As we approach 2024, your marketing strategy must also keep pace with digital evolution. If there's one thing we can learn from 2023, it's that having a strong online presence is crucial for any business. Creating a website has gone from being an option to a necessity.
In this article, we examine the ten most relevant marketing trends for 2024, covering various types of marketing, that will help you prepare your company for the future.
Marketing Trends for 2024
01. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Developers and engineers are no longer the only ones using AI and machine learning. Marketing professionals will increasingly utilize these technologies in their daily work, such as artificial intelligence in marketing.
Ross Simmonds, CEO of Foundation, told Marketing Millennials: 'In 2024, I think we will see major campaigns executed based on AI-generated creativity and content.' You’ve probably noticed this trend, with DALL·E 2 images flooding social media in recent months.
May Habib, co-founder and CEO of an AI writing platform called Writer, explains that smart tools can make the content creation process much more efficient, whether you're creating a blog or just trying to write a few paragraphs for your 'About Us' page.
02. Long-term Influencer Partnerships
Over the past year, influencer marketing has grown dramatically and will continue to do so. Influencers are excellent at fostering personal relationships with their audience. Marketers looking to capitalize on these connections have started leveraging the potential of influencer marketing by forming strong alliances with influencers.
Instead of paying a lot of influencers to post about the business a few times, brands are investing in long-term partnerships with a smaller number of influencers, prioritizing quality over quantity.
Shachaf Rodberg, marketing trends analyst at Wix, believes that it's not just influencer relationships that are changing: influencer marketing seems to be transforming marketing as a whole. 'Social media is changing,' he explained. 'They are bringing in less famous creators or allowing their own creators to be the face of the company'.
Additionally, there are other marketing strategies gaining relevance, such as Guerrilla Marketing, which features innovative and disruptive tactics.
03. Promoting Users Over Products
Marketers have focused on improving interaction between customers and amplifying user-generated content. This includes creating forums, featuring user-generated content on social media, posting testimonials on websites, or starting a referral rewards program.
Some companies have even acquired community-based businesses. A community-driven marketing strategy is more effective when the community is integrated into the same business. For example, Figma offers a lot of templates, most of which come from its own users. This feature emphasizes the brand's identity and its collaboration with users. Figma also sponsors and supports local groups through a business initiative called 'Friends of Figma.' By fostering the community, Figma deepens brand loyalty and facilitates word-of-mouth marketing.
04. Video marketing
Short-form content is on the rise, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Today, Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts are some of the top video content channels. Due to their ability to capture audience attention and provoke higher engagement than other content, it is anticipated that in 2024, video marketing will play an even more prominent role.
In 2024, more videos will be used in various marketing strategies. Additionally, email marketing campaigns, websites, and advertising formats will incorporate more video content. Data analytics for quantifying video performance will become more sophisticated. As tracking technology improves, we will see more companies investing in video marketing.
For example, remarketing is a type of advertising that will integrate video marketing like never before. By using personalized video content, it will be possible to optimize the types of videos used for retargeting, to display ads with the highest likelihood of conversion.
Videos used this year will mostly be created by influencers. Similarly, user-generated content will dominate video marketing. Both sources will not only save time but also enhance the performance of marketing strategies. People are increasingly rejecting traditional advertising. Leveraging the work of influencers and videos created by customers themselves will allow you to capture your audience’s attention in a much more authentic and meaningful way.
How to Prepare for the Rise of Video Marketing:
Invest time in producing high-quality video content for your brand. You can use a video creator to assist you.
Get active on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Collect user-generated content, and encourage your customers to film their purchases.
Allocate more budget to video production.
05. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
One of the marketing trends that will not only be evident in 2024 but also in the coming years is Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). We will begin to see these technologies in the promotion of products and services, and they will change marketing forever.
First, what is the difference between VR and AR? VR creates a computer-generated reality that builds a three-dimensional fantasy world. Users immerse themselves in this new universe with VR goggles and can interact with objects using their hands. On the other hand, AR is based on the current real world but overlays parts of the virtual world. In AR, users connect through their phone or tablet to interact with this overlaid dimension.
VR and AR are also often referred to as 360-degree marketing. Companies use this type of marketing to enhance the buyer’s brand perception and increase their purchasing decisions. Brands like TOMS Shoes, TopShop, Oreo, Sephora, and IKEA are already successfully using these technologies for marketing purposes.
For example, let’s look at what IKEA is doing. The home furniture company created the IKEA Place app, which uses AR technology to allow shoppers in their store to place virtual items in real physical spaces. AR technology enables consumers to visualize how products look and feel before purchasing them. Without a doubt, this 'hands-on' experience can dramatically increase purchase intent and drive sales.
The advantage of integrating VR and AR into your marketing lies in providing a notable competitive edge. You’ll be able to interact with your target audience in a truly unique way. However, this technology is still relatively expensive and challenging to implement for many businesses.
06. Live Streaming
Audiences find live streaming very engaging. This format and emerging marketing trend is excellent for brands to showcase their personality and values authentically.
Live streaming not only helps users connect better with brands and feel more comfortable making purchases, but it will also change online sales. More and more channels are incorporating shopping features that allow brands or influencers to recommend a product and share a link during live streams. The term social commerce is used to describe this new shopping experience, and in 2024, we will continue to see it gain momentum.
Features like Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Twitter Live, and YouTube Live are the most well-known for this type of marketing. These features will become even more prevalent and sophisticated across various industries as the year progresses.
Ideas for a Live Stream:
Host a session to answer frequently asked questions.
Announce the launch of a new product.
Create a live shopping event.
07. Conversational Marketing
Conversational marketing is a more personal way to engage with your audience with the aim of improving the customer experience and boosting sales. These conversations can occur through live chat, chatbots, voice assistants, and more.
Better communication with customers means your business can shorten the sales cycle and enhance the marketing funnel. Time and cost are also significant reasons behind this shift in marketing.
To use this trend effectively, it is important to personalize the experience. Greater automation through the use of artificial intelligence will lead to conversions based on users' previous interactions with your business.
Another trend we will see in conversational marketing is the use of video chats. Unlike text-based chats, it will become more common for customer service and sales representatives to make video calls. Additionally, content localization should not be overlooked.
08. Audio Content
Screen fatigue, the pressure of being on camera, and the flexibility provided by consuming audio content have propelled this marketing trend to the forefront for this year. editorials fall under the umbrella of "audio content," which we will all be hearing much more of in 2024.
Since podcasts can immediately boost brand perception and recognition, more and more companies will follow this trend. It allows them to reach new audiences and better shape brand perception. Instagram Rooms and Twitter Spaces demonstrate the high demand for audio content on the internet.
Adding audio content will expand your content marketing strategy and even enhance your website's SEO. Google is starting to rank podcasts on search engine results pages (SERPs). Therefore, having podcasts or videos integrated into your site can help improve your ranking. Additionally, consider transcribing your podcasts into blog posts to help your content be naturally picked up by voice search. This marketing trend has a low cost and high rewards.
09. Organic SEO
Driving traffic to your website through SEO is a solid marketing strategy. In 2024, SEO will continue to be one of the main sources of new customers and traffic for most businesses.
There are significant changes in SEO, as more keywords will generate featured snippets. Featured snippets appear at the top of search engine results and show a small excerpt from your article. They are proven to generate more clicks to your website and help enhance your credibility.
Prepare for the trend of increasing importance of featured snippets: follow best practices such as using bullet points, numbers, and complete answers to organize your content, thereby increasing your chances of generating snippets.
Here are other SEO tips and trends:
Blogging: If you haven’t already, create a blog for your business to rank for more keywords related to your products, services, and industry.
Mobile-Friendly Website: Nearly 60% of all searches are conducted on mobile devices. Ensure your site is optimized for mobile to avoid harming your SEO.
Follow the EAT Principle: EAT stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. Search engines use this to determine your ranking. Build strong EAT for your business and include all those who contribute to your content.
10. Inclusive Marketing
An inclusive marketing plan isn’t just about showcasing images of diversity on your website or social media. Moreover, inclusive marketing is not a sales gimmick. As a marketer, you need to be aware of how our world has changed and understand that being inclusive and respectful to everyone is the new norm.
Consumers seek brands that practice what they preach and align with their values. If you aim for customer loyalty and lasting respect from users, you need to project an authentic brand. Ensure that all people and groups can see themselves in your marketing strategy and know they can connect with your business.
A company that has successfully launched an inclusive marketing campaign is Gillette. The shaving giant created an innovative ad showing a transgender man shaving in front of the mirror for the first time, guided by his father. This ad, promoting gender inclusion, was shared on Gillette’s Facebook page and received over 1.6 million views. As a result of launching an inclusive ad, the audience can see that Gillette takes a stand and supports the transgender community.
Inclusive Marketing Tips:
Ensure diverse perspectives at all levels of your company, from UX designers and salespeople to top management.
Aim to highlight a different group in each marketing campaign.
Share real stories whenever possible. People need to see real representation rather than a fictional character.
Strive to show people or stories that positively challenge biases and stereotypes.
Adapt your marketing strategy to different cultural contexts to make your brand inclusive to various groups around the world.
Conclusion
While the use of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, or inclusive marketing may sound intimidating, we are confident that reviewing these 10 marketing trends will help you when designing your marketing strategy for 2024.
Por Danae Salinas
Blogger & Marketing Specialist - Español
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