The Evolution of Content Marketing: From Blog Posts to Podcasts and Beyond
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Key takeaways
When it comes down to it, marketers and online businesses just want to keep customers interested. It's a continually changing struggle, yet many have succeeded.?
For a variety of reasons, the work of engaging leads and internet users is fluid. However, technological advancements and constant rivalry are the most impactful.
If you want to get to the essence of content marketing, you have to go back to the 1990s. Since then, there have been several developments that have forced firms and marketing teams to alter their strategies. Massive industry shifts have compelled teams to adapt and respond to new challenges. Consumer expectations have risen, prompting platforms to provide additional avenues for connection.?
Podcasts, webinars, vlogs, blogs, and other forms of content have evolved throughout the years.?
To understand how content marketing grew into what it is now, we must go back to the early days of the internet. Looking at a few important events can help us grasp what internet consumers actually desire and what the future may hold.
Let's go back in time and see how content marketing got started.
Key events in the growth of content marketing timeline
1994 – The first banner ad
In 1994, AT&T ran the first banner ad on HotWired.com . Despite the fact that it was a simple message, it had a 44% click-through rate . The momentous event in content marketing established the precedent, demonstrating how online communications could "transport people through space and time via the Internet ." With such a high CTR, consumers were definitely enthusiastic to be a part of a conversation with the rest of the internet.
1995 – Amazon encouraged customer reviews
The discussion continued the next year, when Amazon enabled consumers to post public evaluations . People felt Bezos had taken a daring move just a year after the company's inception - users could say whatever they wished.?
However, this customer review system changed the way people purchase online and engage with the internet in general. It sparked a massive debate, maybe some of the first user-generated material ever.
Perhaps this also encouraged a level of openness from corporations, which was subsequently boosted by social media.
1996 – The first webinars
The first public web conferences were held in 1996 using Microsoft's NetMeeting software. The word "webinar" would not be coined until 1998 .
Webinar and video conference platforms such as GoToWebinar, ClickMeeting, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and others will continue to develop over the following twenty years.?
This inaugural Internet conference demonstrated consumers' desire for interconnection as well as their comprehension of the Internet as a mechanism for information sharing.
1998 – The birth of Google
Google's founding in 1998 was a turning point in the digital environment.?
The PageRank algorithm fundamentally altered the way content was classified and discovered. With Google stressing relevance, it wasn't long before businesses began to develop content with the goal of satisfying consumer demands, improving online exposure, and complying with Google's algorithm.
This move created the framework for the SEO sector, in which the pursuit of search engine rankings would become a fight for brand visibility and customer interaction. But we'll get to that later.
1999 – RSS feeds
Although it would not be widely used for some years , the introduction of RSS in 1999 marked another watershed milestone in the history of information sharing.?
RSS feeds automated the delivery of new content, allowing consumers to be notified immediately when new information was posted to websites. Users might subscribe to material and view it all in a news aggregator feed using RSS.?
Though social media has mostly superseded this phenomena, it is obvious from consumers' use of RSS that they appreciated being connected with others and the quick sharing of information.?
2000 – The launch of AdWords
Google AdWords (now Google Ads) debuted in 2000. Advertisers were able to display their advertising in the SERPs, and by 2002, they were paying per click.?
This new technology enabled content marketers to reach out to specific audiences, and consumers were accustomed to their search engines serving as a hub for commerce, news, and socialising.
2003 – The launch of WordPress?
WordPress, which debuted in 2003, made it simple for anybody to produce and publish material online. This meant that the development of blogs and other types of information became more accessible. It was simple and appealing for others to contribute.
Though this resulted in an increase in the amount of information available on the internet, it also created specialty niches for various people to identify with and enjoy. The advent of podcasts and vlogs in the next several years will enhance the need for specialist content.
2004 – The first podcasts
Ben Hammersley described the new phenomena of podcasts as "downloadable as you wish" in his 2004 Guardian piece , demonstrating how this developing material type was extremely adaptable to the customer. Podcasts for everyone, similar to the trend of specialty blogs, were available: news, comedy, and music, to mention a few.
The next year, Apple launched iTunes 4.9, which added support for podcasts, greatly expanding their reach.
2004 – The launch of GoToWebinar?
LogMeIn (now GoTo) introduced GoToWebinar, a specialised platform for hosting webinars, in 2004, making it easier for enterprises to hold large-audience online seminars.?
This breakthrough enabled users to participate in interactive sessions from anywhere in the globe, allowing for professional growth and education without regard to geography.?
Webinars quickly became the standard for personal and professional communication across the internet, paving the path for content marketing to become immersive and interactive.
2005 – The launch of YouTube
YouTube's launch in 2005 gave a venue for video content that would become one of the world's most potent content marketing platforms.?
Not only that, but the debut of YouTube established a new level of engagement by allowing viewers to interact with videos by like, commenting, and sharing.
2005 – HubSpot coins the term “inbound marketing”
HubSpot invented the phrase "inbound marketing" in 2005, arguing that supplying customers with relevant and helpful material is the best way to build long-term B2C partnerships.
In many respects, this was a counter-cultural movement away from TV advertisements and PPC, but it was certainly a successful one. We can see that customers did value relevant and helpful content from businesses, despite the fact that the online landscape has evolved dramatically since this period.?
2007 – The creation of the iPhone
The iPhone and succeeding devices popularised mobile content consumption. As a result, marketers were compelled to develop mobile tactics that provided short bursts of attention-grabbing material.
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2007 – Facebook business pages
Facebook launched business pages in 2007. These enabled businesses to develop pages to engage with their target consumers. As a result of this feature, customers could view business material in their feeds and interact with them in a public arena, establishing social media as a platform for content marketing.?
Finally, this provided corporations with a new method to directly engage with users while also raising concerns about transparency, engagement, and interactivity.
2011 – Google Panda?
Google's Panda upgrade in 2011 (and the subsequent Penguin update in 2012) significantly altered the SEO landscape. These modifications were designed to reduce the rank of low-quality sites while rewarding higher-quality sites with top positions in the SERPs.
Companies were driven to focus on generating material that was relevant, useful, and authentic by penalising low-quality content. As a result, rather than keyword stuffing, content marketing has to appeal to customers in a genuine way.
2011 – BuzzFeed becomes a sensation
BuzzFeed was ranked the 13th most popular blog in the world in 2011. Quizzes, calculators, and fashionable YouTube material were popular on the quirky news site, demonstrating the consumer's interest in interactive information.
Looking back at BuzzFeed now, we can see how internet users turned to the web for entertainment, comedy, and similar social networks. Furthermore, it was gratifying for them to be able to reply to and participate in the material itself.
2012 – Facebook buys Instagram
In 2012, Facebook paid about $1 billion for Instagram . This was an important turning point in social media history, with many believing that the acquisition will lead to Instagram being more monetized for commerce and influencer accounts.
Zuckerberg stated that they will continue to provide the "best experiences " for its consumers. However, Instagram's monetization became clear the next year. Instagram started sponsored postings in 2013. It became considerably easier for marketers to promote content and collaborate with influencers as a result of this.
As a result, influencer partnerships and native product promotion became part of content marketing.
2013 – Google Hangouts On Air?
Google's Hangouts On Air revolutionised the webinar market in 2013.?
Users may use this service to broadcast live sessions, seminars, and conferences to a huge audience for free. As a result, the webinar industry was able to reach a large audience.
With the popularity of YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram already in existence, webinars were much more niche and connected disparate areas of the internet.
2013 – Google Hummingbird?
Google also introduced the Hummingbird upgrade in 2013. Hummingbird modified the algorithm to better grasp user intent, searching for contextual implications in searches.?
As a result, SEO and content marketers have to concentrate on genuine language rather than shorter keywords.
2013 – Snapchat Stories
Snapchat's Stories introduced further modifications in 2013. This social app established a trend that was eventually copied by other platforms and became critical to content marketing tactics.
Stories represented a big shift for content marketers since they provided an entirely new method of connecting with viewers. Stories had to be timely, relevant, and even participatory because they would disappear after 24 hours.
2013 – The launch of Vine
Vine's inception in 2013 marked the beginning of short video content. The platform for six-second looping films quickly grew in popularity, especially among younger people. TikTok and Instagram Reels, which appeared much later, were undoubtedly inspired by Vine.
Because of the constrained space, the post has to be short and inventive, but most importantly, attention-grabbing.
2015 – The rise of ad blocking?
The adoption of ad blockers increased significantly in 2015. Though conventional display advertising is still utilised today, content marketing has evolved to reach people without relying on them.
2016 – Google’s mobile-first indexing
Google announced the shift to mobile-first indexing in 2016 in response to the rising usage of mobile devices. As a result, content marketers have to concentrate on mobile-friendly content while also including SEO best practises into their plans.
2017 – Voice search grows
According to the Guardian , "2017 will go down as the year voice recognition went mainstream," in a story on Amazon's Echo.?
It was at this time that content marketers began to consider optimising their content for voice search, as smart speakers and virtual assistants grew more popular.
2018 – The launch of TikTok?
TikTok's popularity skyrocketed once it was introduced to a global audience in 2018. Though the trend allowed content marketers to reach younger people, the success of short-form video content alluded to a larger trend.?
This would become obvious in the years to come, with Instagram (in 2020), YouTube (in 2021), and Facebook (in 2022) all ultimately delivering their users short video posts.
2020 – The rise of Zoom?
Zoom acquired a household brand during the epidemic, with many businesses and schools adopting the platform for webinars because of its simplicity of use and scalability.
If webinars had been on the decrease prior to the epidemic, Zoom resurrected them, reminding internet users that they may still study from home.
2022 – AI content becomes easily accessible
AI-generated content has become a commonplace term after OpenAI published GPT-3.5 in 2022. The software proved to be the most powerful language generator to date, capable of producing material with less supervision and pre-editing than earlier models.?
Furthermore, AI has been utilised to assist with e-commerce customisation and analytics, providing several opportunities to boost content marketing efforts. Though AI currently needs a large amount of human intervention, it is proving to be a huge game changer in the content marketing arena.?
Nobody knows for certain how AI will affect content marketing. Perhaps AI will free up content marketers' schedules, allowing them to develop bigger and better plans. Perhaps the popularity of AI will result in such a flood of online information that marketers will have to devise new ways to captivate people.?
Or it may put us all out of work! We'll simply have to wait and see.
What can the evolution of content marketing teach us?
Looking at the content marketing chronology, there are some important themes that appear to be most dominant and prevailing. In conclusion, internet users enjoy:
Despite the fact that the environment of content marketing has changed dramatically over the previous 30 years, these core elements persist. They appear in all types of content: blogs, vlogs, videos, Stories, podcasts, webinars, quizzes, calculators, user-generated material, and so on.?
And, whatever the future holds, these topics will remain relevant to internet users. So, regardless of how AI, voice search, and other technologies influence content marketing, these consumer values will not vanish.
Purpleplanet provides a variety of services to assist you with your content marketing and online business strategy. Contact us to discuss your requirements!