The digital marketing world has evolved immensely over the past year, with the introduction and enhancement of many valuable tools for the growth of businesses. Revolutionizing AI for marketing, OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT grew significantly in 2023, prompting a massive rise in AI and generative AI. As a response, Google released their own AI chatbot Bard, with an extensive dataset that generates high-quality content and has surpassed ChatGPT in less than a year. Google also shifted from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4, and their campaign type Performance Max rose to popularity by gaining several new features.
These new tools and trends that emerged in 2023 transformed the way businesses implement their strategies and content, while also hinting at the immense potential and evolution of digital marketing as a whole. With 2024 finally here, the digital marketing landscape is honing in on their predictions for what trends will arise in the next year, taking advantage of the latest developments for future campaigns.
It’s important for business owners to recognize what changes will be introduced in 2024, given that such a competitive industry relies on being two steps ahead. As consumers adapt to new levels of technology, their behaviors adapt with them, and businesses need to refine their understanding of audiences in order to push out the most effective content.
Personalized Marketing
The most game-changing shift in the digital marketing landscape is the emergence of artificial intelligence. AI chatbots, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, have pushed many businesses and brands to incorporate AI into their marketing strategies, with new updates and features being added to already existing programs in order to enhance user experience.
AI has proven itself to be incredibly useful, but one of the ways in which this technology can serve as a huge advantage to business owners is with personalized marketing. In the last few years, websites and apps have tracked users’ browsing behaviors and search histories to push out their unique interests for consumer purposes. As AI algorithms continue to advance, gathering the data of users to create one-of-a-kind branding experiences will be on the forefront in 2024.
Having a personalized experience, whether it’d be on websites, apps, or in real life, can resonate with consumers in a way that general marketing for the masses cannot. By targeting unique interests and behaviors, consumers can feel directly impacted by these campaigns and advertisements, which can encourage their engagement with content and improve the digital presence of businesses or brands.
Voice Search Optimization
With advancements in how technology shapes online consumerism, users are gravitating towards easier and more convenient digital experiences. While voice search isn’t a new feature, it has notably grown in efficiency, with voice assistants becoming more and more popular among consumers. As in the name, voice assistants are meant to be an aid and therefore require a capacity for understanding natural language and conversation. Not only do technological advancements mean newer and enhanced features, but it also requires a quicker response. Users operating voice search will want accurate results in a short span of time.
SEO plays a crucial role in digital marketing. As voice assistants and voice search engines capture the auditory prompts of users, businesses must ensure that their content can be recognized through long keywords, phrases, and conversational language to understand exactly what users are searching and deliver the most effective results. Optimizing the process of voice search in order to provide users with relevant information and content is vital for any business, and having a marketing strategy that carefully considers voice search optimization can vastly improve their brand visibility and engagement in 2024.
Utilizing Video Content in Digital Marketing
Information and content have shifted substantially with the popularity of video. With websites and apps such as Youtube and TikTok essentially acting as makeshift search engines, utilizing video content can be a brilliant digital marketing strategy in 2024. Video content has been around for a while, yet as users adapt to more convenient experiences thanks to rapid changes in tech, attention spans are diminishing. Consumers want accurate results fast, and if certain content doesn’t adhere to these standards, they can easily be swiped away. Short-form video content, therefore, will have a significant impact in how users will consume content and products.
However, the success of video content depends on engagement. Businesses have to continue to strategize on how best to capture users’ attention in just a few mere seconds, not only by fulfilling visual appeal but also with effective storytelling techniques. Users themselves can even use video for product reviews and testimonials, which can make it easier for businesses and brands to understand and track their target demographics. Optimizing video content can prove to showcase outstanding results for a website or apps’ engagement and online traffic.
AR / VR
The future of technology indicates that the real world and the digital world will soon become one indistinguishable entity — with the help of AR and VR. Augmented and virtual reality are digital experiences that allow for a completely transformative and immersive experience in how users interact with content and products. Consumers need convenience in a fast-paced world, and as online shopping has become exponentially popularized on a multitude of platforms and apps, there is a need for reliability and accuracy.
AR and VR can allow business owners in 2024 to continue to create unique experiences for their brand that will not only be immersive, but will also make consumers’ day-to-day easier. Consumers need to have trust that the brands they come across and spend money on are reputable, practical, and easy to work with. For example, AR and VR can give users the option to visualize products such as furniture in their real life environment through their screens without having to make the investment blindly and spend time on assembly. Implementing AR and VR into marketing campaigns can give users a more secure and reliable connection to businesses and brands, and these technologies will only continue to improve, blurring the line between reality and endless digital landscapes.
Mobile-First Marketing
Smartphones have become an essential part of everyday life. Their convenience marks them as a go-to for all demographics, even those who are less involved with tech and the digital world. With apps being the general standard for the delivery of information and content, websites accessible on desktops must be compatible with the confinements of mobile devices. Mobile-first marketing is integral for business owners who are looking to drive traffic to their sites and improve their SEO. Website content needs to be optimized for various screen sizes in order to ensure that a user’s experience is not hindered by a lack of efficiency in how a website translates to a mobile device.
Having a streamline website experience improves the site’s crawlability, which is what search engines will measure when deciding where to place that content in search results. Search engines will prioritize websites that are more efficient in how they present content, so as a result, improved crawlability will improve SEO and brand visibility. Beyond this, other forms of content, such as email campaigns, also need to be responsive for mobile devices. While websites may be the primary format for design and layout, the smaller screens of mobile devices are more commonly used and need to be considered going into 2024.
The Future of Digital Marketing
In 2024, the digital marketing world can expect more changes and improvements to how content is distributed and how consumers will react. The key takeaway from these potential digital marketing trends arising in the next year is based around the convenience of users. Advancements in tech have consequently created a fast-paced interaction between consumers and content, with an increase in demand in how businesses and brands can help create an easier experience for consumers.
Adopting these strategies in 2024 can guarantee business owners stay afloat in an industry that is constantly making big waves, requiring a considerable amount of adaptability from brands and consumers alike. To see how we can assist you with these new strategies and technologies, please contact us.