11 Recommendations for Marketers in 2024 [New Data]

Our 2024 State of Marketing & Trends Report went stay earlier this 12 months, and I not too long ago dug into the information and compiled an inventory of key advertising and marketing suggestions for this upcoming 12 months to reply frequent questions like:

• Which trade tendencies and ways are entrepreneurs investing in?
• What challenges are they dealing with?
• And, what are their plans and expectations for 2024 and past?

Let’s dive into my suggestions.

11 Knowledge-Backed Advertising Suggestions for 2024

1. Produce short-form movies.

Our survey included greater than 1,400 international B2B and B2C entrepreneurs, and over half of them advised us that they’re leveraging short-form video in 2024, and it’s the format they plan to take a position essentially the most on this 12 months. Furthermore, it gives the very best ROI of some other content material format.

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Brief-form video can be extremely efficient with shoppers. Whereas I’ve but to purchase one thing on social media (I’m afraid of scams), the draw is definitely there for me and my client friends — 56% of them say they’ve purchased one thing primarily based on an advert they noticed on TikTok.

So, why do shoppers interact extra with brief over long-form content material? When carried out proper, short-form content material is fast however concise, enabling fast-paced internet customers to shortly get a lot of the info they want. And, if a short-form video does not pack all the data an individual must convert, it normally forces entrepreneurs to level out a very powerful details that may make viewers desperate to be taught extra.

I feel Miss.Excel (a company that offers Microsoft Excel courses) is a superb instance of utilizing short-form movies on Instagram. On this fast video, its founder and CEO, Kat Norton, demonstrates her credibility as an Excel coach by exhibiting viewers learn how to convert an inventory of names in all caps to correct textual content.

When you plan to leverage short-form content material within the subsequent 12 months, read up on the latest trends and tips from experts within the video house to get inspiration in your technique.

2. Make it simple to purchase from you on-line.

We’ve written about social promoting lots right here on the HubSpot Weblog, however with good purpose — it’s the brand new frontier for reaching shoppers. Each time we re-run our Consumer Trends Survey, the quantity of people that look to social media to seek out merchandise will increase.

Those self same customers additionally buy products on social media, and 17% of social customers purchased a product in-app previously three months.

Since shoppers find it irresistible, marketers do it, and it pays off. They’re driving extra gross sales on social media than in previous years, and virtually half of the entrepreneurs responding to our survey will improve their investments in social media purchasing instruments this 12 months.

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In consequence, one in every of my high suggestions in 2024 is to construct a social promoting technique that makes it simple for individuals to purchase from you on social media if it is sensible for what you promote. (SaaS companies, please steer clear of TikTok Outlets).

Nevertheless, whether or not you’re new to promoting on social or enhancing your technique, you received’t achieve success with out constructing belief.

My generational belonging tells me that I needs to be leaping on the probability to purchase on social media, however I’m skeptical of it, as are 53% of shoppers. This weblog submit about building trust with social selling is a superb useful resource if you happen to use the technique.

3. Accomplice with micro-influencers.

Almost 90% of influencer entrepreneurs say influencer advertising and marketing was efficient for his or her firm in 2023. We’ll solely see it develop all through 2024 as half of these utilizing it plan to extend their investments.

The standout change in influencer advertising and marketing these previous few years is that entrepreneurs discover essentially the most success with micro-influencers with 10,000 – 100,000 followers.

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As a marketer, this is sensible. These influencers are extra inexpensive and, most importantly, have essentially the most tight-knit and engaged communities. In consequence, micro-influencers can supply extra persuasive and efficient product or model endorsements.

This additionally is sensible to me as a client. I belief and relate extra to the smaller influencers and creators I observe, rather more so than these with tens of millions and tens of millions of followers.

And, as a lot as individuals would possibly prefer to say that they make their very own product choices, influencer advertising and marketing works — final 12 months, one in four consumers purchased a product primarily based on an influencer’s suggestion.

Wish to leverage influencer advertising and marketing however do not know the place to start out? Try this handy checklist.

4. Bolster your search engine optimisation with thought management.

Google’s redefining of helpful content and including “expertise” to the present experience, authority, and belief (E-A-T) framework have been among the many largest search engine optimisation adjustments lately.

Now, content material that ranks finest is most frequently created by these with expertise and experience within the topics they write about, and so they use distinctive private experiences and anecdotes to present it the authoritative push it wants to face out from the gang.

On the weblog crew, we really feel that one of the simplest ways to bolster your search engine optimisation on this “new period” of search is with subject material specialists (SMEs) and thought management. These individuals have important expertise, experience, and authority of their area of interest and might present readers with useful and actionable info.

An effective way to incorporate SMEs and thought leaders in your content material is individuals inside your group who’ve expertise within the topics you write about. In the event that they’re not writers, ask them to contribute quotes you’ll be able to characteristic in your weblog content material.

5. Do extra with AI and advertising and marketing automation instruments.

I do know you’ve learn this sentence 1,000,000 instances, however I’m saying it anyway — AI and automation have been all over the place final 12 months. I did get a little bit of AI fatigue, however the truth is that they’re useful instruments, now not higher-priced, inaccessible applied sciences solely utilized by large firms.

62% of entrepreneurs say AI and automation are necessary to their advertising and marketing, and so they will help with most issues, from operating complicated predictive analytics studies to personalizing advertising and marketing emails to easily streamlining primary duties to present entrepreneurs extra time for complicated methods or ways that require the human contact.

Doing extra with AI will probably be a advertising and marketing theme all through 2024, and I like to recommend giving it a shot if you happen to haven’t already, particularly since there are numerous use instances:

• AI will be your content material advertising and marketing assistant. Generative AI instruments will help you create compelling, on-brand, and high-performing advertising and marketing content material. 81% of entrepreneurs utilizing gen AI say it successfully assists them of their position.
• AI will help you be more practical together with your knowledge. Feed your essential advertising and marketing knowledge to an AI instrument to shortly analyze marketing campaign efficiency and establish tendencies to concentrate on. 6 out of 10 AI and automation customers analyze knowledge with AI.
• AI offers you time again to be extra inventive. Advertising is a inventive position, however typically, we don’t have a lot time to be inventive due to different required day-to-day duties. It is perhaps thrilling to be taught that entrepreneurs save and get again a mean of two.5 hours per day by incorporating AI instruments into their processes.

Any suggestion I give for AI and automation additionally comes with a disclaimer: the instruments you utilize shouldn’t be your replacements. As an alternative, I like to recommend working together with your AI and viewing it as a trusty sidekick that may provide help to maximize your effectivity. Sean Downey, Google’s President, Americas and World Companions, told HubSpot, “It isn’t in regards to the know-how itself. It’s about what you, as entrepreneurs, will do with it. AI can’t do something with out you — however you are able to do a lot extra with AI.”

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6. Champion social accountability.

Shoppers care that the manufacturers they help are dedicated to social accountability. They wish to purchase from manufacturers that share their beliefs and attitudes, and their chance of buy due to a model’s dedication to variety and inclusion jumped 17% from last year.

As a enterprise, whenever you inform shoppers about your values, you:

• Construct deeper connections with audiences with the identical pursuits,
• Fosters belief and loyalty,
• Stand out from the competitors and entice new clients trying to patronize companies that share their values.

Sharing this type of content material pays off, as entrepreneurs report it gives the second-highest ROI of all of the tendencies they leverage, and most plan to take a position extra in it this 12 months.

When you take something away from this suggestion, although, let or not it’s this: the content material you share or commitments you make to social accountability should be real. Shoppers can acknowledge pretend appeals and received’t allow you to get away with it; they may even name you out for it on-line.

7. Leverage audio for engagement relatively than ROI.

Audio-first platforms like Clubhouse have popped up in the previous couple of years, and apps like Spotify have added extra stay audio options. The fast leap in reputation confirmed us simply how viral audio content material will be, even when branded.

And, in 2024, it’s nonetheless price preserving in your radar. On the patron facet, 75% of People ages 12+ have listened to on-line audio previously week.

With entrepreneurs, podcasts or other audio content aren’t among the many most leveraged tendencies, nor do they provide the very best ROI, however investments will proceed to develop in 2024:

• 39% of those that already leverage podcasts or different audio content material will make investments extra in 2024
• 42% of these leveraging audio chat rooms plan to take a position the identical quantity in 2022.
• Podcasts or different audio content material are the highest media codecs entrepreneurs plan to leverage for the primary time in 2024.

Why is that this advertising and marketing format nonetheless so widespread if it doesn’t supply the very best ROI?

My teammate Caroline Forsey spoke to Dan Stillgoe, Blend’s Advertising Supervisor, and he said it well: “It’s true you’ll be able to’t instantly attribute leads or income from a podcast, however that‘s not its function. Podcasts are a long-term brand-building channel that may enhance affinity and connection in your model like no different channel…Podcasting is the right strategy to craft content material that’s partaking and genuine.”

Podcasts stand out to me, as a client, for his or her authenticity. Sure, hosts do analysis, plan episodes, and write out speaking factors, however I don’t get that form of pure, free-flowing dialog from some other media I eat.

And, as Stillgoe talked about, podcasts are a good way for your small business to grow to be a trusted voice and thought chief in your house. It’s not a real “behind-the-scenes” look, however listening to somebody converse offers your small business a human voice, which fits a great distance in constructing a reference to listeners.

8. Use an omnichannel strategy.

Entrepreneurs leverage an average of four platforms of their position, and Fb (57%) and Instagram (55%) are the most well-liked. The 2 additionally tie for the very best ROI.

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However these are simply two of many platforms, so how do you choose? I like to recommend these two guiding questions:

1. The place are your audiences spending time? You’ll submit into the void if you happen to give attention to a channel your viewers isn’t on. Our Consumer Trends Report will inform you the place your audience teams are.
2. How many individuals are in your crew? Fewer arms imply selecting the simplest platforms for your small business wants as a substitute of extra platforms to maximise your affect and ROI.

I do know {that a} problem to utilizing a number of platforms is having sufficient content material to share on each. In a separate Social Media Trends Survey, we discovered that entrepreneurs normally share comparable content material throughout all platforms with small tweaks to tailor it to every platform. This implies you aren’t pressed to create new content material for each channel as a result of you’ll be able to repurpose what you have already got.

9. Align gross sales and advertising and marketing groups.

Organizations with tightly aligned gross sales and advertising and marketing groups see 27% quicker revenue development and 36% greater retention.

Regardless of its significance, aligning with gross sales is likely one of the high challenges entrepreneurs face, most importantly due to a scarcity of communication and needing to be clearer about general targets and technique.

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Monica Elgemark, Chief Advertising Officer at Oneflow says that, to deal with the challenges of gross sales and advertising and marketing alignment, “It is crucial to outline clear targets and targets that each gross sales and advertising and marketing groups can rally behind. Clear targets and targets that differentiate between consciousness and income needs to be thought of for each gross sales and advertising and marketing to grasp the values totally different campaigns deliver. It’s a mutual dependency between these areas that wants respect.”

10. Profit from your advertising and marketing finances.

Most entrepreneurs had their budgets stay the identical between 2022 and 2023, possible due to the financial enterprise landscapes accelerated by the pandemic.

For instance, companies with high-priced merchandise noticed a scarcity of gross sales flooring efficiency as decision-makers wanted to spend extra cautiously. In the meantime, on-line advertising and marketing offered exceedingly stable visitors and conversion alternatives as shoppers and prospects have been caught inside on the net.

Entrepreneurs nonetheless say their budgets will stay the identical this 12 months, however they anticipate budgets and ensuing ROI will probably be scrutinized considerably extra now than previously, possible as a consequence of financial occasions of the previous few years. Enterprise leaders have positioned extra significance on how and why cash is spent as it’s to maximise effectivity.

When you‘re on a crew receiving extra eyes, I perceive how you might really feel strained to be as efficient as doable, particularly if you happen to’re hoping to justify extra finances sooner or later. I like to recommend studying this blog post about managing your entire marketing budget and downloading our free budget planning templates that can assist you plan your personal.

11. Give attention to constructing hybrid methods.

45% of the worldwide entrepreneurs we surveyed are hybrid staff, whereas simply 24% are totally distant. Workers aren’t dashing again to the workplace full-time, in order you propose for 2024, think about constructing methods that work best for a dispersed workforce.

Not solely that, however hybrid is the most well-liked work mannequin (most well-liked by 41% of staff), adopted by distant (32%), with in-person coming final (27%).

The excellent news? Providing flexibility may end in nice worker or crew retention. The highest purpose individuals we surveyed wish to keep of their jobs is to keep up their versatile work schedule, beating out aggressive pay.

Need extra suggestions?

This isn’t our solely suggestion submit leveraging our Advertising Trade Developments Survey knowledge. That will help you dive deeper into data-backed ways, we’re persevering with to publish content material round particular findings, tendencies, and methods highlighted in our survey.

Beneath are just some of the posts we have written not too long ago about particular tendencies and ways found in our analysis.

Want much more steerage in your advertising and marketing planning? We have you lined with the free useful resource under.

On the lookout for much more perception? Dive into extra data-backed suggestions, tendencies, and yearly predictions with the free useful resource under.