Every year, we see brand-new, surprising digital marketing trends that set the stage for the direction of marketing. And even in the turbulent year of 2021, we haven’t been let down. The digital marketing trends for 2024 are expected to be among the most innovative ever.
TikTok, which has now surpassed all other platforms as the most popular social media site among Gen Z users, continued its upward trend at the beginning of the year. NFTs and cryptocurrencies kept growing, igniting discussions about the financial industry’s future. By 2023, Google said it will phase out third-party cookies, giving advertisers and online marketers just two years to find alternative ways to connect with their target audience. In a gesture to the company’s desire to embrace the metaverse, a 3D virtual environment, Facebook most recently changed its name to Meta.
Overall, the digital world is experiencing many innovative and exciting advances that will change how we interact with our audience.
We’ve outlined the most important digital marketing trends to watch in 2024 to make it easier to understand and manage the next year.
1. The metaverse – fundamentally re-map what you know about your audience
The term “metaverse” refers to the permanent environment where people work, play, and socialize in the virtual world of augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D holographic avatars, and video.
There’s a solid reason why the metaverse has gained so much attention recently, according to Patrick Casey, director of growth marketing at digital health company Felix Health. Brands should include this virtual area as part of their 2022 marketing plans.
This is partly due to the possibility of introducing an entirely new set of performance measures.
Marketers will be able to test how long users hold virtual things in their hands, how much room they occupy in their peripheral vision, and even where users are looking when seeing an advertisement, he added. These revelations “can fundamentally re-map what you know about your audience, offering priceless guidance moving ahead.”
2. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)- the digital equivalent of non-fungibles
Non-fungible tokens are a popular blockchain feature (NFTs). Because it lacks any equals, something is non-fungible if it cannot be swapped for another item of equivalent value. The US dollar, for instance, is interchangeable. Five $20 banknotes may be obtained in exchange for a $100 bill.
However, because there is a requirement for authenticity, you cannot trade your grandmother’s wedding band—a non-fungible—for anything else of equivalent worth.
On a blockchain, NFTs are the digital equivalent of non-fungibles, which are individually generated digital assets like animations, graphic designs, GIFs, audio/video files, and memes.
A good opportunity for other businesses to find out how they might tap into these digital assets is now, according to Jeff Mains, CEO of consulting company Champion Leadership Group, as a result of companies like Campbell’s, Charmin, and Coca-Cola issuing NFT collectibles last year.
3. Cryptocurrency- the possibility of greater demographic reach
Similar to this, intelligent marketers will keep an eye on this trend toward decentralized finance in 2022 as cryptocurrencies continue to proliferate.
Although bitcoin is currently being utilized by a small segment of the American population, firms may be able to draw in more customers by accepting it—but only if the target market fits, according to Andrea Chapman, marketing manager at the cannabis website Nature and Bloom.
Shaun Heng, vice president of growth and operations at price-tracking website CoinMarketCap, adds that “cryptocurrencies are pushing enormous changes regarding payments, for example, about the main processors like Visa, PayPal, and MasterCard.” Marketers will be eager to link themselves with the possibility of greater demographic reach since this has significant consequences for how products and services engage with their customers.
4. Supply chain buffering
Even though the 2021 holiday season is gone, supply chain bottlenecks and their detrimental effects on customer satisfaction are still often mentioned in the media. Chelsea Cohen, the co-founder of the Amazon inventory management software SoStocked, suggests matching marketing objectives with stock availability because of this.
Additionally, having 30-day buffer stock will be advantageous to brands.
Cohen said, “Your buffer stock, or backup inventory, protects you from stocking out during unforeseen upsells.” It guarantees that there is always enough merchandise on hand to satisfy delivery deadlines, preventing consumers from having to wait longer than necessary while you replenish.
5. Gender neutrality- become less focused on preconceived notions of what sex a person is and what they should be seeing.
Brands like Old Navy and Pacific Sunwear released ranges of clothes that were gender-neutral in 2021. This move toward inclusion is still prevalent.
Damien Buxton, managing director of web design company Midas Creative, anticipates that to avoid upsetting any customers, more firms will eschew established gender roles in their marketing initiatives.
“Household and individual dynamics have altered and are still changing,” he stated. Marketing will become less focused on preconceived notions of what sex a person is and what they should be seeing, and more gender-neutral.
As the population continues to diversify, Stewart McGrenary, head of mobile recycling comparison site Freedom Mobiles, said that it is now crucial “for businesses to truly reflect a multitude of ethnicities inside their marketing campaigns.”
6. Zero-click searches
We all like optimizing for Google, however as you can surely see, highlighted snippets are becoming more and more prevalent in search results.
That might provide a challenge for some digital marketers since they always want to have their material rank #1, which also increases the likelihood that Google will use some of the content and display it right in the SERP. If that content passage is essential to the reader, they will probably skim it and never visit your website.
There isn’t a cure for it. You could want to reassess your material and put more emphasis on topics that require more explanation. Examine how various search results appear in Google to determine whether it is important to obtain that highlighted snippet.
7. Short, DIY videos
Short video posts have replaced status updates and carefully managed photo grids on social media thanks to TikTok. Other sites quickly joined the trend, with Youtube focusing on “shorts” and Instagram debuting its Reels feature.
Short films draw attention to how quickly we consume material and the necessity for clear, concise messaging or interesting content that invites participation, such as learning a new dance, taking on a challenge, or answering surveys and polls.
The beautiful thing about these little movies is that anyone can use their phone to put together a hastily made, imperfect video. Younger viewers like honest, behind-the-scenes, DIY, authentic tales, and brief, entertaining video material that has a less polished appearance.
8. Personalization
In 2022, personalization will be very important. Making targeted advertisements that speak directly to your target market will produce better results than general material that tries to appeal to as many people as possible. You need to get more than just the material correct, though. In an overly saturated landscape, it is essential to make sure that your audience sees those advertisements at the appropriate time and location.
It could be simpler for your company to adopt some of these trends than others. In certain circumstances, you can make a note of them as general guidelines to pay attention to, but bear in mind that the sooner you can respond, the better. Future years should constantly be considered while developing your current year’s plan.
