In recent years, the world of digital marketing has undergone a massive shift. With shifting consumer behaviors and new technologies, brands must keep up with these ever changing digital marketing trends to stay ahead of the curve and capture their intended audience. From adapting to the rise of mobile device usage and TikTok to new ways to utilize virtual reality, there are several digital marketing trends of 2024 that are making a significant impact.
Top Digital Marketing Trends of 2024
To gain more insight into the top digital marketing trends of 2024, we reached out to industry experts to share their take. From chief marketing officers and CEOs to business owners, we gained insight into how these digital marketing trends are impacting the way brands need to strategize and adapt. Read on to learn about some of the most impactful digital marketing trends and how they are shifting the industry.
- Short Form Video
- Utilizing Virtual And Augmented Reality
- Adopting A Mobile-First Approach
- Personalization And Consumer-Brand Relationships
- NFTs
- Influencer Marketing
- Trust and Privacy
- Content is King (Still!)
Short Form Videos
One of the most notable digital marketing trends is the rise of short-form videos. There are many great reasons to use video marketing in your marketing strategy, especially in 2024. With a video-focused shift on social media platforms, largely influenced by TikTok, bite-sized videos are the latest trend in digital marketing. Let’s take a look at what these industry experts had to say about this digital marketing trend.
Mathew Rincon
Mathew Rincon is the Founder of DigiCoffee, a digital marketing agency based that helps to manage and optimize paid media ad campaigns for small businesses in Florida.
“TikTok for organic & paid marketing: TikTok has surpassed YouTube with the longest time on the platform, and every generation has migrated to the platform at this point. As the TikTok algorithm gets better, so will the ability to market.
Certain generations feel the platform is not for them, but those late movers are slowly adopting the platform and short video content style that is now popular as Reels on Instagram and Shorts on YouTube. Ad dollars are moving from Facebook & YouTube to TikTok as user attention moves to the platform and as Gen Z enters the workforce and begins to have more purchasing power.”
Rahul Mohanachandran
Rahul Mohanachandran is the founder and Head of Marketing of Kasera, a UK based furniture comparison platform.
“One of the growing trends this year in digital marketing will be short-form video marketing. With TikTok and Instagram Reel gaining much popularity with millions of videos getting posted on social media it is important for brands to make use of these channels to reach and engage with their audience. Even though short-form videos were limited to brand awareness campaigns and educational content so far we expect them to shift towards being used as a tool to sell products and services online.”
Adam Wood
Adam Wood is the Co-Founder of RevenueGeeks, a website that provides helpful tools and advice about how to navigate Amazon and e-commerce.
“From my perspective, TikTok has replaced status updates and curated photo grids with short video posts. Other platforms quickly followed, with Instagram debuting Reels and Youtube focusing on ‘shorts.’ These short movies show the necessity for straightforward messages or entertaining material that invites us to participate—whether it’s learning a new dance, or joining a challenge, or doing surveys and polls. The beautiful thing about these short videos is that anyone can make one on their phone. Younger customers desire raw, behind-the-scenes, DIY, authentic tales and less polished video material.”
Utilizing Virtual And Augmented Reality
As new technologies emerge, consumers are looking to interact with brands to deliver in ways that use it. Two technologies that have heavily influenced the way brands need to deliver are virtual and augmented reality. Both of these technologies provide brands with new and innovative ways to deliver experiences to consumers, making them key marketing trends for companies to stay on top of. These two industry experts explain these new technologies and how they are impacting the way brands market in a noisy marketplace.
Josh Pelletier
Josh Pelletier is the Chief Marketing Officer of BarBend, a media outlet focused on helping people live stronger, healthier lifestyles through well-informed fitness content.
“Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are likely the newest digital marketing trends, according to me. AR consists of computer-generated images added to your view of the real world, whereas VR consists of computer-generated images that take over your visual field and allow you to interact with them in a manner that replicates the natural world. Virtual reality requires special glasses to shut out natural vision, making computer-generated visuals appear genuine. 360-degree films aid real estate agencies by virtually displaying homes to prospective buyers. The vehicle business, on the other hand, utilizes the technology to provide prospective purchasers with test drives in the comfort of their own homes.
Although the progress has been modest, augmented reality and virtual reality are currently hot issues in marketing circles. The manner in which augmented reality appears poised to take over changing rooms, particularly in the fast fashion business, may be very close to becoming a reality.”
Rakhi Oswal
Rakhi Oswal is the Digital Marketing Manager & Founder of Edrio, an online athleisure clothing store.
“According to the present trends, I feel the dominance of AI will be the most prominent trend in digital marketing. Thanks to Metaverse, the digital world is going crazy with limitless expectations from augmented and virtual reality. The immersive technology of the Metaverse is challenging to take up users’ attention and engagement with a possible new set of performance metrics. I visualize all types of small and medium businesses experimenting with virtual objects to take up the virtual space created by AI technology and immersive technology. AI has already made a strong presence with Chatbots being used widely, which will witness growth in the future.”
Adopting A Mobile-First Approach
In an increasingly mobile world, it is important that marketers are meeting consumers where they are spending the most time – on their mobile devices. With mobile device usage at an all time high, with an estimated 7 billion users in 2022, brands must adapt by ensuring that their optimizing their online presence for mobile screens. By doing so, marketers can increase user experience on mobile devices, allowing them to connect with consumers where it matters most. Let’s take a look at what one CEO had to say about how and why to prioritize a mobile-friendly approach.
Mark Daoust
Mark Daoust is the CEO of Quiet Light, a company devoted to helping entrepreneurs buy and sell their internet businesses.
“Prioritize Mobile-Friendly Content: We live in a digital world where smartphones and tablets are used for everything. In fact, most people use their cell phones more than their desktops to browse the web. This means it’s more crucial than ever to implement a mobile-first marketing strategy if you want to increase your rank in search engines. You should optimize your website to automatically adjust for a smartphone screen. Ensure smartphone users can easily access all your website content, just as they would on a computer. Think about adding accelerated mobile pages to make your load speeds faster for mobile users.”
Personalization And Consumer-Brand Relationships
Another important marketing trend that marketers must adapt to is the need for greater personalization and targeted messaging. In a digital world that is flooded with content and advertising, consumer behaviors and preferences have begun to shift. Consumer are looking to connect with the brands they buy from on a deeper level, demanding more personalization when it comes to messaging and brand experience. Because of this, knowing how to truly engage and connect with your audience is crucial now more than ever. Here’s what two industry experts had to say about this digital marketing trend.
Samuel DeCroes
Samuel DeCroes is the President of Stock Trend Alerts, a website dedicated to helping investors generate returns by providing insight into today’s hottest stocks and financial news.
“Personalization will be important in 2024. Rather than generating catch-all content in the intention of appealing to as many people as possible, creating targeted advertising that caters to your demographic will yield more beneficial results. But it’s not simply the material that needs to be perfect. In an oversaturated landscape, ensuring your audience receives those advertisements at the proper time and place is critical to engagement.
Understanding the platforms your audience utilizes and how they use them allows you to design customized messaging for each demographic. This will ensure that your message reaches the proper target in the most appealing way possible, making your ad spend go further and potentially leading to improved customer loyalty.
Not only should you adjust your marketing efforts to each social media platform, but you should also consider diverse locales and cultural connotations, even if you’re offering the same product. Because customers viewing your ad at several touchpoints will be lured by different content, at various times, and in various ways. Believe us when we say that it is well worth the time and effort to make your audience feel noticed and understood.”
Kevin MRC
Kevin is a professional travel blogger at Kevmrc.com, where he shares travel guides, planning tips, and other travel content with over 800,000 readers.
“People leave a lot of information online, in return, many of us look for hyper-targeted personalization. While talking about digital marketing, we can’t exclude this marketing strategy. People usually want to see the exact content that they desire at the exact time they need it. This means that digital marketers have to personalize their marketing message and deliver it at the right moment.
The good news is that there are a lot of marketing tools that make this possible by allowing automatized personalization whether it’s advertising with Google ads or sending welcome emails via Mailchimp. When creating social media ads, I not only target my followers but also focus on the different types of customers that might be interested in my product, and create ad sets tailored to their preferences. However, I have to be careful while creating personalized messages. People like relevant ads, but might freak out if you show them how much you know about their preference.”
Jenny Ly
Jenny Ly is a professional travel blogger and entrepreneur at Go Wanderly, a website that offers an extensive collection of travel guides.
“Trends can come and go in the marketing world just as quickly as they do in fashion, tech, or pop culture. But it’s easy enough to stay ahead of the game. Interactive content, in my opinion, will be the most impactful digital marketing trend in 2024.
The concept of having a relationship with a company is developing as social media continues to connect customers and the brands they buy from on exciting new levels. Yes, your customers desire a more personal relationship with you. People, however, are looking for content experiences that go beyond traditional text, regardless of how snappy that information may be. For a long time, interactive content has been one of the fastest-growing marketing trends, and this trend is expected to continue beyond 2024. Keep your audience engaged with unique, immersive marketing materials that invite them to participate in the experience. This provides consumers with the personal connection, engagement, and freshness they seek in branded content.”
NFTs
An NFT, or non-fungible token, is a financial security that consists of a digital asset stored in a blockchain. So how are these impacting the digital marketing world? Brands have found ways to use NFTs to engage with consumers in an entirely new way, utilizing these digital assets to promote new products, drive brand awareness, and overall incorporate into campaigns. Let’s take a look at what these three marketing experts had to say about this digital marketing trend.
Sara Johansson
Sarah Johansson is the Customer Success Manager at Onsiter, a company that offers solutions and tools that support businesses of all sizes in finding, hiring, and managing consultants.
“Non-Fungible Tokens are tradeable digital assets. Each NFT includes a unique token indicating that you are the owner of the original NFT. NFTs have disturbed the art and technology worlds, but they are now beginning to penetrate the marketing industry.
Free NFTs are presented as prizes in a raffle for their primary marketing objectives. For instance, Marriott Bonvoy arranged a raffle in which the winners received their own NFT as well as 200,000 Bonvoy points.
Only luxury businesses, such as Adidas, Marriott, etc., have utilized this kind of digital marketing effort. Once an increasing number of brands employ NFTs as a marketing tool, the growth and prospects will be limitless.”
Tim Parker
Tim Parker is the Director of Marketing at Syntax Integration, a UK based award winning company that works to provide IT solutions to businesses.
“Even if you don’t invest in cryptocurrency, the rise of online currencies and NFTs has been difficult to ignore in recent years. On the surface, it may not appear to be a trend that will have an impact on your marketing strategy—but that’s not the kind of passive thinking we’re looking for in 2024!
With social networks such as Twitter taking measures to integrate cryptocurrency payments and a growing trend for display tools that highlight in-app NFT purchases, now is the time to evaluate how your business can get on board. Facebook is already advocating the use of NFT display options and avatars, and we expect to see more firms follow suit.
With NFTs and bitcoin, the focus is on how to sell the brand beyond products and services, and potentially the brand itself and the ethos it represents.”
Marco Genaro Palma
Marco Genaro Palma is a Web Developer and SEO Manager of PRLab, a PR agency operating in Amsterdam, Stockholm and Munich.
“The digital world has been swiftly taking over the spotlight, with Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) becoming more and more important. It is expected that they will also infiltrate the digital marketing world. Businesses will make use of NFTs to be able to match communities’ interests and make their target audience associate a line of NFTs with their brand. That way people would have a long lasting memory of their experience, and link their NFT to the experience. This is undoubtedly a trend worth following, as it will keep appearing in different industries.”
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has been a rising trend in recent years, and remains steadily climbing today. According to Collabstr, an influencer marketing platform, influencer marketing is projected to grow to be a $15 billion in 2022. That’s over double what the market size was in 2019! So why is influencer marketing growing so fast and why should brands care? These two experts share their insight into this digital marketing trend.
Clint Sanchez
Clint Sanchez is the owner of BlakSheep Creative, Baton Rouge’s leading digital marketing agency.
“I think that the digital marketing trend that will have the most significant impact this year is influencer marketing. Why? Look at the success of TikTok. The influencers on that platform have tremendous sway over their large followings. They can make or break a product.
They are also very relatable and trustworthy to their fans. And they are everywhere. You can find them on every social media platform, from YouTube to Instagram to Snapchat. This means that brands need to start paying attention to influencer marketing and partnering with influencers that align with their values.
Done right, influencer marketing can be a powerful tool to reach new audiences and drive conversions. It’s an investment that I think will pay off big time for brands this year.”
Sofia Morales
Sofia Morales is the Chief Marketing Officer of MediaPeanut, the ultimate source for information on computers, tablets, mobile devices, streaming, and more.
“As a digital marketing expert and as CMO of MediaPeanut, there are many trends that have changed the marketing landscape since last year. But to focus on one particular aspect, as social media use is expected to further expand this year, let me focus on Influencer Marketing. I see online marketing trends come and go in my close to a decade experience in Digital Marketing. And for 2024, I only see a huge growth potential for conversion if online marketers place their cards on Micro Influencers and platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Marketers should target not the usual big time influencers with huge following in social media that usually have huge payouts and contracts to act as brand ambassadors of the company. Big time influencers being tapped for marketing campaigns are no longer in demand and often disconnected from their followers. They have millions in followers and signed huge contracts in the past but brands have noticed that partnerships with them do not translate into sales. Their millions of followers are often too many and diverse that it is quite difficult to reach out. What brands are looking for in 2024 are the micro-influencers.
Micro-influencers are social media users who fall inside the 3,000-100,000 followers/subscriber bracket, and in specific niches like pets, cooking, beauty/makeup, finance/investing often do not have a huge following as the biggest TikTok or IG stars. But why are brands shifting campaigns to them? As someone who has seen the growth of this industry, I see micro-influencers as having none of the millions in subscribers in Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other social media but their effectiveness as endorsers are proven effective by many brands. As digital marketers, we see them as the most profitable and promising because they attract a more engaged audience and are cost-effective as brands try to tighten the budget due to the pandemic.
The influencer marketing industry has also changed metrics from the number of subscribers to actual data-driven insights and engagements that are easily converted into sales. Brands and commercial retailers are now more willing to work with micro-influencers because they are affordable and are seen by their engaged audience as authentic and personal than the bigger and well-established influencers in the industry.”
Trust and Privacy
In recent years, consumers have began to grow more aware of how brands are collecting their data online. With this, they are becoming increasingly weary of this data collection, which has an impact on how marketers must work to protect the privacy of consumers and instill trust within them. Even Google has enacted major shifts due to this concern, announcing a shift towards a cookieless world. With consumers looking for a greater degree of privacy and changing tracking abilities, marketers must adapt and learn how to protect consumers in order to build trust. Here’s what one eCommerce specialist had to say about this digital marketing trend.
Michael Hess
Michael Hess is the eCommerce Strategy Lead at Code Signing Store, a company that helps companies digitally sign software, code, and applications to foster greater trust within consumers.
“Consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of the content they are being targeted with as a result of the overabundance of digital advertising. As a result, digital marketers should brace themselves for stronger privacy regulations (which continues privacy regulations of the past few years), which will change the way they may track their consumers’ behavior. Google has declared that it will phase out third-party cookies by 2023. This means that many marketers and advertisers will have to rethink their methods in 2024 and beyond.
However, data-driven content and marketing are not dead. It is also not the end of tailored advertising. If you want to put a good spin on the demise of digital marketing monopolies as we know them, consider this: it’s the start of a new era of trust and transparency between firm and consumer. Inform customers about the kind of data you are collecting and why. Make it simple and quick to opt-out at any time. And don’t collect more information than you need. As previously said, customers are more interested in keeping it real than ever before; embracing this new trend of digital marketing is sure to create excellent outcomes for your customer interactions.”
Content is King (Still!)
“Content is king” is a quote you’ve likely heard flooding the digital marketing world for decades, thanks to Bill Gates. This still rings true in 2024, however, marketers now more than ever need to consider the quality of their content. Generating content for your brand’s website and digital presence is important for a variety of reasons, from bringing SEO value to creating quality ways to connect with your audience. Here’s what two digital marketing experts had to say about why content is skill king.
Cynthia Spiers
Cynthia Spiers is the Head of Content, Product, and Digital Marketing at Acrolinx, a company that uses AI-powered software to generate content.
“Digital marketing is fueled by digital content. Digital content is one of the most important assets that businesses use to build relationships with customers. It creates a first impression with your audience. It ignites their interest. And it fuels their journey to becoming a repeat customer. Digital content is pivotal to the success of your business. It strengthens your brand, establishes your thought leadership, and supports marketing departments in their efforts to create and retain revenue.
So it’s not surprising that one of the biggest digital marketing trends is to focus on content impact. In the past, marketers focused less on the quality and purpose of content, and instead prioritized creation efficiency and cost savings at the expense of audience impact.
The keyword above is impact. Impactful content is valuable. Impactful content resonates with your audience. Impactful content educates your audience. Impactful content drives your audience to take action. What’s the desired impact of your content? And how do you measure if your content meets that expectation? In almost all cases, we develop content with “completion” in mind, not “impact.” The need to launch content outweighs the need to make sure the content is built to deliver business results.
The majority of enterprises spend considerable amounts of budget to make their content findable, through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and driving people to that content, through pay-per-click (PPC) programs. But if that content isn’t clear, consistent, in brand tone of voice, and using the right language, it won’t deliver the desired or expected results.
Simply put — poorly written content won’t further your objectives. This means that impactful content is the main path to connection. Content needs to be audience-aligned and fit — so it’s ready to perform and deliver the right results. Companies use Enterprise Content Impact Platforms to increase the performance and impact of their content touchpoints. ECIPs capture a wide range of a company’s content guidelines and then align written content with them. They also provide analytics on the content creation process, and create a direct connection between how content is written and how it performs.”
Paula Glynn
Paula Glynn is the Director of Search Marketing & Digital Strategy of Pixelstorm, an Australia based digital marketing agency.
“Quality over quantity as an organic approach to content strategy is a digital marketing trend that is becoming more important this year. The days when keyword stuffing was considered good are behind us, and a solid SEO strategy that first and foremost considers the intent is key to a successful content strategy.
This trend is important because an exceptional customer experience is essential in today’s climate. Creating content around a keyword that’s relevant to the audience is the most important. Context is crucial: do you answer real customer questions? Are they relevant to your brand? If you base your content on searcher intent, then you’ll see the impact in the number of customers and conversions.”
It is important for digital marketers to stay on top these marketing trends of 2024 in order to most effectively and efficiently reach their audience. By adapting to changing trends and utilizing the newest technologies, brands can stay ahead of the curve and reap the benefits that the changing marketing landscape has to offer. By utilizing these marketing trends, along with the insight that these experts had to offer, marketers can be better prepared to remain competitive and continue to grow.
