Whether you’ve been in the digital marketing sphere for a while or have recently joined this bustling world, you’ll know that it is an ever-changing industry.
The digital marketing world moves fast and is constantly evolving, so it is important for anyone looking to succeed, whether it be paid advertising, SEO, social media or email marketing, to stay on the ball when it comes to trends and the latest developments.
Trends in 2024 which we will explore further in this article are set to include:
- Rise of AI marketing tools
- Emergence of new social platforms
- Release of Google’s Search Generative Engine
- Integrated Campaign Creation
Here at Bigg, our team is constantly developing and sharpening their digital marketing skills, so we have put together our thoughts, tips and tricks for digital marketing to help you thrive in 2024 and beyond.
Key Digital Marketing Trends For 2024
Artificial Intelligence
While it first became prominent in 2023, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to continue in 2024. Resources like ChatGPT, DALL·E and Midjourney are becoming smarter by the day and are now being used by millions around the world daily.
According to the latest data put together by Exploding Topics, ChatGPT currently has around 180.5 million users, with 1.6 billion visits in December 2023. In December 2022, the number of visits only numbered 266 million.
These tools will continue to be popular, but 2024 will mark many businesses embracing the use of specific AI marketing tools that will help to increase efficiency and achieve results.
Searches regarding learning about AI increased by over 550% from 2022 to 2023, and knowing how to properly utilise AI tools is now an essential part of a marketer’s repertoire.
But what can AI be used for in regard to digital marketing? Here are some popular ways it is currently being used:
- Produce text from scratch
- Edit & refine existing text
- Think of ideas
- Generate & edit images
- Create responses to messages & requests
- Create strategies
- Analyse websites
Sound like things that could help you out? Here are some examples of AI marketing tools to keep an eye on that can perform some of the above tasks.:
- Jaspar AI – Jasper AI is an easy-to-use tool for creating copy in a range of tones and styles. As will all copy generated by AI it definitely requires polishing by human copywriters afterwards to ensure its success, but is a great tool for initial drafts.
- Surfer SEO – Ideal for those wanting to rank higher on search engines, Surfer SEO can help you create copy aimed at ranking – assessing and scouring content based on a number of ranking factors.
- Originality AI – If you’re wary of plagiarism and content being detected as AI, use Originality AI. It is a tool that allows you to see if a piece of content passes as human. You can run your own content through it, or test if other pieces of copy are AI-generated.
- Lexica Art – This AI image generator can help you create images for your content. Be warned though, customers may be able to easily spot AI art, which can cause them to not engage with a potential client.
- Headlime – Creating compelling landing pages can be key to digital marketing, and Headlime can help you design the perfect landing page to increase conversions.
- Fullstory – If you’re keen to track a user journey, check our Fullstory. It uses AI to track a customer as they visit your site so you can see exactly what is working and what needs improvement.
- Influencity – Influencer marketing has become a major trend in recent years, and Influencity allows companies to assess and contact influencers as well as collaborate and track effectiveness.
However, it should be noted that soon search engines like Google might crack down on what they deem AI-generated content, so balancing these tools while retaining a human touch will be the best way to succeed in 2024. AI tools should always be used as a helpful addition to your services, and not replace them entirely!
A recent survey by Hootsuite states that around 62% of consumers are less likely to engage with content if they know it was made by AI. It is important to know your audience to understand their perception of AI and tailor your use of it to fit them.
New Social Platforms
While all the current social platforms continue to be popular (Facebook, X, TikTok etc.), as marketers we must always be on the lookout for any new social media that launches, to ensure our presence is felt across platforms.
Here are some of the most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2024, ranked by monthly active users:
- Facebook – 3049 Million
- YouTube – 2491 Million
- Instagram – 2000 Million
- TikTok – 1562 Million
- Snapchat – 750 Million
- X – 619 Million
- Pinterest – 482 Million
While these are a selection of what has maintained popularity over the last few years, one of the key platforms that is gaining traction is Threads, which Meta launched last summer. It was launched as a rival and alternative to X and has seen a rise in engagement recently as brands get set to position themselves there going forward in 2024.
While still yet to make a massive impact amongst social media users, Meta is still pushing it as much as they can, so it could see more of a rise in popularity throughout this year and if you want to be ahead of the curve, consider opening an account.
LinkedIn is another platform that has experienced exponential growth over the last few years and continues to rise, hitting a billion members worldwide in 2023 (why not give Bigg a follow on LinkedIn?). They do not publish monthly active user statistics, but a billion is an extremely impressive number to reach regardless of active users.
You are probably already targeting LinkedIn if you are a B2B or even a B2C company, but pouring more time and resources into LinkedIn in 2024 will be vital for your business to grow as it is a platform that users are very confident in, and one of the keys to marketing in 2024 is to acknowledge which platforms work well for your business to help guarantee a strong return on investment.
A recent poll into platform and brand confidence has revealed the following statistics about brand confidence, which should help to inform you which platforms to prioritise:
- LinkedIn – 70% Confident
- Instagram – 68% Confident
- Facebook – 62% Confident
- TikTok – 50% Confident
- Reddit – 43% Confident
- X – 30% Confident
Google’s Search Generative Engine
Google is transforming search with their Search Generative Engine (SGE), which will act as a replacement/enhancement to featured snippets. This program’s goal is to provide more relevant information to users using generative AI.
This may have a huge impact on search, as it could decrease click-through rates for websites not included in the generative AI section, which can affect your SEO performance.
A study by Authoritas even mentioned a search query with 37 new visible URLs above the organic rankings. Content must adapt to try and appear in this section whenever possible.
As we mentioned earlier, this has to do with creating content that gets people talking about and sharing it, so using AI-generated content can detract from this as it can lack a human touch.
Google’s EAT framework has existed for over a decade now, but now Google has added another E to make it EEAT, now standing for:
- E – Experience
- E – Expertise
- A – Authoritativeness
- T – Trustworthiness
The new E, experience, is a result of more AI-driven content appearing online. However, AI cannot generate the real-world experience that comes with a human touch so in 2024 you need to prove you have this experience to help stand out from your competitors.
Google will also be rolling out further generative AI tools into Google Ads but as with all AI, you need to be wary and use it as an assistant to what you are doing, rather than using it to completely overhaul what you are doing.
The Importance Of Integrated Campaign Creation
In this overstuffed world of marketing, a customer is much less likely to simply pick your product or service online and automatically convert. There are plenty of factors that will go into a customer decision, such as the cost of services, reliability of the company and much more.
The best way to demonstrate value and establish trust with a potential customer is through an integrated marketing campaign. It can help to create a seamless experience for potential customers as well as retain existing customers.
The average online user logs in to around 6 or 7 platforms each month, so it is important to maintain a presence across as many channels as possible. And maintaining is the key word here, as you want to continually make an impact on a potential customer across these channels.
Services to consider when creating an integrated marketing strategy can include:
- SEO
- Email Marketing
- Paid Advertising
- Social Media
- Email Marketing
The Marketing service you are using should not be treated as separate entities but united to create one experience that sends similar messaging across multiple channels. Using an integrated campaign allows you to offer personalised experiences and journeys, which can lead to more revenue and customer interaction.
How Can Bigg Help You
Here at Bigg, we are an experienced team of digital innovators who are committed to providing results-driven digital marketing services. We do this using a scientific and bespoke approach that will allow you to utilise an integrated campaign that will improve results and increase your profitability.
Here are some of the different digital marketing approaches we can use to help you thrive in 2024 and beyond.
SEO & Content Writing
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has always been a thriving digital marketing tool, helping you to rank on search engines organically by optimising existing content and crafting new content.
Ranking higher on search engines will make potential customers searching for topics surrounding your business easily find you, as people are most likely to click on the first few results of a search. SEO services can get you into those first few results with content writing as a conduit to do this.
Successful SEO Example:
Trying to figure out which makeup products work for you? You might end up searching terms like below:
- How to choose the perfect lipstick?
- How to apply lip liner
- Makeup for dark and black hair
Classic search terms like this can be honed in on using SEO services to create content that will rank higher. All three of those search terms are actual blog titles by makeup company Charlotte Tilbury, whose blog section (smartly Charlotte’s World) is a perfect example of SEO in action.
It is full of articles that are aimed to appear higher on search results and packed full of useful links and tips to direct traffic around the site and lead to conversions.
Bigg can help you design and implement this kind of strategy, putting your content in front of people when they search for specific information.
Paid Advertising
Paid advertising, also known by many as paid ads, is a great way of placing your business directly in front of the people that you use by running precise advertising campaigns. You can target relevant audiences and demographics, optimising these campaigns to ensure the best return on investment.
Successful Paid Ads Example:
When people are sick, they typically turn to a search engine instead of a doctor. A Kleenex ad campaign realises this, and analyses search trends related to colds and flu to help to predict when flu outbreaks might occur. They then aimed paid ads at these regions, which led to a massive increase in sales during cold and flu season.
Bigg can help to delve deep into demographics and audiences to place your ads in front of those where conversions are the most likely.
Social Media
Social media advertising involves running ad campaigns that can engage audiences and create conversions across various platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Pinterest.
In this modern age where most people are constantly on social media, this is an easy way to reach audiences, with ads and posts tailored specifically to certain platforms and demographics.
Successful Social Media Example:
Do you remember when the International House of Pancakes, otherwise known as IHOP, randomly teased a new logo that read IHOb instead? The social media campaign took the world by storm as people tried to guess what was happening.
It created thousands of impressions online and drove sales up for what was eventually an announcement that they would also be serving burgers as well as pancakes.
Successful social campaigns get people talking and engaging with your brand, which is exactly what Bigg can help you to do.
Email Marketing
One of the oldest forms of digital marketing is email marketing, which puts advertisements right in front of a customer in their inbox. Emails can be used to attract new customers and re-engage with existing customers who have not purchased a product or service in a while.
However, with the rise of privacy policies and the ability to easily block senders, it is more important than ever to craft quality emails that will engage a customer.
Successful Email Marketing Example:
One of the biggest email marketing campaigns that gets the world talking each year is Spotify Wrapped. Subscribers receive emails leading up to the event with teasers of their yearly listening data, and then when the day comes receive personalised emails with their statistics.
Spotify Wrapped is a great example of an integrated marketing campaign, as it also uses social media and physical advertising to promote the event.
Thrive In 2024 With Bigg
If you’re after results-driven digital marketing that can help your business develop and grow, get in touch with Bigg today. We operate less like an agency and more like a partner, working to craft a digital marketing package expertly tailored to your business goals.
We can offer a totally customisable package when it comes to digital marketing, including assisting with content writing, email marketing, social management, branding, paid advertising, digital PR and SEO services.
If you’re ready to take your digital marketing to the next level in 2024 and beyond, get in touch with us to talk through your requirements with one of our innovative digital marketing experts!
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