refine and personalise the content.

How long does it take before I see results from my content marketing efforts?

It varies, but expect 3-6 months before you see significant results. Consistency and quality are key to long-term success.

Which content formats are most effective?

Video keeps growing in popularity, especially short-form content. Interactive content, podcasts and long-form articles also remain very effective, depending on your target audience and niche.

How can I make my content perform better in search engines?

Focus on E-E-A-T, create in-depth, original content, optimise for relevant keywords and make sure you have a solid technical SEO foundation. Regularly updating existing content is also important.