When it comes to marketing and social media it can sometimes feel as though what we should and shouldn’t be doing to stay ahead of the game is constantly changing. Staying up-to-date with trends within the marketing and social media realm has become essential for brands who want to stand out from competitors and for those who want to continue to build a strong online community.
If 2023 is any example to go off as to what to expect in 2024, then we certainly have a lot in store for this year. 2023 saw the introduction of the new social platform Threads, the explosion of the use of short form video content, as well as the increased use of AI within marketing. As we enter into 2024, keeping up with the ever-changing marketing and social media scene is paramount.
That is why we are here! We want to share with you our 6 marketing and social media predictions for 2024 so we can help you to stay ahead of the game, and importantly ahead of your competitors.
1. A shift towards more personable content
Towards the end of 2023, we already witnessed a shift towards more personable content on social media. In 2024 it is likely that this content style will become even more prevalent on our socials. More than ever, people want to engage with real people and authentic content. Users no longer want to interact with generic content that lacks originality. There is a growing need among audiences to see the real people behind a company and hear the real voice behind content.
We can expect this shift towards a more personal approach to content to be felt throughout many aspects of content creation on social media, from copywriting to visuals. The Adobe 2023 Creative Trends report highlights, already, a shift in visual content from curated to candid, which feels closely tied to the move towards more authentic and personalised content.
What do we mean by personable content?
Personable content can mean a variety of things for different brands. Ultimately, the type of personable content your brand creates will be determined by two things:
- The type of product or service you provide
- Your brand identity
Here are some of our suggestions for personable content that can be tailored to you brand:
- Day in the life videos
- Monthly team round ups
- Meet the team
- Company founder introduction
- Company journey
- Brand identity content
- Industry top tips & hacks
- Answers to commonly asked questions
- Industry insights
This type of content will become so important as we move into 2024 both for brand loyalty and building lasting relationships with customers.
2. Blogging to make a comeback
Did blogging really ever die? Well, whether it did or didn’t, one thing is for sure – blogging will certainly be on-trend in 2024.
Why is blogging important for your brand?
Blogging is and will become even more so an important avenue for brands who want to build a strong connection with their audience. At FDRY, we love blogs! Not only do they allow you to experiment with a new form of creative content, they also allow you to tap into storytelling which ultimately brings you closer to your audience.
But even more than this, blogs can be massively beneficial for SEO and your website visibility. Tapping into what your audience wants to read along with the strategic use of keywords and phrases can really work to help optimise your search ranking.
3. Social media to threaten traditional search engines
Social media has become the go to search engine for many of us when searching for answers on a product or service. In 2024, it is likely that social platforms could threaten the position of traditional search engines, such as Google, to become the most used search engine.
What does this mean for content creation?
One thing is clear; customers are coming to social media for immediate answers to their queries and content creators should embrace this. In 2024, it is critical that your content answers your audience’s questions. Videos explaining commonly searched topics or bite size information posts breaking down information can be a great way to tailor your content towards what your audience is searching for.
More than ever it will be essential to implement social SEO to improve your content’s visibility to make sure you are the go to source for information, before your competitors.
4. The return of long form video
The use of short form video on social platforms has been on the rise for over a decade, and in the last few years has soared in popularity. However, could 2024 be the year long form videos make their comeback?
Why have short form videos dominated the social scene for so long?
Short form videos have dominated the social media scene for many reasons. Not only are they easily consumed and mobile friendly, they are also capable of reaching a large number of viewers and can quickly spread brand awareness.
So why is long form video making a comeback?
Social media habits are changing. As we’ve already discussed, social media is becoming the go to place to source information. Audiences are no longer looking for a quick bit of information, they are searching for considered and in-depth answers. They want the answers that Google can provide, but they want it on their social media feed.
When we talk about long form video content, this doesn’t necessarily mean your videos have to be 10 or 15 minutes long, a 2 or 5 minute video can work well to engage audiences, build lasting customer relationships, and create conversions!
Short form video vs. Long form video
Whilst short form videos are beneficial for reaching new viewers and increasing engagement, long form video content works to build lasting customer relationships and brand trust.
5. AI to feature more in the digital marketing sphere
Whether it’s for creating scroll-stopping content or generating captions, AI is really starting to take off within the digital marketing sphere. Undoubtedly, in 2024 we’ll continue to see the mixing and mingling of AI, marketing, and social media.
3 ways that you can start to use AI to market your brand in 2024
The list of ways AI is being used within the marketing sphere is endless. Here’s 3 ways you can start to use AI to market your brand in 2024:
- To improve customer experience
From the advert that targets your customer to the chatbot they use to enquire about shipping times, AI can play a big role in customer experience. AI is a great tool for analysing customer data and creating a personalised customer experience. Chatbots and virtual assistants are very effective at offering immediate support to customers, ultimately enhancing the user experience.
- To generate content
From visuals to captions, AI can be used to assist you throughout the whole content creation process. AI powered tools can help creators to form initial ideas and write automated copy. AI-driven analytic tools can also work to optimise content for SEO by analysing trends and suggesting keywords.
It is always important to have a human eye check over any AI-created content, however, AI is effective at speeding up the content creation process.
- To improve email marketing
The most powerful way AI can be used in email marketing is to make email campaigns more personalised for your customers. AI can analyse user data to generate subject lines, content, and even product recommendations tailored to each recipient. AI also works to recognise optimal sending times which can increase engagement and conversions.
The capabilities of AI within the digital marketing sphere are expanding all the time and so we can only predict that 2024 will see AI become even more prevalent within the marketing and social media landscape.
6. The rise of new social platforms
2023 was a chaotic year for social media managers. Back in July we saw the introduction of the new social platform Threads, which just days after its launch had already acquired 100 million users. 2023 also saw another relatively new platform, BeReal, skyrocket as it experienced a 313% increase in usage between May 2022 and January 2023.
Whilst some platforms were growing, others were falling. The usage of social networking site X was down; a report by SimilarWeb indicates that between September and October 2023, visits to the platform had fallen by 10%.
Apps like TikTok and Instagram continue to hold the crown for the most popular social media platforms. As we move into 2024 it will be prudent for marketers to keep a close eye on the rise, fall, and consistency of social media platforms.
It will be the job of marketers to test and measure both existing and any emerging platforms to ultimately decide which work and which don’t work for their brand and their audience.
Well there we have it. From a shift to more personable content, the rise of blogging and return of long form video content to social media’s position as a search engine, AI, and new social platforms, it can be said for sure that 2024 is not going to be a quiet year for the marketing and social media world.
We hope our predictions have got you thinking about how you are going to approach your marketing and social media strategy in 2024. We are certainly looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
FDRY is an independent digital marketing agency based in London with a dedicated team of creatives, content writers, UX designers and media planners who will be happy to arrange a discovery session with you to discuss more about our digital marketing agency services.
For more information send us a brief or get in touch at [email protected]
