Content marketing continues to evolve as technology and audience behaviour change. In 2026, AI-powered search, creator-led campaigns and video-first platforms are influencing how people discover and evaluate brands.
The growth of video is supported by audience data. Ofcom’s Media Nations 2026 report found that average YouTube viewing across connected devices in UK homes reached 41 minutes per person per day in 2025, up from 33 minutes in 2022.
Video is also delivering measurable results for marketers. According to HubSpot’s 2026 marketing statistics, the three content formats most frequently associated with return on investment are short-form video, long-form video and live-streaming.
However, written content remains essential for search visibility, accessibility and subjects that require detailed explanations. The future of content marketing is therefore not a competition between text and video. It is about selecting the right format for the audience and using both formats together.
What Is Text Content Marketing?
Text content marketing uses written material to attract, educate and convert an audience. It can help a business explain its expertise, answer customer questions and guide potential buyers through the decision-making process.
Written content is particularly valuable when someone wants to:
- Compare several products or services
- Understand a complicated subject
- Scan information quickly
- Return to specific instructions
- Find an answer through a search engine
- Access information using assistive technology
Text content also gives businesses the space to provide evidence, examples and detailed explanations that may be difficult to communicate through a short video.
From an SEO perspective, written content is about much more than adding keywords. Google recommends creating helpful, reliable and people-first information that demonstrates genuine knowledge or first-hand experience. Its guidance on AI-powered search also emphasises the importance of publishing unique, valuable content rather than repeating information that is already widely available.
Types of Text Content Marketing
Text content can appear in many different formats.
- Blog posts: Useful and informative blog posts can answer customer questions, develop brand authority and attract relevant organic traffic.
- Website and landing-page copy: Service pages, product descriptions and landing pages explain what a business offers and help visitors decide what to do next.
- Email marketing: An email marketing campaign can share business updates, useful advice, new products and relevant offers directly with subscribers.
- Social media copy: Images and videos often attract attention, but effective captions, headlines and calls to action remain an important part of social media marketing.
- Case studies: A detailed case study can demonstrate how a business solved a genuine customer problem and provide evidence of the outcome.
- Guides and frequently asked questions: These formats help businesses explain complicated subjects and respond to questions customers regularly ask.
- SEO content writing: SEO content writing involves creating useful, well-structured information that meets the audience’s needs while making the topic clear to search engines.
For example, an accountancy firm could publish a detailed guide explaining allowable expenses for small businesses. The guide could answer common questions, include practical examples and link to relevant government guidance. That level of detail would be difficult to communicate effectively through one short video.
What Is Video Marketing?
Video marketing uses moving images, speech, music or on-screen text to promote a business, explain a subject or demonstrate a product or service.
It is particularly effective when an audience needs to see something in action or connect with the people behind a brand. Video can communicate personality, emotion and visual information quickly, making it suitable for social media, product demonstrations and customer stories.
Wyzowl’s 2026 video marketing research found that 63% of surveyed consumers would prefer to watch a short video when learning about a product or service. It also found that 89% believe video quality affects their trust in a brand. The research was based on 266 marketing professionals and consumers, so the results should be viewed as a useful industry indicator rather than a universal rule.
Types of Video Marketing
Businesses can use video in several ways.
- Explainer videos: These simplify a product, service or complicated subject and present the main information in a clear visual format.
- Short-form videos: Short vertical videos are widely used on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other social platforms to educate, entertain and reach new audiences.
- Brand videos: These introduce the people, values and story behind a business, helping an audience develop a stronger connection with the brand.
- Product or service demonstrations: Demonstration videos show how something works, explain important features and help potential customers understand the benefits.
- Customer testimonials: A genuine customer can describe their experience and provide evidence that supports the company’s marketing claims.
- Live video: Live broadcasts can cover events, interviews, product launches, demonstrations or behind-the-scenes activity.
- User-generated content: Customers and creators can produce videos showing how they use or experience a product. This content can feel more relatable than a traditional advertisement, although businesses should disclose commercial relationships clearly.
- Webinars and interviews: Longer videos allow experts to discuss a subject in greater depth and can later be divided into shorter clips.
Does Video Marketing Help SEO?
It is inaccurate to suggest that video provides no SEO benefits.
Google can display videos in its main search results and dedicated video results. Features such as video previews and key moments can also help people understand and navigate video content.
Google’s video SEO guidance recommends making videos accessible to its crawlers and providing clear information about each video. Descriptive titles, relevant supporting copy, stable video URLs and appropriate structured data can help Google understand the content.
Its SEO Starter Guide also recommends placing a high-quality video on a dedicated page close to text that is relevant to the video.
A useful approach is therefore to combine:
- A descriptive page title
- A clear written introduction
- An embedded video
- A transcript or detailed summary
- Relevant headings
- An optimised video thumbnail
- Video structured data where appropriate
- Links to related pages or resources
This gives visitors a choice between watching and reading while providing search engines with more context.
Should You Choose Text or Video?
The best format depends on the subject, target audience, platform and objective.
Text is often the stronger choice when people need detail, instructions, comparisons or information they can scan and revisit. Video is usually more effective when a subject involves movement, emotion, personality or a visual demonstration.
Businesses should also consider where the audience is in the buying journey.
Someone discovering a brand on social media may respond well to a short video. A potential customer comparing prices, services or technical specifications may prefer a detailed page. A buyer who is close to making a decision could benefit from both a written case study and a customer testimonial video.
The most useful question is not, “Which format is better?”
It is, “Which format will help this audience understand the subject and take the next step?”
The Future of Content Marketing: Integration
The most important change in content marketing is not one format replacing another. It is the integration of text, video and other formats within one coordinated strategy.
One well-researched subject can become:
- A detailed blog article
- An embedded explainer video
- Several short social media clips
- An email campaign
- A social media carousel
- A podcast discussion
- A downloadable checklist
- A webinar or live question-and-answer session
This does not mean publishing exactly the same material everywhere. Each version should be adapted to suit the platform and the needs of its audience.
Practical Examples
A local service business could publish an article answering the question, “How much does this service cost?” It could then embed a two-minute explanation video and turn the most frequently asked questions into short social media clips.
An ecommerce business could combine a written product comparison with a demonstration video. The written guide would provide dimensions, specifications and detailed comparisons, while the video would show the product being used.
A B2B company could produce a customer case study, record a testimonial interview and repurpose the interview into LinkedIn clips, quotations and an email campaign.
In each example, text provides depth and search context while video provides personality, proof or a visual demonstration.
Measuring Text and Video Performance
Content should be assessed according to its purpose rather than relying on one general engagement figure.
Useful measurements can include:
- Relevant organic traffic
- Search impressions and clicks
- Enquiries or qualified leads
- Conversion rate
- Video completion rate
- Watch time
- Email sign-ups
- Assisted sales
- Social engagement
- Links and brand mentions
A short video with thousands of views may create awareness but generate few enquiries. A detailed article may attract less traffic but influence more valuable sales. Both can be successful if they achieve their intended objective.
Final Thoughts
Text and video both have an important place in the future of content marketing.
Written content provides depth, accessibility and strong search potential. Video can demonstrate products, communicate personality and capture attention quickly. The most effective choice depends on the audience, subject and stage of the buying journey.
Rather than treating text and video as competitors, businesses should use them together and measure the results that matter.
The future belongs neither to text nor video alone. It belongs to useful, credible content presented in the format—or combination of formats—that best serves the audience.
If you need help planning, creating or improving your content, explore our content marketing services.
