The development of digital products and tools throughout the 2000’s and 2010’s set out a new path for marketing, bringing in the age of digital marketing. Social media and the ability to watch videos on the internet opened up a whole new world of possibilities for companies to market their products, and now we have smartphones that display ads to us within most apps, keeping us constantly connected to the internet. Having come such a long way, can there be much more development? And will consumer trends change and shape new ways to market products? Well, very simply, yes. Consumer habits, new tech, and digital developments mean that there is a whole new raft of trends ready for us in 2024 and here are a few that we have set out as the top digital trends expected for 2024.
For social media, the two platforms to keep an eye on will be TikTok and X. Both platforms had very different receptions and success in 2023, with TikTok really taking off and developing new and innovative ways to market, while X has seen advertisers leave the platform on mass and receive criticism for the creator ad-revenue share scheme. At the moment, it is very much a case of TikTok in and X out, even for B2B businesses who will now be seeing the benefit of TikTok’s integration with Salesforce and CRM giants HubSpot. The TikTok Shop will integrate marketing even further in to the platform, with users able to complete purchases from within the app whilst continuing to enjoy their scroll. Most recently, we have seen ticket platforms integrate in to TikTok, allowing for creativity to flourish in the ads, and we expect to see the limits of this creativity pushed in 2024. On the other hand, X displayed why rebrands are not always a good thing, and that having an owner that is ever-present can make the company be seen in a light that isn’t too attractive to some of its audience. X has seen drops in users, ad revenue, value, and the exit of their long serving sales and marketing boss, not to mention the headache that the rebrand and reshuffle of the algorithm has caused marketers. However, it’s too soon to write off X as a marketing tool. 2023 was a year of harsh learnings, and assuming they’ll put action in to turning things around, 2024 could throw up some surprises to the way that X generates revenue from advertising. We are expecting some early developments, some further hiccups, but also some new and creative ways that companies can utilise their content in marketing to millions of users.
Digital trends aren’t just social media focuses, but it sure does play a big part in marketing, even when the platform isn’t in use. We have seen the announcement that TikTok are looking at Out Of Home ads, and this well rounded marketing effort will be utilised further by marketers. Many picked up the augmented reality trend, creating immersive campaigns that were… sort of OOH, although they did still require your smart phone. We don’t expect TikTok to enter the billboard space as it currently is and expect to see some creative wonder from the start!
Generative AI has been a big discussion within marketing, with many worried for the future of their job because of it, but we are seeing a more positive impact already in 2024 thanks to the innovations at CES. AI tools are popping up, aiding the development of marketing strategies, content creation, creative ideas, and the day to day of posting and scheduling. AI is a tool that we think will be used to improve our work life in 2024, not hinder it.
A trend that we’ve seen in 2023 is the rise of paid media against organic content, especially in PR. Largely this has been down to the way the industry has shifted but it also comes from the demand for immediate results. Paid media in the form of long-form content is great for brand awareness and promoting certain campaigns, but do little for digital footprint. This is something that we see reversing in 2024, with Digital PR taking back control and showing off the power of organic reach. A strategy that solely focuses on organic content is of course slower and can be limited, so utilising the power of paid reach and maximising your organic content will be the best way to build a well-rounded strategy that can realise the full potential of each channel.
Whether it’s social media or digital marketing that you’re after, or you’re exploring how PR can help you, we have the expertise to guide your marketing strategy and help to implement it. We offer a full digital deep dive in to your current online footprint and performance and can set out a full strategy of recommended changes, target audiences, keywords, and topics in order to reach your desired level. We won’t stop there though, as we’re experts in delivering marketing campaigns that utilise the best that each platform and channel has to offer. Get in touch today to see how we can help
