Digital content marketing such as e-zines will overtake traditional print content marketing strategies by 2013, according to an industry body report.

The survey, carried out by market research company Mintel and commissioned by content marketing body the APA, says that 37 per cent of APA members now offer digital content marketing strategies such as ezines.

The customer publishing industry has also been quick to embrace tablet publishing, says the report, with 46 digital titles created specifically for tablets, smart phones and mobiles. In terms of future trends, the report says that HTML 5 has been positioned as a key development, making quality content increasingly accessible and cost effective.

Sponsored by Menzies Digital Marketing, the report says that after five years of recession, publishing agencies have adapted to produce digital content in-house. In the case of ezines, this has seen a 165 per cent revenue growth in the last three years.

Sarah Clegg, MD at Menzies Digital Marketing, says: “Recent economic challenges coupled with huge media diversification and the vast explosion of devices has meant that publishing agencies have swiftly and dramatically transformed themselves. What was traditionally seen as contract publishing has evolved, almost beyond recognition, to be very creative multi-media agencies. By bucking the trend and focusing on an innovative multi-channel approach, these agencies prioritised the customer and offered the choice demanded – a successful transformation which offers a stark contrast to the eroding consumer magazine market.”