The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving; in order to have an effective plan for the rest of 2024, you need to know what’s coming. In this article, we’ll discuss five digital marketing trends you can expect to see this year and how your business can use these trends to your advantage. Let’s jump right in!
Trend 1: A focus on retention rate over engagement rate.
Organic engagement has continued to fall across the majority of social media platforms. Because of this, there’s a growing focus on measuring social media success by retention rate—the percentage of your audience that continues to interact with your brand on an ongoing basis—over engagement rate. Engagement and retention are related, but retention focuses a little more on long-term success.
How to succeed: Make sure you’re tracking all your key metrics including retention rate. Pay attention to your follower churn rate and identify any issues that may be causing people to unfollow your accounts. Retaining your audience is easier and less expensive than building a new one!
Trend 2: Google’s AI Overviews.
Google just introduced “AI Overviews,” which are meant to judge the searcher’s intent and provide the most relevant information, links, and videos. AI Overviews also give users the ability to ask multiple questions toward the same query. This feature has the potential to significantly affect search engine traffic; if AI Overviews are widely used, websites not listed in the overview may experience a drop in organic traffic.
How to succeed: With this change, it’ll be increasingly important to create content that’s worth talking about. Focus on sharing your real-world expertise and providing high-quality content that’s genuinely helpful to users.
Trend 3: Businesses’ use of AI.
It’s not just Google that’s embracing AI; businesses of all sizes are implementing the technology. They might test out Instagram’s AI-generated stickers, use ChatGPT to write internal memos faster, or use Google’s AI assistance in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. There are so many ways to bring AI into your business activities!
How to succeed: Start experimenting with AI, if you haven’t yet. AI will only continue to improve, so don’t write it off if you don’t see an immediate use. And remember: whenever you use AI, it’s essential to double-check everything for accuracy.
Trend 4: The resurgence of Threads.
With X (formally Twitter) quickly losing users, Threads engagement is on the rise again. It currently has 100 million monthly users, according to Meta, and we expect that number to rise.
How to succeed: Grab a username on Threads now, before your preferred name is taken! This is the time to research and experiment. Check out how brands like Canva and TED Talks are driving genuine discussion on the app.
Trend 5: Increasing concern surrounding data privacy.
Data privacy really matters! A PCH Consumer Insights study reveals that 86% of Americans are even more concerned about their privacy and data security than they are about the state of the U.S. economy.
How to succeed: Keep up to date with data privacy regulations and have a solid data policy. Your customers should always know what data you’re collecting and how you’re using it, so that they can feel reasonably confident they won’t be subject to data breaches or spamming.
Creating your digital marketing strategy:
A solid digital marketing strategy can get your team on the same page and help accomplish your business goals. Whether you’re creating a strategy for the first time or revisiting your strategy for the next quarter, it’s important to take current trends into account.
If you’d like expert assistance with your digital marketing strategy, contact us for a FREE 60 minute consultation today! 2024 will continue to be a year of change for digital marketing, and we’re here to guide you through it.