With a new year on the horizon, we’re all thinking of how we can create the most effective marketing strategies to guide us through the next 12 months. The marketing industry is constantly changing and 2024 will undoubtedly be no exception. To help you prepare, we’ve compiled a list of our marketing predictions for 2024, from paid social to SEO, and everything in between.
1. B2B Influencers in Social Strategy
If you’re a B2B business, influencer marketing may not have historically been a huge priority for you, but after reading these recent survey results, you might want to reconsider its place in your strategy.
In 2023, a study by TopRank Marketing found that 86% of B2B brands have had success with influencer marketing. The same participants surveyed claimed that they will be dedicating a budget for influencer marketing in the upcoming year, which is a 77% increase from the previous year.
With traditional B2B marketing channels like LinkedIn opting for more personalised content since the pandemic, 2024 could be a strong year for the B2B influencer. Not only are B2B influencers great for brand awareness and credibility, but they come in all different industries and sizes.
If you’re a B2B business looking to up your social media strategy game, now may be the time to allocate budget to working with influencers. Identify both macro and micro-influencers alike, who can help spread your business’ message to an audience, in an authentic and engaging way.
2. Sustainability and Ethical Marketing
Consumers these days aren’t just interested in purchasing a product or a service, they like to have an understanding of the brand’s values before making their decision, particularly when it comes to environmental and social responsibility. This trend has led to a rise in brands promoting their own sustainability efforts and ethical practices, from more eco-friendly packaging to sourcing materials in an ethical, fair-trade way.
Sustainability has been a trend with brands for some time now, but we think that 2024 is going to be the year where marketers worldwide will think about levelling up their efforts. Many big brands have committed to net zero goals and ethical marketing is no longer just a trend: it’s a fundamental shift in consumer expectations.
In 2024, brands of all sizes should take a moment to look at the wider impact of their business and see how your marketing efforts and brand goals can be a force for positive change. This year, businesses should ensure they’re not only meeting market demands, but proactively trying to contribute to the wellbeing of the planet and our society.
3. Growing Importance of First-Party Data
As the uptake of automation and AI continues to grow, as will the importance of feeding first-party data into the machines.
Whilst the algorithms are proving to be valuable resources for many PPC accounts, advertisers will still need to ensure that accurate, reliable data is being used, none more so than through the use of first-party data.
First-party data is becoming ever more important as it allows advertisers to better optimise through data-driven decisions and also better personalise their ads. Factored this in with data collection becoming more difficult through changes to cookie regulations, and advertisers have little choice but to make use of the data they collect for themselves.
With the introduction of Google Ads Data Manager beginning to roll out in accounts, it is going to be easier for advertisers to manage their first-party data in one place. Advertisers should keep an eye out on this dropping in their accounts over the next few months.
4. Social Media Engagement Moves to Messages
2024 could be the year social media marketers have to think carefully about their messaging strategy, as users begin to move away from posting public comments and opt to share their latest updates in private messaging groups.
In a bid to keep its ad revenue coming, Meta will undoubtedly look to expand its ad options to align with the growing messaging habits, following on from its recent “Click to Message” Ad popularity. We also saw other channels expanding their messaging offering, with LinkedIn catching up with its counterparts, rolling out “Messaging” on Company Pages in late 2023.
With Meta set to be releasing AI-powered chatbots, and LinkedIn pushing “click-to-message ads,” social media marketers should keep an eye on how ‘Messaging’ factors into their wider communication strategy. Could this also be the year we see more ads popping up in Whatsapp, too? Time will tell!
5. Google Gemini - AI Leading The Way in Search
The search experience is about to change. The reason? AI, again. Gemini is already being tested in Google Search and will be rolled out in Ads and other Google products over the coming months. The multimodal large language AI model will work with all types of content to enhance the search generative experience. The main goal is to make AI more accessible, more accurate and to ultimately out perform human experts on MMLU (massive multitask language understanding).
It’s another reason to use and understand AI more. 2024 may just be the year that AI significantly enhances the way developers and enterprise customers work. Gemini will be available in Bard but is also coming to Google Pixel. Rolling out smart replies on the Gboard in WhatsApp and other apps later in the year.
Gemini has already rolled out in the US leading to 40% reduction in latency in English, making the Search Generative Experience faster for users. AI powered search results will become more common thanks to Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). Not just a gimmick, a genuine way to find what you’re looking for, faster with the help of AI. 2024 will be the year to adopt AI in your SEO strategy if you haven’t already.
6. Backlash Following The New Google Ad Interface
Whilst not currently available in all Google Ads accounts, Google is testing a new interface which is not only different in appearance, but also includes new features and existing features being moved to different locations.
Having experienced the new interface, it can be tricky to get your usual tasks done as quickly and efficiently as you’re used to. Features are in different locations and some have had their names changed completely, distributing the flow of your usual account management. It also appears to be matching GA4 in terms of design and categorisations, which again, interrupts our usual workings within the platform.
It is likely going to take advertisers a while to adjust to the interface, especially for those who do not use Google Ads all day everyday and therefore will have less hands-on experience with the new design. Whilst all advertisers will have to adjust to these changes once the new interface is rolled out to all accounts on a permanent basis, we should expect some speed bumps along the way.
7. The Rise Of Longer-Form Video Content
We’ve long been hearing that attention spans are getting shorter and short-form content is the key to success. However, 2024 could mark the beginning of a shift in video length strategy on social media platforms.
Starting with TikTok, which is set to replace its Creator Fund for the new creativity program that will involve creators only being eligible for monetising their content if it’s over 60 seconds. This longer form content will allow creators to build more authentic connections with their audience, and build on the sense of community the platform is striving for.
Users are craving more in-depth, engaging content and social media platforms are adapting to meet this new demand. This shift away from short-form video content will allow creators to go more in-depth, tell more stories and be even more authentic. 2024 could be the end of the bite-sized content era.
8. Zero Click Searches
AI technologies such as ChatGPT, SGE & Bing chatbot are just a few of the answer engines that use content to answer queries in a more conversational manner. Users can find and acquire what they’re looking for a lot quicker. That’s great, but it also means that technology is preventing users needing to visit a webpage to get an answer. Resulting in searches that receive zero clicks.
For example, type in Ncuti Gatwa into Google and you have a bio and snippet of information without even typing in a specific query. No need to click unless you’re intrigued.
Is this something to worry about? Not technically, but it does mean that as SEO evolves, Answer Engine Optimisation will be taken more seriously. Using the question section on Ahrefs and SemRush is a good place to start. Providing more content on your FAQs and using more queries in your content.
Talk to Victress About Your 2024 Marketing Strategy
2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the marketing industry, with some challenges and plenty of opportunities for growth. If you’re looking to give your marketing strategy a shake-up this year, get in touch today to book a free consultation with the Victress team.
