The Future of Digital Marketing: Trends to Watch Out for in 2024

It’s no secret that the landscape of digital marketing is ever-changing as new trends surface almost constantly. In this time of new trends and fast-paced media, it can be easy to become overwhelmed while trying to keep up and maximize your business’s presence online, grow a following and maintain engagement.

As we approach 2024, there are several new and popular trends to implement into your digital marketing strategy. While these trends may present challenges to digital marketing on the surface, they also offer new and fresh opportunities to maximize your reach and connect with your target audience.

Here are five trends to watch out for as we start our new year:

AI-Powered Personalization and Content  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) made great strides in 2023, becoming a force to be reckoned with in the marketing world. As we head into 2024, it is important to understand just how much AI will continue to come into play in the new year.

Targeted ads, which have been in use for a few years now, will become even more personalized and prevalent as AI algorithms become more sophisticated and accurate. These algorithms will allow marketers to use AI to analyze innumerable amounts of data to accurately predict consumer behavior and habits.

Now, instead of merely recommending products based on a person’s interests and/or search history, digital marketers will be able to create emails, advertisements and products that connect directly with those in their target audience, creating a more personalized experience that connects the brand to the audience.

AI will not only help digital marketers create a more personalized experience for their target audience, but it will also allow marketers to create content at the drop of a hat.

Programs like ChatGPT and AI-powered apps on creative spaces like Photoshop and Canva will allow marketers to cut their work time in half as AI can help create blog posts, graphics, photos and more based on the user’s desired outcome.

AI, however, should be approached with caution, as these programs do not create original work, but rather pull from work and already in existence. Because of this, users should be careful when using the tool to ensure they aren’t plagiarizing or stealing someone else’s work.

AI also does not fact-check, so users must be careful to fact-check any written work they are using that originated with AI.

 We at Personalized Creative think AI is a great tool, but it is indeed a tool, not a replacement for marketing teams.

Voice Search Optimization

Instead of just texting, it’s becoming increasingly popular to send voice memos to a friend or utilize voice text. Many often use voice-powered features like Siri or Alexa to ask about the weather, the results of a sports game or to play a favorite song.

In the same way, voice search optimization is going to become more popular in 2024, and it is predicted that even in the first few months of 2024, a significant portion of those searching for information online or on social media will be conducting these searches through voice commands.

Now, adjusting SEO strategies to fit voice search is imperative to your brand. To accomplish this, marketers will need to change SEO from generic keywords to “conversational queries” and provide the answers to the questions the audience is asking.

For example, instead of only using SEO keywords such as “travel,” utilize conversational “long-tail” keywords such as “traveling in Rome,” “things to do in Seoul,” “best places to shop in Paris,” etc.

Adjusting your business to fit this new model of searching information is vital to maintaining reach and visibility on the Internet and social media.

Explosion of Short Form Video Content

Video marketing on a variety of platforms has been a powerful force on social media and business advertising spaces for the past few years, but it is predicted to grow and make a more staggering impact in 2024, with some changes.

As attention spans are becoming shorter, video content needs to follow suit. While there is a time and place for longer-form videos, the best way to connect with and grow your audience in 2024 is to strongly emphasize short video content that tells a story and grows a connection with those who view it through social media.

This can be accomplished through Instagram and Facebook reels, TikTok videos, YouTube shorts, livestream videos and more. Generic advertising videos will soon be a thing of the past, as more consumers seek personal connections with the brands and individuals they support.

Brands will need to focus on creating engaging and shareable content that very quickly captures the audience’s attention. It is recommended to create a hook in the first 2-3 seconds of a video.

Another option to capture an audience’s attention is to involve them in the video whether through a shoppable video, polls within videos, or even prompts such as, “Help me choose which product to put on the shelves” or “Which color should I paint this product?”

Ethical Marketing

Ethical marketing goes hand in hand with building a personal connection with your audience. Liking a product isn’t enough for the majority of consumers to support a brand in today’s world.

Now, consumers want to know that the brand they are supporting is ethical and staying away from practices like animal testing, cheap labor, harmful ingredients and more. Many would even say they would like to see their favorite brand supporting a cause, donating to charities or standing up for issues.

If your brand utilizes aspects of clean beauty, non-animal tested products, ethically manufactured clothing and more, use that information to further build a connection with your audience.

Being an ethical business is something to be proud of, so don’t be afraid to shout out those qualities in your marketing and social media posts. You and your audience will reap the rewards of that decision.    

Conclusion

Digital marketing advances and trends in 2024 promise to create multitudinous opportunities to connect and grow with an ever-changing audience while getting your brand’s products and vision into the hands of more people who value the tenets of your brand.

Rather than fearing these trends and changes, embracing them early in the new year is the first step to a prosperous 2024.

Contact us at Personalized Creative to work with a team of creatives and digital marketers who will help create a plan to help you stay on top of trends, create a digital marketing strategy tailored to your business and best leverage your brand.