Get on board with these 2024 marketing trends to take your business to the next level

Five years ago, 88% of consumers¹ said they wanted to connect with, follow and make purchases from brands that push the boundaries and go beyond what is expected in traditional marketing. 

Fast forward to 2024, and those findings are truer now than ever. A recent study on customer centricity found 64% of consumers wish brands would respond faster to their changing needs². It’s important for businesses to embrace the idea that their customers are multi-dimensional with changing viewpoints (including how they see themselves) and evolving needs.

Marketing trends in 2024 will not only be about pushing traditional marketing boundaries, but also helping brands communicate with customers in a meaningful way that resonates with their needs — now and five minutes from now. Below we outline some of the latest marketing tactics your business should employ in the new year and beyond. 

While artificial intelligence or AI for marketing is a relatively new approach to content creation, the writing is on the wall. Generative AI tools — like ChatGPT, Bard and DALL·E — are used to create new content, images, code, videos, you name it. And they’re changing the marketing landscape.  

Although you can easily use AI for fun (Who doesn’t want an image of Taylor Swift on the moon or an entirely unique song created about them?), it can also generate all sorts of practical content. From helping brainstorm new products, optimizing business practices and analyzing data — to compiling customer research, breaking down nuanced data, creating personalized content and outputting graphics, when used right, generative AI delivers. 

AI: disruptive in a good or bad way? 

It can be hard to get on board with a new marketing trend, let alone disruptive technology like AI. But like most marketing trends that become standard practice, it’s important to understand how something that is pushing boundaries can turn into a benefit for your business. Disruptive marketing works when executed right.

AI or not, it’s important for your business to consider questions like: Does your marketing tell a story that resonates? How can you pique your customers’ interests? How can you be innovative and make people think differently? In addition, you must ensure your marketing is original. No one wants to digest marketing that feels duplicated. Stay true and authentic to your brand.

How did we ever search without the hands-free option of voice assistants? Today, over 60% of Americans use voice assistant across different types of devices³. It may be time to assess your website again to determine how it stacks up when it comes to voice search rankings. Making small tweaks can really enhance your online presence when customers are using voice search queries.

When it comes to talking versus typing, there are differences. When talking, we include detail and usually complete thoughts. But when it comes to typing a query, we may only enter a few words or just start our query and select from the autogenerated options.

So how can you optimize your website for voice search? Number one, make sure your site loads quickly — Siri isn’t going to wait to serve up a result. Two, target long-tail keywords conversational phrases and question words (think: how, what, why, when and where). And three, make sure your site is mobile friendly.

We hate to break it to you, but content is still king. And while it can be daunting to plan and develop content that is fresh, consistent and engaging — it’s important. Hyper-personalized content experiences are what consumers demand. Don’t let the name stress you out though, this type of super-targeted content helps you align with your potential customers’ interests, directly impacting how willing they are to engage with your business. 

Influencer marketing and user-generated content. 

To be or not to be… influenced. Authenticity is key with it comes to businesses building their online communities. People want to buy from companies they trust and feel are truly bringing something useful to the table. Leveraging content from the real world does just this. But remember, it is 2024, so you need to step up your content game. Gone are the days of simply posting pictures of happy diners’ plates of food or patients at work in a physical therapy session. You must think outside the box when it comes to sharing content.