2024 marketing trends to watch – how to stay ahead
As we look ahead to 2024, it's clear that the marketing landscape will continue to transform, presenting both challenges and opportunities for brands. To help you navigate, we've compiled a list of the key marketing trends to watch in 2024 and strategies to keep your brand ahead of the curve.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI experienced a massive surge in availability and popularity in 2023, and that looks set to continue in 2024 as software becomes more sophisticated and our understanding of how to integrate it into our existing marketing plans increases.
In a survey by Content Marketing Institute 72% of respondents say they use generative AI tools. However, a large proportion (91%) of respondents don’t pay for AI tools yet, which could suggest that people are willing to experiment with AI before fully committing to investing.
Worryingly, it seems businesses are not fully prepared for the integration of AI into their plans, as only 31% of respondents said they had guidelines in place to govern and control the use and impact of AI within their business.
Despite this, no doubt AI powered marketing will continue to rise into 2024 and beyond.
72%
of companies say they use generative AI tools.
First-party data
With the introduction of more stringent data regulation, brands are relying more heavily on first party data to drive their marketing efforts. When done effectively, first party data is a much more reliable method, providing brands with accuracy and compliance in one fell swoop.
First party data enables brands to be highly targeted in their marketing messaging, whilst navigating an evolving data policy landscape.
Real-time interaction
Video marketing has been popular for some time and this is only set to continue. However, the rise of real-time interaction through live-streaming will be the particular focus in 2024. To name but a few examples, brands can leverage live digital experiences to launch and showcase products and services, run Q&As or provide behind the scenes content to their audiences.
Live-streaming offers brands the opportunity to engage directly with their audiences and immerse them in a real-time experience in a way that feels authentic and personal.
Real-time customer interaction will be a major focus for B2C brands into 2024.
In-person events
With the rise in popularity of digital and video marketing, it can be hard to compete and convey a brand’s personality. Particularly in B2B marketing, physical events provide that sense of grounding and emotion for a brand, and engage audiences on a more one-to-one basis. Coupling a strong marketing strategy with an in-person presence can create strong brand loyalty and sense of oneness with a brand.
Look out for this trend increasing in 2024 as brands seek to connect on a more personal level with both their existing customers and target markets.
Shorter written content
Content is still king in 2024. There is a space for longer written content at the right time in the customer’s journey with a brand, however shorter content is increasingly popular, as demand on people’s time and the sheer number of brands a person interacts with, has increased. In B2C markets, Smart Insights noted that 86% of companies used content shorter than 1,500 words as part of their marketing strategy in 2022.
Concise messaging with a strong, clear message will resonate with audiences and is more likely to be retained for brand recall.
86% of companies used content shorter than 1,500 words as part of their marketing strategy.
Smart Insights
Social responsibility
Environmental and social impact is ever more important for audiences, therefore brands will need to find genuine ways to convey their commitment to corporate social responsibility.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015 have a goal date of 2030, which feels very close indeed. Customers are more aware than ever of our need to be responsible in our consumption and brand choices as this deadline looms. Therefore, brands should factor this into their strategy if they want to strongly align themselves with their audience’s values.
Voice search
Voice-activated technologies are changing the way people search for information and products. With the increasing popularity of devices like smart speakers and voice-activated assistants, brands will need to optimise content for voice search.
Focus on long-tail keywords, conversational content, and structured data will ensure your brand is discoverable through voice search.
Customer journey mapping
Strategic marketing is being more widely adopted, with budgets coming under scrutiny and brands wanting to make every penny count. Customer journey mapping will be more critical than ever to ensure cost-effective and traceable marketing efforts.
More sophisticated marketing and the incorporation of tools to improve customer journeys will set brands apart, to provide a more seamless customer experience – one that feels genuine and personal.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015 have a goal date of 2030.
Personalisation
With the rise of AI powered marketing, this will enable brands to further increase their personalisation of content to their audiences. This goes further than simply addressing customers by their first name – think hyper-tailored messaging and recommendations sent out on an individual basis, formed by their preferences and previous interactions with a brand (or similar brands).
In conclusion
The world of marketing continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, and to succeed in 2024, brands need to be adaptable, forward-thinking, and customer-centric. In short, embrace emerging technologies, prioritise sustainability and ethics, and continue to review and refine a strategy to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Do you need help staying ahead of the marketing curve? Get in touch – we’d love to help. Alternatively, for the latest marketing and branding news, take a look at our Articles page.