Trends are dynamic and constantly shifting. As you look back over your successes and strategies for 2023 and prepare to map out a new year of campaigns for 2024, what better time is there to assess upcoming marketing trends and modify your brand’s approach appropriately?
Prepare for a shift in advertising strategies and channels in 2024
Digital marketing emerged as the go-to advertising strategy after the rise of social media. However, as the noise and competition in this channel increase throughout 2024, expect to see a better bang for your ad spend by diversifying your approach.
2024 is also an election year, which means the online media landscape is about to get tumultuous and pricey. It’s time to take advantage of other forms of advertising, such as charity events, sponsorships, strategic alliances, and pop-up activations.
AI and machine learning are poised to further streamline marketing in 2024
Artificial intelligence currently has a major effect on marketing campaigns, and that impact will only continue to grow as we move into 2024. Prepare to hand over a good share of your marketing responsibilities to computer systems that learn from mistakes and find solutions.
Who isn’t excited about streamlining their work? Over the next few months, AI will make it possible to automate more and more of those time-consuming marketing operations.
In place of mundane data-related tasks, you will have more time and energy for the exciting, creative stuff, like planning campaigns and designing content. As a result, you’ll have more mental bandwidth to devote to getting to know your target demographic and forging genuine connections.
Additionally, prepare to see AI’s increasing influence reflected in a growing reliance on data-driven marketing strategies across the sector. AI is set to deliver mountains of valuable data concerning our target audience.
The more we know about our customers, the more we can cater to their wants and needs. In 2024, you will have access to several solutions providing real-time insights into cross-channel customer behavior, enabling you to make more informed decisions regarding the marketing content that resonates with each segment.
2024 sees experiential marketing going strong
Experiential marketing is a trend that allows consumers to experience brands in person by attending events, visiting venues, and interacting with products in memorable ways. When consumers share photos and videos of those events over their social media channels, the excitement generated from that one event reaches an audience of thousands. Your ability to combine the power of social media with physical experiences holds more potential than ever in 2024.
In the upcoming year, marketing will increasingly be about building relationships and incorporating your brand into the community’s fiber. If you have not yet enjoyed the benefits of experiential marketing, get ready to have a dialogue with your customers and connect with them face-to-face.
The role of corporate social responsibility in 2024’s marketing trends is growing
Corporate social responsibility is nothing new, but prepare for it to play an increasingly important role in the marketing landscape throughout 2024. During the coming months, you will see brands donating funds, sponsoring events, forming partnerships with local nonprofits, and volunteering their time.
Along with benefiting your favorite causes, corporate social responsibility offers your brand many enticing advantages. First, customers gain trust in your brand when they see that you are concerned with the same local and global issues that concern them. Next, you motivate your employees with meaningful work and a bold vision. Last but not least, you form connections with your community when you show that your interests extend to issues beyond your business and bottom line.
It’s no longer enough to simply declare your beliefs with words — you have to back them up with actions. In 2024, you will have to find a way to back up your core values with meaningful community engagement. Use corporate social responsibility in your marketing to demonstrate to your customers that you are a champion of change.
Virtual and augmented reality will become prominent marketing trends in 2024
In terms of marketing, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) are still currently in the early stages of adoption, but are set to gain traction in 2024. This technology plays a more significant role in advertising efforts as its use becomes more widespread and marketers learn more about it.
As a marketing specialist, do your research and jump on the bandwagon as soon as possible. Embracing the possibilities of VR and AR holds the potential to attract that younger demographic.
The year 2024 calls for more short-form videos
Short-form videos will likely dominate marketing trends in 2024, just like they have done in previous years. This year’s successful advertising campaigns will continue to feature TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
Ads and marketing campaigns benefit significantly from these digestible, short-form videos. The content may be brief, but it manages to educate and entertain while also explaining complicated ideas.
Performance-based marketing will become the norm in 2024
It’s no wonder that performance-based marketing is growing in popularity, as this online marketing only pays when campaigns reach goals and demonstrate results. In 2024, brands will move toward a trend that pays for outcomes such as views, clicks, leads, or sales, and will no longer be interested in paying for time and effort.
This change is possible because performance-based marketing methods can harness the power of AI to track marketing efforts and deliver data-driven decisions, meaning your brand can calculate the exact impact of digital advertising on your marketing budget. Get ready to discover a whole new level of insight into your marketing plan, your demographic, and your company’s identity as you monitor outcomes.
It’s a new year, and your marketing approach needs to evolve in tandem with the ever-shifting landscape of advertising trends. By the end of 2024, emerging technology will enable your brand to streamline operations with AI and appeal to a younger demographic with VR and AR.
Your brand can find success in today’s oversaturated digital market by embracing performance-based marketing and other unconventional approaches. Time-honored trends like corporate social responsibility, engaging short-form videos, and experiential marketing will continue to help your brand interact with consumers on a deeper level.
Ray Sheehan is the founder of Old City Media.
2024 Trends stock image by Thapana_Studio/Shutterstock
