As a small business owner, it’s hard to keep up with the rapidly changing digital marketing landscape. To help make a dent in the highly competitive online environment, you need an effective marketing strategy leveraging digital opportunities that help attract your target audience. Interestingly, we’re seeing the same old, same old when it comes to digital marketing, but it’s the twists and turns you need to focus on.
From the rise of the Tik Tok star to the importance of personalization and the convenience of voice search to AI, on top of influencers and the emergence of social commerce, here we reveal the most compelling digital marketing strategies to help you dominate your niche market in 2024.
Video Marketing Still Reigns Supreme
Why it’s important: According to Wyzowl Video Marketing Statistics, 96% of marketers see video as an ‘important part’ of their marketing strategy and that it increases consumer product understanding. 92% also say video marketing generates a positive ROI.
Video is critical to connecting consumers with your brand. An increase in vlogs and social media stories is elevating video marketing, putting pressure on brands to showcase their personality in more engaging ways. This helps educate consumers and develop more meaningful relationships by creating connections on a more personal level.
Most of the video strategies are familiar, but what is changing in video marketing is a better understanding of how people choose to watch videos — sans the sound. As a result, the practice of marketers producing “silent” videos is on the rise. In fact, statistics going back as far as 2016 show that 85% of Facebook users watch videos on mute, and many consumers find loud sounds from ads a turn-off. Since people tend to watch videos in public on their mobiles, they prefer to watch videos, not listen to them. The easy solution is adding a closed caption option on your videos.
User-generated video content is also essential, as consumers feel they are more authentic and trustworthy compared to brand-generated online content. Inviting customers to share their videos on your social channels and upload them as part of their testimonials on your website helps your brand stand out while showing your products in use by actual customers.
Livestreaming Won’t Slow Down
Why it’s important: According to Global Newswire, the Live Streaming Market could reach USD 247.27b by 2027.
Live streaming is revolutionizing marketing. The availability of more social platforms and websites offering live-streaming capabilities makes adding this tactic to your marketing strategy in 2024 easier. The top trends you can adopt include:
- Livestream e-commerce: Enabling livestream purchases as audiences engage with your brand offers an opportunity to take advantage of the moment. As viewers are immersed in educational or entertaining experiences, you can provide avenues to purchase products whether you use your website, social channels like Facebook, or platforms like Amazon Live.
- Second screen: Known as second screen experiences, sharing bonus content with audiences during a live stream allows fans to multi-task, something limited attention spans crave. For example, if you live stream a fashion show, you can have a second screen where you interview models, designers, or attendees live. You can also do something like run a contest and, during the live stream, announce winners or have a call-in video opportunity you are running in real-time. The second screen can also be pre-recorded, such as images of models having their hair done.
- Customer support: Using live video to communicate with customers takes your customer service to the next level. Although not everyone will want this, you can build customer trust with more personalized service. It’s something to consider, but keep in mind it presents a tech challenge and requires some customer education. Livestreaming also works as a customer retention tool post-purchase, allowing people to use a live interactive Q&A to learn how to use a product or put something together.
- Create hybrid events: The hybrid is an eventuality of all marketing trends. Hybrid livestream events are often preferred to long, drawn-out livestreams where viewers must invest too much time and effort. Examples include posting times for specific events like keynote speakers, adding micro-events to significant events to appeal to different personas, or using the second-screen approach to include various options to appeal to viewers with limited attention spans.
Personalization Is the Only Way to Go
Why it’s important: According to research, 80% of those surveyed say they are more likely to do business with companies offering personalized experiences, and 90% find it appealing.
Personalized experiences provide customers with what they need when they need it. While tailored content is something many brands are already leveraging, the use of data and emerging technology like AI, virtual reality, and automation enhance those experiences.
Therefore, advanced approaches to personalization, such as overlaying digital content on the physical world to introduce VR into the mix, studying data to create truly relevant experiences along the customer journey, and addressing all customer touchpoints with personal interactions, create a more authentic feel that eliminates that “cringe” reaction when consumers feel they are being watched.
For example, developing virtual try-on experiences in the fashion industry helps customers feel confident their purchases will fit, reducing returns. At the same time, AR-powered home design tools allow shoppers to see items in-situ to decide if it suits their décor scheme. By embracing AR, you’ll create stand-out experiences while empowering customers to make purchases quickly.
You can improve personalization by:
- Investing in customer data and analytics to access complete views of customer journeys
- Adding more protection to ensure you respect customer privacy to reduce the cringe factor
- Using your own data to find that “low-hanging fruit” directly related to how customers have interacted with your brand in the past
Leaning Into Voice Search SEO
Why it’s important: At the end of 2022, voice shopping sales rose to about $20bn compared to $2bn in 2018, and around 60% of US e-commerce shoppers used home voice smart assistants to make purchases.
Smart speakers/virtual assistants make “voice commerce” a cinch allowing customers to make purchase queries and order products without lifting their phones or using their computers. By optimizing your content and product descriptions/services on your website for voice searches, you will keep one step ahead of the competition and rise in the rankings.
To do so, you need to add more long-tail keywords in the form of questions that customers are most likely to ask their virtual assistants. For example, along with eyewear in Fulton, you would add long-tail keywords like “Where can I purchase Raybans in Fulton?” to leverage voice commerce while improving local marketing reach.
Influencers Having Even More Influence
Why it’s important: According to HubSpot, 86% of marketers will either maintain or increase their investment in influencer marketing, with 80% saying it is effective and 89% finding it just as good or better than other marketing channels.
Influencer transformation is all about authenticity and consumers putting more trust in lesser-known personalities, known as micro-influencers. Trust is critical, which means consumers want transparent collaborations between brands and influencers that don’t smack of money exchanging hands. Finding influencers who make the most sense with your brand is essential if you want customers to believe the influencer sincerely uses and respects your products.
AI is Doing It for Itself
Why it’s important: The global artificial intelligence market in marketing is expected to reach $78.8 billion by 2030.
Through AI-powered automation, you can:
- Leverage personalized messaging
- Improve customer segmentation
- Gain insights with predictive analytics
- Enhance your digital campaign effectiveness
- Streamline marketing processes
- Optimize customer journeys
- Deliver personalized experiences at scale
You can automate your entire digital marketing strategy while also engaging customer interactions with increasingly more human-like chatbot conversations in real-time to create seamless customer journeys.
Jump on the Social Commerce Bandwagon
Why it’s important: In the post-pandemic global market, social commerce is expected to reach US$604.5 Billion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 31.4% over the 2020 – 2027 analysis period.
Although predictions for social commerce are bright, 2024 will also contend with a fundamental consumer issue, namely trust. Consumers need help trusting social networks and the vendors that use them. As a new purchase option, consumers feel a disconnect between making a purchase and what happens after. Will their purchase information be protected? Can they make refunds? Is the vendor authentic, or a con? Can they safely share their financial information with these often-shifty social networks?
To help overcome these fears, you can ensure you provide transparency in your refund policies. Offering links to your website with the option to make purchases there instead also helps prove you do exist. Reassurance about making secure purchases and infusing shoppable posts with trust will help drive sales.
You can also make the shopping experience easier by:
- Leveraging AI chatbots to answer questions
- Introducing AR, such as allowing customers to upload images to try on glasses
- Using AI fitting tools
- Enabling purchases from your live-streamed videos
Having an insider’s view of emerging digital marketing trends in 2024 will allow you to leverage the most effective marketing strategies to positively impact your bottom line while enjoying expanded brand awareness.
Join the ranks of successful digital marketers! Take the first step towards unparalleled growth, and reach out to us now for a personalized strategy that will transform your brand.