Blog · Marketing strategy
We first wrote about these trends heading into 2024. Here is a look back at the ones that have held up and how we would approach them now. By Kellie Lee Stewart, Founder.
The content marketing ideas that have lasted are the practical ones: be useful, be consistent, show real expertise and make content easy to find and act on. Tools and platforms change quickly, but the basics of understanding your audience and answering their questions do not.
This post began life as a list of trends to watch for 2024. Looking back, a few of those ideas have faded, but several have proved their worth. Rather than predict what is next, here is what we have actually seen work, and how to apply it in a small business.
Quizzes, calculators, polls and checklists turn a passive reader into a participant. They work best when they solve a real problem, such as helping someone estimate a cost or work out what they need. We use this approach ourselves with our Google Ads lead cost calculator. The lesson is to build something genuinely useful rather than a gimmick.
People respond to real stories more than polished slogans. Show the job you finished, the problem you solved, the people behind the business. Keep your tone consistent across platforms and use real photos and video rather than stock images where you can. Authenticity is difficult to fake and easy to spot.
Tailoring content to different audiences is still sensible. A homeowner and a commercial buyer want different information, and your content should reflect that. Technology can help sort and speed up the work, but we do not believe in handing content or ad accounts over to automation and leaving them. A person should review what goes out, and check how it is performing every week.
Short, clear videos are now a normal way to show what you do. They do not need to be expensive. A phone, good light and a clear message go a long way, and the same clip can be reused on your website, social channels and adverts.
The most reliable way to plan content is to start with the questions your customers actually ask. Look at your enquiries, your calls and your search data, then write pages that answer those questions directly. This helps in traditional search and in AI-generated answers, which prefer clear, trustworthy sources.
Search engines and readers both reward experience that is visible. Case studies, named authors, clear explanations of how you work and honest advice all build trust. Wherever possible, use your own results and your own words. For example, one of our clients, K2 Car Removal, went from 126 to 266 Google Ads leads a quarter comparing July to September 2025 with the same period in 2026, and the work behind it was a mix of ads, landing pages and tidy tracking.
Publishing more is not the same as publishing better. A smaller number of properly researched, well-presented pieces usually beats a stream of thin posts. Revisit older content too, because updating a page that already ranks can be more effective than writing a new one.
One strong idea can become a blog post, a short video, a social carousel, an email and an FAQ section. Plan content in a way that lets you reuse it across channels, saving time and keeping your message consistent.
Real customer feedback is among the most persuasive content you can have. Ask for reviews, respond to them, and use real quotes with permission. Never invent them.
Likes and views are pleasant, but enquiries, calls and sales are the real measure. Decide upfront what success means for each piece, and track it. If something is not working after a fair trial, change it.
If you are short on time, start with two things: answer your customers’ top questions on your website, and show real examples of your work. Then build from there. We can help with search-led content and with making sure your website is ready to turn readers into enquiries, or you can get in touch and talk it through.
FAQ
The practical ones: useful interactive tools, real storytelling, content based on customer questions, short video and visible expertise.
Technology can speed up the work, but a person should review it and check performance regularly. We do not recommend set-and-forget.
Consistency matters more than volume. A smaller number of well-researched pieces usually beats lots of thin ones.
Track enquiries, calls and sales rather than just views or likes, and decide what success looks like before you publish.
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