Feeling trendy for 2024

As an agency, we often get asked about what this year’s marketing trends will be and it’s a tricky one to answer. Looking back over the last year Threads came in like a steam train and kind of left, TikTok was losing its way, but it has firmly risen to the top, podcasts were growing and now the market is crowded… let’s not even go near the GA4 wreckage that wasn’t so bad.

Here at Gravity Digital, we keep on top of the latest technologies, growth curves and trends so brace yourself for Sharon’s top tips for keeping your head in marketing for 2024.

Integrating AI, it’s not going anywhere but try and tame the beast

Obvious I know but I had to say it. There is no getting away with the fact that there is a huge shift in marketeers turning towards AI, especially when it comes to automation. Introducing chatbots and automating messaging seem to be sweeping many of our interactions with brands, but ‘beware’, brands that only rely on AI for their customer interaction run the risk of sending people in a spin.

This year the growth of AI will be pivotal, and the future does look very exciting as there is so much it can achieve, but don’t let it replace the human! Leave AI and AR to those industries that can easily embrace it such as banking, manufacturing and retail. Creating blogs by scraping other people’s work is not a good idea and tech companies who created these platforms will be almost certainly looking at the implications and regulations that surround such work. Good content comes from research, opinion, and knowledge and that can’t be created purely by robots.

AI will find its place, but it is still early. We embrace many aspects of AI but certainly not all – just yet – we like humans too much to replace everything with technology!

Video and animation – getting shorter but more frequent in 2024

Creating short-form videos for sharing on social media has never been so easy thanks to platforms improving their software to make it accessible, selfishly for them to help maintain engagement and users in the competitive and fast-paced world of social media.

Last year the rise, stagger and rise again of TikTok has opened a whole new world of short and informative videos, from top tips and tricks, to behind the scenes and getting up close with real people.

TikTok and YouTube have themselves become search engines, so they are well on the radar of SEO professionals, and we are seeing a rise in traffic and engagement as a result.

Social Media is a way of life

Reaching for devices and checking social media has become a way of life, and it’s not only for the under 25’s. 2024 is the time to embrace social media at a time when many may have been thinking of quitting altogether. X, formerly blah blah, seemed to shake the social media world a little and also made some users realise that they enjoy interacting with social media and have become far more savvy than ever.

We all know that feeling when a competitor seems to be taking all the attention with social, but don’t get obsessed with them, create your own path. There is no more effective and measurable way of connecting with people than on social media, but people are constantly bombarded with content, so have a strategy for 2024 if you have never had one before, listen and also speak to audiences. Don’t just ‘spray and pray’ content, post, listen and engage. That’s the best way to make sure you get a steer on your competitors and get noticed by your customers.

Creating Communities and Communicating Culture

This year is a time for brands in every industry to understand their own culture and values and weave these into all communications. We talk about influencers quite a lot and this is basically what they do to build their brand, so become your own influencer.

Having good morals, values and a culture that are easy to understand is something that customers want as we move into a year where trust has never been so important. Customers in every sector are increasingly influenced by recommendations so move aside AI and think of UG content (user-generated).

Sustainability

Have a good approach to sustainability, this is something that many consumers now will make purchase decisions on. They want to know about your environmental policies, your view as a brand on the environment and they want to feel good about it too, even the fact that you are thinking about the future.

Smaller Brands will win if they get it right

Online searches through Google, Bing and Social Media (LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and FB) are bigger than ever before and these platforms will punish brands if you don’t get it right. In 2024 search engine marketing should be a crucial part of your marketing strategy. Looking at figures can help, but really understanding and analysing keywords, how they are used and what their intention is are key to understanding trends in your sector and how to translate those into actions.

There is no better time for businesses to review their digital strategy and content to ensure that it shows up where their customers are, with the authority to stay ahead. 

Then there are the things that will never change –

• PR and editorial strategy, tell your story, your way to your audiences. Get a good PR agency to help guide you through the maze of information overload.
• Photography – stock images are so obvious so think about your budgets and assign some to a good bank of your own images that you can use timelessly and also timely.
• Be available when customers ask questions, we are emotionally driven by many decisions we make when purchasing a product or service. Encourage reviews and the best marketing tool you can have, is to give a good customer experience.
• Website experiences can turn people on or off within the blink of an eye so pay attention to what you are saying and how you are saying it. Stay true to your brand.

But as we always say – the most important thing is to enjoy! Enjoy marketing it’s just brilliant!!