 What are the new digital marketing trends to watch in 2024?Wondering what trends 2024 will bring? Throughout the past year, our strategy team has monitored shifts in the digital marketing landscape by reading, attending conferences, and picking the brains of contacts at companies like Sprout Social, Mailchimp and Hubspot. They have compiled their findings into this Digital Marketing Trends 2024 guide. 1. Artificial Intelligence Tools Free Up Valuable Time and Energy In 2023, a wide range of industries became enamored with the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs). Applications such as ChatGPT became commonplace, although not without controversy and ongoing debate about their functionality and ethical utility. As with any tech innovation, while some aspects may be clear, others are shrouded in fog. For anyone looking for a primer on AI/LLMs, we recommend this friendly and astute six-part introduction by author and Microsoft VP of AI & Design John Maeda. At Sarah Best Strategy, we use AI to make processes more efficient and accessible, so that we can spend more time doing things that we enjoy, like crafting original creative work and spending time with our clients. For example, we employ artificial intelligence to take better notes during client discovery calls so that we can be more present with our clients in those meetings. For the neurospicy folks on our team, artificial intelligence can help convert what might be perceived as a curt email into a more conventional business format. 2. AI and Image Creation We mentioned in our 2023 Trends blog that we would be monitoring AI-powered graphics creation. A year later, it’s clear that AI is making an impact on the way we create, edit and view images. Graphic design and stock photography programs like Canva and Shutterstock have recently integrated AI image generators into their services. Our experiments have found that these tools can help spark inspiration, but they are still liable to create strange, uncanny visuals. On the editing side, we’re regularly using AI-powered features. Our team leverages Canva’s background remover, which pulls the subject out of an image for use in other designs. Tools like this handle tedious tasks, so that we have more time to focus on drafting high-quality graphics. We’ve focused on the positives in this section, but we also want to acknowledge one major risk of AI image creation: deepfakes. Deepfakes use AI to swap one person for another in a piece of media. The purpose of this technology is to mislead people into believing that a person (often a celebrity or politician) did or said something they never actually did. The clear threat here is disinformation. Studies have shown that people struggle to detect deepfakes, despite feeling confident in their ability to do so. In an election year, this AI-powered technology could be used to mislead voters and erode trust in the political system. 3. Short-Form Video Remains Powerful, But Are Changes Coming? According to Hubspot, short-form video outpaces all other formats (e.g., images, blog posts, case studies, etc.) in return on investment. The same is true for engagement – in fact, audiences view short-form video as the most engaging type of social media content, according to Sprout Social. It is no coincidence that the four platforms most utilized by marketers – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok – have each built their own short-form video platforms. Short-form content has firmly established itself as a digital marketing tool, and HubSpot’s findings demonstrate that it will only continue to grow in 2024. But could change be on the horizon? Back in November, TikTok announced plans to shut down its Creator Fund, which paid its top-performing content creators. To earn money through its replacement, the Creativity Program, creators must make high-quality videos that are at least one minute long. This move, along with tests to increase TikTok's video length limit to 15 minutes, signal a shift toward slightly longer video (1-3 minutes) in 2024. However, we do expect short-form to continue its strong performance this year. If you haven’t added short-form videos to your content marketing plan, we recommend starting simply: Begin by adding one or two video posts to your content calendar each month, and monitor their performance to see whether they are landing with your audience. That way, you’ll have time to learn this new format while you test its effectiveness. If you’re looking for some help getting started, our website has a guide on how to go live on Facebook with video, advice from a video creator on the three videos every business needs and directions on how to unlock the power of short-form video content. 4. What to Do About Twitter/X? Our clients asked us one thing more than anything else in 2023: “What is going on with Twitter/X?” That question isn't going away in 2024. Since Elon Musk purchased the platform in late 2022, he has made it a place that many brands are hesitant to engage in. In the past year, Musk laid off more employees (including on core teams like content moderation), made verification a paid feature, re-named the platform and banned a number of journalists. Musk himself has also regularly amplified conspiracy theories. All these changes leave us in a strange place with Twitter/X entering 2024. On the one hand, the platform has seen a marked decline in traffic to both the website and its advertising platform. Pair that with a rise in harmful and hateful content, and it seems like Twitter/X is primed to be overtaken by a competitor. The trouble is that no single alternative has emerged. Each of Twitter/X’s direct competitors (Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon) appeal to their individual niches, but none have yet shown an ability to appeal to a wider audience. So what do we do about Twitter/X? We have a couple of recommendations:
Additionally, we’re here for you if you’re looking for help managing all of these social media platforms. 5. Platforms Piquing Our Curiosity in 2024 We’ve found that the rise of new social media platforms and formats is cyclical. In some years we’ll see many new platforms emerge. In other years, existing platforms will consolidate and evolve their technology. To us, it appears 2024 will lean toward being the latter. But that doesn’t mean you can’t add new platforms and placements to your social media toolbox. This section will take a look at two platforms that, while not new, are intriguing options for those looking to enhance their brand presence online. YouTube Shorts YouTube Shorts is YouTube’s short-form video placement. Think of it as YouTube’s take on TikTok – videos on this part of the website are vertical and can run for a maximum of sixty seconds. Shorts, as a placement, launched in 2020, but it gained steam among both viewers and creators in 2023. According to TechCrunch, the placement reached 50 billion daily views in the first quarter of last year, up 66.7% from a year earlier. Additionally, 2023 saw a 700% growth in spending on branded partnerships on Shorts. If your organization is already utilizing YouTube for long-form content, we recommend posting your short-form videos there as well. YouTube Shorts uses the same video dimensions as TikTok and Instagram Reels, so you can post your existing short-form videos without having to make too many changes.  TikTok (yes, really!) We know, we know – TikTok isn’t a new social media platform. However, we think it’s important to take a moment to recognize the ways it is continuing to evolve. After TikTok’s initial rise in 2021, it was fair to wonder whether it would continue to grow. But the platform has just kept on going. According to Hootsuite, the app boasted 1.92 billion users in 2023, up 16% from 2022. Over the past few years, we’ve seen new platforms rise suddenly and burn out just as fast. TikTok is not one of them. If you’ve been hesitant to consider how the platform fits into your digital marketing plan, now is the time. Prioritizing Your Platforms How do you choose the right mix of social media platforms for your organization? Start by considering your audience. By identifying the key traits that define your consumer, you can focus your attention on the platforms where they are. If you’d like help getting started, here's a free resource that will guide you in defining a customer persona for your business. 6. Influencer Marketing Trends, Both "Nano" and "Virtual" What comes to mind when you think of an influencer? You may picture a famous celebrity, or an account with millions of followers. That’s why it’s important to recognize how impactful nano-influencers – those with between one and ten thousand followers – can be in 2024. Nano-influencers typically build their account around sharing their passions, whether for travel, food, or anything in between. Though they may not attract a giant fan base, Shopify found that nano-influencers earn a higher engagement rate than large influencers on average. Here’s a very Wisconsin example of this concept: Hayden and Julia, known as @thatwisconsincouple on Instagram, post their Wisconsin travel adventures to an audience just shy of 11,000. Since their identity is tied to Wisconsin, they make a great partner for a number of local brands – including Kwik Trip and the Wisconsin Historical Society. We’re also keeping an eye on virtual influencers this year. These computer-generated characters have already amassed millions of followers, agency representation, and partnership with brands like BMW and Amazon Prime Video. 7. Authenticity > Perfection in 2024The rise of nano-influencers and do-it-yourself platforms like TikTok point to the same thing: a desire for authenticity among social media users. According to the 2023 Sprout Social Index, “authentic, non-promotional content” is the top thing consumers wish they saw more of from brands on social media. We don’t expect that to change in 2024. Don’t worry – being authentic doesn’t have to mean participating in the newest TikTok trend. What it does mean, however, is sharing your organization’s mission, your team’s personality and your passion for what you do. 8. Facebook Remains Relevant, But Mind the (Age) Gap As new platforms and formats have emerged, people have asked us whether Facebook may be losing its appeal. Recent data confirms that this is not the case. According to Pew Research, 68% of U.S. adults say they have used Facebook, nearly identical to the 69% who did in 2021. Additionally, the platform remains popular with every demographic group. One thing to keep in mind, however, is Facebook’s unpopularity with Gen Z. The same study from Pew found that just 33% of teenagers report having used Facebook, down from 71% in 2014-15. We don’t see this as a sign that Facebook is doomed to decline. The platform doesn’t fit Gen Z right now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t in ten or twenty years. As these young people grow up, there’s every chance that Facebook’s appeal (connectivity, staying in touch with family and friends) will match their needs. What it does tell us is that Facebook may not be the best place to appeal to a younger audience. If that is your target audience, your time may be better spent on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. 9. AI Can Help Make Sense of DataFor our final entry, we’ll look at a few ways artificial intelligence is evolving how we can interpret and leverage large amounts of data. AI can, for instance, pull key knowledge out of huge volumes of information. This article from the Harvard Business Review describes how Morgan Stanley trained an AI model on a set of 100,000 proprietary documents containing business, process and investing knowledge. With this system, the company’s financial advisors can quickly find the answers and information they need. Organizations can also apply this principle to online opinion mining. AI-powered tools like Sprout Social's Sentiment Analysis function can listen to the conversation happening around your brand on social media to determine whether it is positive, negative, or neutral. This can help identify shifts in customer preferences and spot spikes in conversation in real time. ConclusionThere are only two things we can really guarantee in 2024: New challenges will pop up, and we’ll be here to help. From social media and email marketing, to strategy and SEO, we’ve got your back when it comes to navigating the digital landscape. Contact us today to discuss how we can help.
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