A lot has changed in the digital marketing space in the past year, especially with new regulations surrounding data privacy, the rise of AI, and so much more. As we move into the New Year, here are the marketing trends we think will have a big impact in 2024.
1. AI for Marketing Automation
We caught a glimpse of the impact that AI has and it is here to stay in 2024. Although AI can be used for a variety of things, we think it will impact customer interactions most. Companies are implementing AI-powered chatbots and messaging systems in their customer service sectors to streamline that process. In this day and age, we all have much shorter attention spans and want information instantly. AI chatbots can improve customer interactions by getting responses out immediately rather than having a customer wait around for someone to respond. There is nothing worse than sitting on hold or getting a response from a brand days later.
2. Video Marketing
With attention spans becoming shorter and shorter, so is our content. Along with shorter attention spans, no one wants to read anymore. This is where video marketing comes into play. Consumers would rather watch a video ad than read one. Short-form video content is nothing new, with the popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels, but we expect to see short-form content gain more traction this year among all social platforms. Along with short-form content, live streaming is also something to look out for in 2024. Not only does live streaming show viewers that there are, in fact, people behind a brand, but it also enables real-time communication between customers and brands, increases engagement, and gives brands instant feedback from consumers.
3. Social Commerce
Social media is seeing a shift in how their platforms are being used by consumers. We are seeing less use from people sharing their lives or recent vacations and more use from brands and influencers using social media to sell products directly on the platform. In 2024, social media is going to be more e-commerce-based than ever before. Pretty much every social media platform has integrated some form of social shopping on their platform, from TikTok Shop to Instagram and Facebook’s shopping pages. The average person spent 2.5 hours on social media daily in 2023, making it a great place for brands to reach consumers. Social shopping allows consumers to see what people are saying about a brand in real-time and can see the product being used in “real life” through user-generated content (UGC) as opposed to fully scripted advertisements.
4. Data Privacy
With the rise of cybercrimes and data breaches, consumers have become wary of who they share their data with and how it is being used. The EU has already put regulations in place that favor the consumer, giving them more control over how their data is used, and we can expect to see the US putting similar regulations in place in 2024. Moving forward, businesses will need to have explicit consent from consumers to use their data and also make it clear what their data is used for; no more deliberately ambiguous language. Additionally, Google has announced that they will be replacing third-party cookies with a Privacy Sandbox starting in 2024. As businesses continue to navigate this changing landscape surrounding data privacy regulations, first-party data will be vital since it is information the consumer is explicitly providing.
5. Voice Search Optimization
125.2 Million people used voice assistants in 2023 and most households have integrated this tool into their homes, whether that be an Amazon Alexa, a Google Home device, Microsoft’s Cortana, or simply using your smartphone’s built-in assistant. The way people use this tool is different from how we search for things on a typical web browser. When we ask Alexa or Siri a question, we tend to use full sentences, like we’re talking to a friend. When we search on a computer, we shorten our thoughts to keep them brief. We expect to see more time and effort spent optimizing SEO for voice searches in 2024. Because of the difference in the way we search, our approach to SEO for voice assistants has to differ from regular web page browsing.
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