5 Digital Marketing Trends that will Dominate in 2024
With 2024 on the imminent horizon, it’s a perfect time to take a look at your digital marketing strategies and think about what is working for you and what isn’t. Decluttering isn’t just for the home! As the new year begins, take the opportunity to reflect on which strategies you want to continue putting time and effort into, which ones to perhaps put on hold for now, and which new strategies might deserve your attention. We know you are busy growing your business, so we curated for you a list of the top digital marketing trends for 2024 that we believe will take center stage in the coming year.
1. Voice Search
As technology evolves, people are more heavily relying upon voice search functions on a variety of devices, including phones, laptops, and AI home devices like Amazon’s Echo product line. This means you need to make sure to tailor your SEO key phrases to fit a voice search, as well as a search typed into a search engine. Voice searches tend to be wordier, which has led the move away from single keywords into key phrases and even sentences.
2. Conversational Marketing
When a consumer visits a website these days, they are often met with a little virtual assistant box ready and waiting to answer their questions in an instant. Chatbots have proven to be effective in the past, and their AI-technology is only going to get more sophisticated. They provide a valuable service by chatting with website visitors and answering their specific questions, directing them to the exact services or information they need. Used to their full capabilities, chatbots can guide a user through the entire marketing funnel, from learning about a product or service to actually purchasing or signing up. Consumers have come to expect this experience, as it allows them to get the information they need without having to spend the time and energy calling the business itself. If you want to increase your conversion rate, chatbots are a great way to do it.
3. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Whether we like it or not, AI is becoming more and more prevalent in many fields, including digital marketing. Programs like Chat GPT and Open AI are being used with increasing frequency to accomplish all sorts of tasks. They can be used as a way to search for information, popular hashtags, keywords, and other helpful elements of content creation, with the caveat that every bit of information you receive from AI should be fact checked. There are many aspects of copywriting and content creation that AI can’t do–or can’t do well. We’ve all seen the oddly-distorted images AI has put out or the stilted writing with some misinformation sprinkled in. It is not meant to replace the talented writing and graphic design professionals in the field who can infuse creativity and emotion into a project in a way that AI can’t. That said, AI is becoming more sophisticated by the day and is definitely something that should be in a marketer’s toolbox.
4. Ethical Practices and Sustainability
More and more, consumers today are concerned with where their products are coming from and what a company’s ethics are. When advertising a brand, it’s not only important to talk about their services, but also about if they use sustainable products, if their work is environmentally-friendly, and if their attitudes and practices are generally ethical. It’s important to highlight the values of a company in addition to what the company can offer its clientele.
5. Augmented Reality (AR)
A more recent development, but becoming ever more popular, are augmented reality experiences on websites. This means being able to virtually try on clothing or accessories, virtually try out furniture or decor products in your home, or any other virtual experience of a service a company offers. As this technology becomes more widespread, we will be seeing even more of it on brand websites.
Thump Local Keeps You Up To Date With Digital Marketing Trends for 2024
At Thump Local, we always strive to stay up to date on the latest trends, and we make sure to keep our clients up to date, as well. Digital marketing, like many fields, is ever-evolving and we are always paying attention to what the most effective tool is that’s coming on the horizon. We are keeping a careful eye on these digital marketing trends for 2024!