In 2024, it's clear that digital marketing will continue to play a crucial role in the success of businesses of all sizes but AI has taken the lead. In this blog post, we'll look at some of the key trends that are expected to shape the digital marketing landscape in 2024 and beyond - and how to leverage them for your business.
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1. Rise of the Machines
AI is moving fast. When I wrote this blog post in early 2023 it was just starting. But no longer. We are seeing a strong AI presence in everything we see and do online - from creating images to deep fake technology. In addition, the capabilities for Ai to translate data into insights is growing.
As AI becomes more refined, it's becoming easier for companies to understand their customers' needs on a granular level—not just through surveys or one-off questions but by observing real-world behaviors and making decisions based on those observations. With this kind of insight into what makes each customer tick, brands can tailor their content strategy accordingly.
If you're thinking of adding AI to your marketing strategy, you'll have plenty of options. It can be used in email, social media, advertising, and more. One of the apps I was testing out is copy.ai. While it was working in 2023 it came at a large cost. now ChatGPT has taken the forefront of users. I continue to test and see what's available.
2. Personalization
While this is already a part of marketing, personalization will become even more important. Customers want to feel like they are being listened to and cared for, which means that they want personalized content, but with new privacy laws in place, this will make for an interesting new digital world.
Ideally, the more you can tailor your messaging and offers to them, the better chance you have of standing out, b ut privacy will play a greater role in how personalized this can become. This could involve using data and AI to deliver personalized email campaigns, personalized product recommendations on e-commerce sites, or personalized content on social media, if new privacy rules allow.
To stay on top of the latest changes in privacy in Canada and how it will impact your business be sure to bookmark this site: Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
3. Pay Later Apps
You can't talk about digital marketing trends without talking about e-commerce. U.S. sales revenue alone reached $265 billion in 2022 according to the U.S Census Bureau. That's a 3% increase from the 2nd quarter of 2022 and a 10% increase from the 3rd quarter of 2021. According to Insider Intelligence, the eCommerce boom in 2022 came from friction-reducing capabilities like buy now pay later, click and collect, and established direct-to-consumer businesses rather than areas we expect it to come from like social and AR.
If you're looking to try incorporating a buy now pay later app on your site. Some to consider reviewing: Affirm or Sezzle.
4. Social Commerce and TikTok (Influencers and Affiliate Links)
Social commerce is a big deal. Specifically, influencers promoting products and affiliate links. According to eMarketer, Social commerce sales grew 34.4% this year to $53.10 billion. And according to Stats Canada, 16% of all eCommerce sales in Canada are from affliliate links.
Though the growth of new buyers has slowed, each buyer is expected to spend more on social in the coming years. A significant portion of this growth has been driven by TikTok. The statement "TikTok made me buy it" couldn't be more true and will continue to fuel growth as we enter 2023
The TikTok effect is real and it's driving social commerce sales.
According to an analysis by Shopify, 67% of users say TikTok inspired them to shop. That's significant: It means that if you're not using TikTok for your brand marketing strategy, you're missing out on a large chunk of potential revenue from customers who are already spending money within the app (and who are likely to continue doing so).
What can you do? If you're in eCommerce TikTok is a huge opportunity to help you reach new customers and potentially grow your sales. But this should be done strategically. Be sure to think like a creator and not a business, test content to see what resonates, partner with influencers to drive growth, and use the right keywords since TikTok is used as a search tool.
B2B and TikTok
For B2B or service-based businesses consider using it to share your expertise by leaning into TikTok SEO. TikTok SEO is all about ranking videos higher in search. See below for some quick tips to get started:
The first thing you should do when optimizing your video for search is to make sure that it has a description and tags. These are both very important because they will help people find your video, even if they aren't searching for it directly.
To properly optimize your video, you'll need to use certain keywords in the description and tags. This is called keyword research and there are many different tools that can help you with this process.
You should also consider using hashtags on social media if possible, as these can help increase exposure for your videos.
5. Video - Story Telling is a Must
Video has become a go-to medium for businesses looking to engage with their audience. As of 2021, over 50% of time spend on social was with video content and it is expected to grow to over 56% by 2024 (Insider Intelligence - The Great Realignment). With stats like these, we can expect to see even more businesses investing in video marketing, whether through creating their own original content, using AI video creation platforms, or partnering with influencers to promote their products and services.
Video is an effective medium because it allows you to showcase your brand personality and connect with your customers on a deeper level than other mediums such as text or images. Video also allows you to build trust in consumers by providing them with some background information about your business or product before asking them for their attention or money. Here are some tips for creating effective videos for your business:
Save time by batch-creating videos on specific days each month. That way you can record all of your content in 1-2 days and save time.
Create one video and distribute it across various platforms. You don't need to have new and different content for each platform. For example, push your most popular TikTok to Instagram.
Sign up for a scheduling app like Later. This app helps you schedule your content across all your social channels.
6. Widespread Growth in Interactive Content
Interactive content will become more widespread. In order to truly engage with their audience, businesses will need to create interactive content that encourages participation and encourages users to take action. This could include quizzes, polls, or interactive infographics. LinkedIn is a great place to start. You can easily create a poll to uncover your audience's top concerns, goals, or needs.
7. Increased Visibility with Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing will continue to evolve. In 2024, we can expect to see businesses focusing on working with micro-influencers and "niche" influencers who have a highly engaged, niche audience. This will allow businesses to reach a highly targeted audience and build genuine relationships with their customers. With the bulk of influence spend on Instagram, TikTok is seeing exponential growth. It will only be a matter of time to see if Instagram can hold onto its top spot.
8. Voice Search- the Future of Digital Marketing
Voice search will continue to grow in popularity. With the proliferation of smart speakers and the increasing use of voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, it's clear that voice search is here to stay. Businesses will need to optimize their websites and content for voice search in order to be found by users who are searching for their products or services.
If you haven't started optimizing your website for voice search yet, here are some tips:
Target question keywords and other long-tail keywords.
Use conversational language in your content.
Try to capture Google-featured snippets.
9. Increased Use of Chatbots
The use of chatbots will increase. As businesses look for ways to streamline their customer service and improve the customer experience, we can expect to see the use of chatbots increase in 2024. Chatbots can be used to answer common customer questions, provide product recommendations, and even handle basic customer service inquiries.
In addition to improving customer service, chatbots can also be used to provide a more personal experience. More businesses are using the technology to connect with their customers in real-time through social media channels such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. This means that if you're looking for a way to improve your customer service or enhance your brand image online, you should consider adding a chatbot into your marketing mix. Just be careful. With a recent ruling against Air Canada, you need to know that chatbots powered by AI can be prone to making up information.
10. Widespread Live Streaming
Interactive live streaming is still a huge trend for 2024, with the most popular live streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming. Though that's not to say other channels aren't seeing growth. For example, livestream eCommerce sales in 2022 were estimated at 17 billion dollars in the United States alone, according to statistica.com.
If you're interested in using live streaming for your business, here are some tips to get you started:
Do a product tour. If you have a physical product, try doing a walkthrough of the different parts of it. This can be especially helpful if you have a complicated product that requires assembly or has many parts. It will also help customers visualize what they'll be getting when they purchase from you.
Organize a Q&A. You can also organize an open Q&A session where customers can ask questions about products and services, as well as provide feedback on products or services they've received. This is especially effective if there's something specific that you want feedback on and want to hear honest opinions about it from other people who have used your website or purchased from you in the past.
Do a brief tutorial. If there's something specific that people need help with - such as setting up their order or understanding where to find something on your site - then do a brief tutorial explaining how to do so! This can be very helpful for people who are new to your website and aren't familiar with how things work yet.
11. The Shifting Face of Analytics
The importance of data and analytics will continue to grow. In order to truly understand their audience and make informed marketing decisions, businesses will need to rely on data and analytics. In 2024, we can expect to see businesses investing in AI tools and technologies that help them collect, analyze, and make sense of their data in order to make more informed decisions. But overall it will require businesses to find insights and trends in the data without getting stuck in the inevitable analysis paralysis.
The future of digital marketing is exciting, and the pace of change will only continue to increase. To stay ahead, businesses will need to stay on top of the latest trends and know how to leverage them. If you're unsure how to leverage these trends for your business, contact Tenth Man Marketing today.
So what can we expect in the years to come? We can expect to be impacted by AI in ways we can't even imagine. Storytelling is critical and authenticity in a world where images can be created in seconds will become more important than ever.