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Within less than two decades, marketing as we know it has changed almost beyond recognition. At the beginning of the century, business owners and marketers had a limited choice of channels through which they could reach potential customers. For small businesses, some of those channels were cost-prohibitive.
The state of marketing in 2024
Over the past two decades, digital marketing has transformed how companies find customers. Type ‘the state of marketing 2024’ into any search engine, and the results will most likely include some of the following key elements: personalization, use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), creating community, and a degree of uncertainty.
As economic challenges and wars continue to wreak havoc on economies worldwide, forecasts for business performance remain volatile. Still, a handful of trends have been slowly emerging in marketing and are set to become key elements of winning marketing strategies in 2024. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, some of those revolve around the use of technology. At the same time, there is a distinct trend toward human connection. Marketers can make use of both to benefit their brands.
Related: 4 Marketing Budget Hacks That Will Boost Your Business in 2024
1. Personalized marketing strategies
Gone are the days when entire families gathered in front of radios and TVs to watch a certain program and the advertising content delivered during breaks. For several years now, marketers have emphasized targeting specific audiences rather than using a broad approach.
Experts predict that leading brands will take things one step further in 2024 and introduce true personalization, basing the information consumers see on their needs immediately. Imagine a weather change, for example. As soon as the rain starts, you see adverts for rain gear, umbrellas, and articles discussing weather patterns. The goal is to make content more relevant than ever before.
2. Interactive content and experiences
Interactive marketing communications are also gathering pace. To take advantage of them, marketers can use elements like polls and quizzes to create stronger connections with their target audiences. The goal is to transform the passive connection between the brand and the consumer into active, memorable communication.
Product images and basic videos may no longer be enough to help a product stand out. Instead, leading brands will utilize augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to allow their customers to experience new products and innovations.
3. Innovative use of social media
Social media marketing and advertising have become a core element of the marketing strategies of businesses of all sizes. Social media platforms offer targeted access to audiences, activities can be tailored to fit most marketing budgets, and the platforms lend themselves to community-building.
Over the past few years, ephemeral content that is available briefly and then disappears has been growing in importance. As consumers’ attention spans grow ever shorter, content like Facebook or Instagram stories becomes more easily digestible than longer-form offerings.
Aside from this type of disappearing content, live videos, social commerce offerings, and interactive storytelling that allows the audience to decide the outcome of a story will continue to grow.
Related: 9 Key Tips for Navigating the Upcoming 2024 Marketing Landscape
4. Embracing new technologies
Most of the key developments in marketing in 2024 will be driven or supported by emerging or developing technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) has already made its mark on 21st-century marketing, with nearly two-thirds of marketers telling Hubspot that they are utilizing AI for market research, content creation, and improving the user experience their brands are delivering.
Chatbots have become common on many brands’ websites, improving the user experience by allowing customers to access support 24/7. Combined with AI, chatbots are becoming increasingly more capable. Voice search and other voice-driven technologies are another element of leading marketing strategies in 2024.
5. Community building and user-generated content
The continuing rise of technology has led to something that could be seen as a counter-trend – the demand to create community among audiences. Early examples of these communities include Facebook’s community chat feature in groups or Instagram’s broadcast channels. Both give brands and creators another option to open conversations with multiple users.
In addition, brand communications are no longer a one-way street from the company to the consumer. Some of TikTok’s most popular videos show consumers using products and sharing their experiences authentically and in a highly relatable manner.
Related: 7 Ecommerce Customer Experience Strategies for Effective Branding in 2024
6. Sustainability and purpose-driven marketing
Today’s consumers expect more than profit-making from their favorite brands. More and more, discerning consumers are choosing businesses with a greater purpose, such as environmental or social commitments. Two key elements of purpose-driven marketing are searching for sustainable solutions and giving back to the local community.
Highlighting a company’s work in that area will appeal to conscious consumers, but brands must demonstrate a real commitment. Superficial commitments and activities may grab consumers’ attention in the short term, but they are unlikely to deliver long-term benefits.
7. Cross-channel integration
A cohesive and integrated approach to marketing has always been considered best practice. Even though brands can use different channels to reach different audiences, marketing messages must align across those touchpoints. Most audience members will see a brand’s content in different places. Inconsistent messages will be confusing and may drive potential customers away.
2024 is looking promising for marketers willing to embrace technology without letting go of the need for community. While not without its challenges, this year has the potential to transform the way marketers use emerging technologies like AI to create the strongest brand-consumer connections yet.
This story originally appeared on Entrepreneur
