You already know how important it is to keep a pulse on the latest marketing trends – otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Each year, new opportunities arise to reach your target audience, increase brand awareness, and grow your sales – but with so many changes and innovations, it can be hard to know what’s worth your time.
So, let us break it down with some of the most important marketing trends that small businesses should pay attention to in 2024, and then let’s see which ones might be the best fit for you!
Video Marketing
Video marketing is not a new trend, but it is one that is becoming more and more essential for small businesses. According to a report by Wyzowl, 86% of marketers say that video has increased traffic to their website, and 83% say that video has helped them generate leads. Video is also a great way to showcase your products or services, tell your brand story, and build trust with your audience by giving them a feel for who you really are.
In 2024, video marketing will continue to dominate the online space, especially with the rise of short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. These platforms allow you to create engaging and entertaining content designed to connect with your ideal customers.
Plus, video is versatile. You can also use it to create live streams, webinars, tutorials, testimonials, and more.
To succeed with video marketing, you need to have three things:
- A clear strategy – Know your audience and clarify your message so it not only resonates, but also highlights what makes you unique from your competition.
- A consistent schedule – It takes time to build an audience if you don’t already have one, so be patient. Regular posting shows that you are actively engaged and care.
- A creative approach – A clever message that sets you apart goes a long way. Remember, to optimize your videos for different platforms, devices, and audiences.
Finally, don’t forget to measure your results and analyze your performance. How many views did you get? How effective was your call to action in generating clicks or sales? You wouldn’t take a test without reviewing your results, so be curious. Applying what you learn from each new video will only help you to improve and grow.
Get more tips on how to up your video game to achieve the engagement you want.
Social Commerce
Social commerce is the practice of selling products or services directly on social media. Instead of directing your followers to your website or online store, you can let them complete the purchase within the app. This makes the shopping experience more convenient, seamless, and enjoyable.
Social commerce has been growing rapidly in recent years, thanks to the introduction of Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, Pinterest Shop Tab, and TikTok Shopping. These features allow you to create an online storefront on your social media profile, where you can showcase your products or services, add details and pricing, and enable checkout options.
Social commerce is a great opportunity for small businesses to increase their sales, reach new customers and build brand loyalty. According to social commerce statistics in Canada, approximately 47% of Canadians have bought items through social media, with 52% saying they made an impulse purchase when they saw something they like in their feed. This trend is only going to accelerate in 2024.
While there is obviously more work behind this simple 3-step solution, in a nutshell, to take advantage of social commerce you need to…
- Create an attractive and user-friendly storefront on your social media platforms.
- Integrate your inventory and payment systems.
- Promote your products or services with engaging content.
And of course, no matter where you do business, you need to provide excellent customer service and support throughout the entire buying journey. That’s what keeps them coming back, afterall. And it’s always easier to retain a happy customer than find a new one.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is another trend that is not new but is still very relevant and effective for small businesses. Content marketing is the process of creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a target audience, and ultimately inspire them to trust your products or services.
Content remains a key component of most successful marketing strategies for many reasons, as it helps to…
- Establish authority and credibility in your industry.
- Educate your customers about your products or services.
- Generate leads and conversions.
- Boost your SEO ranking and organic traffic.
- Build long-term relationships with your customers and keep them engaged with your brand.
However, as consumers’ content preferences evolve and adapt, some of the content marketing trends that you should specifically pay attention to in 2024 are:
- Personalized content: Everyone is at the centre of their own world. Therefore, consumers want content that is tailored to their interests, needs, and behaviours. If you have very diverse offerings, consider using data and analytics to segment your audience and create personalized content that resonates with them.
- Interactive content: Think of all the fun, immersive, and interactive activities that have crossed your path online. Using tools like quizzes, polls, surveys, games, and calculators to create interactive content not only engages your audience, but also collects valuable feedback for you to get to know them better. And of course, the more you know someone, the better you can provide them with content they are looking for.
- User-generated content: Social validation will always be the most powerful form of advertising money can’t buy. Consumers trust content that comes from other consumers more than content that comes from brands. Encourage your most loyal customers to create and share content about your products or services on social media or other platforms. This can help you to authentically increase your social proof, awareness, and advocacy.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Naturally, we would be remiss to talk about marketing trends in 2024 and not address the elephant in the room: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). While AI and ML are no longer new technologies, new ways they can be leveraged are being discovered all the time as they become more accessible and affordable for small businesses.
AI and ML can help small businesses in a variety of ways, including…
- Automating tasks and streamlining workflows, such as accounting, invoicing, and customer service.
- Analyzing data and gaining insights, such as customer behaviour, market trends, and competitor strategies.
- Enhancing products and services using personalization, recommendations, and chatbots.
- Improving marketing and sales, such as lead generation, segmentation, and targeting.
- Innovating and creating new value propositions, such as new business models, new revenue streams, new customer segments, etc.
Whether you are looking to get a fresh perspective, kickstart your creativity, reduce your workload, or dig deep into consumer insights, AI and ML are invaluable tools that can have a significant impact on helping you do business more efficiently and effectively.
But remember as you dive into all this exciting new technology, it’s wise to have a handle on the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of AI, just to ensure you get the most benefit from these systems.
Eager to get going, but not sure where to start? We’d love to chat with you to help figure out which strategies are your best options to explore in the year ahead.