Digital Marketing Trends for 2024
This is always a bit of a nerve-wracking article to do, as there is of course an element of speculation involved, but I’m taking some confidence from the fact that last year’s version was pretty much spot on! So here’s a few things I personally think we’ll see for social media in 2024…
More authenticity in videos
The increasing popularity of short form videos, such as reels and TikToks, was one of my main predictions for 2023 and I wasn’t wrong! They are still an incredibly important way to reach your social media audience. However, I believe we are moving away from the quick and quirky style — utilising trending sounds and doing something funny or unusual — and heading down a more authentic path, where video content focuses on simply talking to the camera, as though you’re having a conversation with a friend.
These can involve telling an amusing or thought-provoking story, sharing ups and downs from your day/week, providing a top tip or educational point, answering comments and frequently asked questions, or just talking about your work, plans, favourite products or how you can help. Really, anything you like, just keep it fairly short and snappy, be friendly and enthusiastic, and keep going! You might want to consider having a schedule that you share with your audience, such publishing a video at the same time each week in which you’ll answer any questions you’ve had sent in.
LinkedIn having a moment
At the moment I’m noticing decreased engagement on X (formerly Twitter) and increased engagement on LinkedIn. This may be because many professionals and B2Bs are unhappy with the changes that have been made to X and so have migrated to using LinkedIn as their main social media platform. Whatever the reason, it seems that LinkedIn is starting to fill a gap that many of use feel in the social media landscape, of being able to share longer thought pieces, link to blogs and articles, and focus on making connections.
If you’re new to LinkedIn but want to try it, start by spending some time getting your profile polished and complete, then make some connections. The more you make the more you can! When posting, it’s good to use an image if possible, ask questions, and keep your sentences short and well spaced, expecially if there’s more than one or two. A few emojis sprinkled through can often help keep people reading as well. Don’t forget to comment your thoughts on other posts too.
Diversifying into alternative platforms
I’m hearing more and more people saying they are struggling to get any traction on social media platforms. Even if they’ve built up a decent sized audience, reaching them can often be another matter entirely. Because of this, many creators, artists and others are turning to other ways of ensuring their fans can reliably see what they’re sharing. Discord channels, membership and subscription-based platforms like Medium or Patreon, or simply building a mailing list are all options for finding an audience of your own.
Your audience on these platforms may well be smaller than you have on traditional social media, but as a general rule they are more engaged, because they’ve sought you out and chosen to hear from you regularly. If you’re considering something like this, put some thought into some exclusive content you can offer these invested fans, such as free downloads, special access or interviews, live or virtual events, games, recipes, or other interactive content. (If you’re not sure what you could offer, we can help over an online consultation.)
That’s it for my main predictions, but one final thing to mention is AI. This is popping up everywhere in digital marketing now, with options built in to content creation platforms such as Mailchimp, Canva and Squarespace. It can be great for getting you started and filling a blank page, but can also be very repetitive and, surprise surprise, impersonal. So if you use it, make sure to edit it carefully and inject plenty of your own personality. But no doubt there will be much more to say about it in 2025!