The marketing world is constantly evolving, driven by ever-changing consumer demands. 2024 brings with it, forward-thinking marketing trends answering these consumer needs.
Here are ten trends that are sure to make their mark and shape activity this year:
Conversational Marketing & AI-powered Interactions
Imagine chatbots having genuine conversations, guiding customers, and even closing deals - that's the power of conversational marketing. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants will be used more and more to offer personalised experiences and instant solutions to customers.
Integration of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
VR and AR will offer immersive brand experiences, product demos, and even virtual shopping sprees. Expect to see brands leveraging these technologies in increasingly innovative ways.
Community and Authenticity
Consumers are becoming more conscious of brands’ values. Sustainability initiatives, ethical sourcing, and transparency will be crucial to standing out from competitors. And consumers will be won over by offers that have a ‘pay it forward’ feel to them - like charity donations. Brands that champion social responsibility and environmental consciousness will really resonate with today's audience.
Increasingly More Accurate Personalisation through Data and Analytics
Leveraging data to personalise every touchpoint along the user journey is a necessity. Marketers will utilise advanced analytics to tailor content, offers, and recommendations to individual preferences, creating truly unique customer experiences.
Video Marketing and Short-Form Content
Attention spans are shrinking, and so… short videos are really coming into their own when it comes to grabbing attention, boosting engagement, and leveraging viral activity. Platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts are exploding, and brands will need to adapt with bite-sized, engaging video content that captures attention quickly and effectively.
Building Brand Communities
The increased focus on building brand communities and fostering customer loyalty is a positive trend that benefits both brands and customers. By creating authentic and valuable experiences and empowering and engaging a niche community with personalised communication and interactions, brands can gain valuable insights, increase brand awareness, improve customer experience, and build long-lasting brand loyalty.
Influencer Marketing
Unlike macro-influencers, micro-influencers (with smaller, dedicated followings) have closer relationships with their audience. This fosters trust, makes their recommendations feel genuine, and makes the viewer feel ‘heard’. People in niche communities are, by nature, very interested in particularly specific topics, creating a fertile ground for influencer marketing to flourish. The trend towards micro-influencers and niche communities is expected to continue, with platforms providing better tools for discovery and collaboration. This doesn’t just need to be digital though, customer testimonials are an equally powerful way to maximise the influence of recommendation – like using customer quotes or including ratings from review websites.
Privacy and Data Security
Consumers are increasingly aware of how their data is used and are demanding more control over it. Data breaches and scandals have eroded trust in brands, making privacy-focused marketing essential. GDPR, CCPA, and similar laws are constantly evolving and expanding, increasing compliance pressure on marketers. Privacy and data security are becoming core principles for successful marketing. Marketers are actively adapting, exploring new strategies, and prioritising user trust to navigate this evolving landscape.
Hard-hitting Targeted DM
This is something we - at Plum - have always been passionate about. In a world where digital messaging is growing by the minute, responsible, hard-hitting, and targeted DM is a great way to stand out from the digital noise and leverage some of the other marketing trends for this year - like using analytics and secure data to send personalised messaging to key audiences or niche communities. DM is trusted, tangible, and memorable - it’s measurable and offers high response rates, especially when paired with other activity. Take a look at our blog about why DM STILL matters in a digital world.
By embracing the changing marketing landscape together – we can create successful marketing campaigns that really hit home with your target audience and drive results.
We’d love to hear from you so, contact us now