What Are the Marketing Trends for 2024?

There are multiple marketing techniques that have been used throughout 2023, but they weren’t necessarily revolutionary strategies, although they’re still extremely effective when it comes to putting businesses on the map. So why fix what isn’t broken? Where there won’t be any earth-moving, game-changing marketing tactics set to hit the scene in 2024, we are likely to see some shifts towards some more modern and innovative marketing strategies, and we’re going to be discussing exactly what you can expect from the marketing world as we move into a new year.

Marketing that is AI-focused

Artificial intelligence (AI) has received a lot of publicity recently, both good and bad, but the great thing about AI is that it can be used in many different ways and for a variety of different things. One of those things is marketing. It’s something that’s expected to change the industry’s landscape, for the better might I add. 

Whether it be a simple Chatbot or AI-powered content creation that works alongside human copywriters, we are becoming increasingly more reliant on AI technology and it’s not looking likely to cease any time soon. Could 2024 be the year we embrace AI or might it be the year where we become more wary of it? Only time will tell.

A move towards conversational marketing using Chatbots 

We’ve briefly touched on the use of chatbots as an example of AI technology that could be used more widely over 2024, but it’s actually been prevalent in marketing for the past few years. According to REVE Chat, the very first chatbot was developed in 1966 by someone called Joseph Weizenbaum. So it’s definitely not a new marketing technology to come on the scene. 

That being said, it wasn’t put into worldwide circulation for reliable use until 2001, states the same source. But this too was an extremely basic example of chatbots, despite being a hit with the public. Fast-forward another 10 years and a revolutionary chatbot took the internet and technology by storm – Siri. Siri was released in 2011 and was the first of its kind. 

Unlike the basic chatbots used at the start of the 21st century, Siri was considered to be “smart”, answering questions, setting reminders, playing music and more simply by talking to it. Here, you have the birth of voice searching, which we’ll get onto in a moment. Chatbots in their more advanced form are set to be utilised more than ever before in 2024.

Shifting to sustainable & ethical marketing

You might be wondering that “sustainable” or “ethical” marketing is and what it entails. Neither one refers to the technique that’s used, but it refers to how sustainable and ethical the business, its services and/or its products are. Companies like The Body Shop and LUSH, for example, hammer home that they do not test on animals as part of their marketing strategy. 

This way, people know that they’re not giving money to a firm that advocates or condones testing on animals. From an ethical standpoint, it offers both businesses a unique selling point (USP) to push over their competitors. The same thing goes for companies who take pride in being sustainable.

BMW, for instance, markets their brand as being sustainable over other car manufacturers. According to Indeed, they’re always focusing on reducing the emissions that their cars emit, whilst pumping more money into the development of electric vehicles. The same source also claims that BMW was one of the first companies to appoint an environmental officer – someone who promotes awareness of environmental policies and initiatives on behalf of the business. 

If BMW can offer customers something that other car companies cannot, then they, much like LUSH and The Body Shop, will have a USP that gives them the edge in the industry. By pushing both the sustainable and ethical pillars of a business, you’ll likely draw in more leads and sales over companies that don’t acknowledge either of those things. Recycling Lives reports that 81% of people would prefer to buy goods from sustainable sellers, so it’s important that, throughout 2024, you’re making a big deal of how sustainable and ethical your business actually is.

Content experiences that are personal

Personalised content doesn’t just involve adding the customer’s name to emails and letters. It also involves offering up a bespoke experience with content that is specifically tailored to the individual preferences, behaviours and past interactions of your customers. By going above and beyond, you’ll be able to offer your customers an experience that they won’t have from your competitors. As today’s customers are expecting their user journey to be as tailored and bespoke as possible, a personal content experience will be important in the marketing world as we go into 2024.

Social media Stories capabilities moving to the forefront

We are already seeing an increase in the use of Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories. At present, there are over 500 million people who create and watch Instagram Stories every single day on their mobile devices, according to Buffer. However, Facebook Stories has seen 300 million users throughout 2023, states Social Sheperd; a 200 million shortfall in comparison to Instagram.

Where these statistics already show the popularity of the Stories capabilities on social media, it also shows that, Facebook especially, has a lot to do if they want to increase the number of people who use their Stories functionality. Despite 500 million Instagram users around the globe using Instagram Stories over the course of the year, there were actually 1.35 billion Instagram users in 2023, claims Statista. This means that there’s still room for growth in Stories users and that looks likely as we draw closer to 2024 and beyond.

Video marketing & short form content becoming more dominant

We’ve discussed short form content briefly by touching on the Stories capability on social media platforms, but we can look even closer at the likes of TikTok; a platform that was developed specifically for the creation and consumption of short form content, in the form of videos. 

Although TikTok has been extremely popular since it was founded in 2016, according to Shopify, it’s predicted that their users per year will increase from 834.3 million in 2023 to 900.7 million in 2024, claims Statista. This is because we’re likely to see an increase in the creation and consumption of video marketing and short form content, and TikTok is a platform that offers both.

An evolution in influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is a relatively new form of marketing, but it’s not new for 2023 or 2024. Like with other marketing techniques we’ve mentioned so far on this list, this is simply a strategy that is set to increase in popularity as we enter the new year. According to Statista, the influencer marketing market has grown considerably in size from 2019 to 2023, more than doubling in value in that time. 

As of 2023, it is estimated that the influencer marketing industry is worth a whopping $21.1 billion, states the same source. So how is this relevant to 2024? Well, according to Boksi, the industry is predicted to increase their investment by 20%that year, meaning that influencer marketing is set to burst onto the scene in 2024. As such, we need to shift our focus to influencer marketing when it comes to brand exposure and product advertising.

Optimising for voice search capabilities

We have touched on Siri, which is a voice-activated chatbot, essentially. But as we see an advancement in technology, we are also seeing an increase in voice search capabilities. Not only are we seeing this shift because of technological advancements, but it’s also down to the fact that society is looking for more ways to live a convenient lifestyle, and voice searching allows for this. 

You don’t need to press any buttons for voice searching capabilities, so you could be living a very busy life but always have time to ask Siri, or another piece of technology, for a pasta bake recipe or to create a shopping list while you’re putting the washing out, for example. It’s all about convenience and technology has the ability to offer us just that, especially as we go into 2024.

The use of omnichannel marketing

Perhaps one of the latest marketing techniques in the industry, omnichannel marketing is set to make a splash in 2024. But first, let’s get to grips with what it is. “Omni” means “all” and a channel is simply something that is used to get the job done, in this context. Essentially, it’s the integration of several marketing techniques, including branding, messaging and consumer touchpoints being acknowledged, which is, in essence, what marketing is. It’s the use of multiple channels that are used simultaneously for the purposes of marketing a business, and 2024s look as though it could be the year where we  see more of an awareness of omnichannel marketing and how it can benefit businesses across the world.

Kumo is a dedicated digital marketing agency with a wealth of experience and knowledge to draw upon. We have a team of specialists at the helm of our operations, working tirelessly to ensure our clients and their businesses are propelled into the spotlight and set apart from their competitors. If you would like further information about our SEO, PPC, content writing or website design services, to name just a few, then get in touch with a member of our professional team today – we’re always pleased to hear from you.