It’s a new year, and that means renewed enthusiasm for marketing efforts. It’s also an opportunity to hop onto the marketing trends for 2024. Although the year is still to unfold, here is what we think will be popular.
Increased Use of AI
An increasing number of people have been using AI (artificial intelligence) in the last few years. We expect this trend to continue, as AI offers powerful insights and opportunities for all areas of business.
Deepening Audience Understanding through Data Analysis
AI serves as an instrumental tool for dissecting and interpreting vast data sets. Platforms like HubSpot AI or Google's AI-driven insights enable you to discern intricate behavioural patterns. In all likelihood, you’re already using some kind of AI-driven insights, but now is the time to explore it even more.
By leveraging AI tools, you can delve deeper into your target audience, uncovering nuanced insights into consumer behaviour, preferences, and decision-making processes. Use these insights to inform your marketing strategy.
Elevated Personalisation
The power of AI lies in its ability to generate hyper-personalised experiences, and personalisation is exactly what customers want. AI tools can help you craft tailored interactions like personalised product recommendations based on browsing history or curated content delivered through AI-powered marketing automation systems like Marketo or HubSpot.
Predictive Analytics
AI-driven predictive models can help you uncover trends and indicate the direction the market may move into. Analytics tools — such as Tableau — offer predictive analytics capabilities, enabling you to forecast shifts in consumer behaviour and industry trends. You can use these insights to proactively shape your strategies to align with forthcoming market demands.
More Personalisation
Personalisation has been a theme for the past few years, and we expect this marketing trend to continue. It’s all about making customers feel special, especially in the digital world and in mass markets.
Personalisation comes down to surprising customers, loyalty programmes, and meeting customers where they are in their shopping journey.
Delighting Customers
Going beyond conventional marketing strategies, personalisation is about making customers feel valued. Think of it as those little things you do for someone to show you care.
Consider adding personalised notes in packages or surprising customers with unexpected treats in their orders. Doing so cultivates a sense of individual attention and creates lasting emotional connections.
Leveraging Loyalty Programmes
Loyalty programmes are still popular, but customers don’t just want a reward, they want personalised recognition which should enhance engagement. For example, you can personalise rewards based on individual purchase behaviour, ensuring loyalty incentives resonate with each customer's preferences and habits. Similarly, you can provide loyal members with early access to promotions or sending them a gift (like a discount code) for their birthday.
Voice Search Optimisation
Consumers search for information in the same way they communicate with their friends, and a lot of that comes down to speaking, so it’s no surprise that optimising for voice search is a marketing trend for 2024.
Voice search optimisation is important because it embraces conversational language for tailored search results. You can use tools like Google's Dialogflow or Amazon's Alexa Skills Kit to develop conversational AI using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to optimise content for voice search and cater to the rising trend of natural language queries.
Predictive Personalisation
Predictive personalisation refers to the anticipation of user needs. For example, Spotify's Discover Weekly playlists are curated using machine-learning algorithms that predict user preferences based on listening habits.
You can use similar strategies with your customers if you know what they tend to buy. For instance, prompt customers with a replenishment email if you know a customer usually stocks up once a month. Add some suggested products (based on the customer’s previous purchases) that fit with the products you are mentioning in the replenishment email.
Mobile-First Marketing
We can’t talk about marketing trends for 2024 without considering mobile-first marketing and how it affects your audience engagement. The popularity of mobile-first marketing continues thanks to the dominance of video content and consumers’ preference for instant gratification, making it the ideal opportunity for you to engage customers with bite-size narratives.
Video content takes the lead in captivating mobile audiences. Consider investing in all kinds of videos like product demos, engaging storytelling, and behind-the-scenes glimpses to resonate with viewers. Tools like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram Reels are ideal for creating short, impactful videos that capture attention in the fleeting mobile landscape. Use short, engaging narratives to deliver bite-sized content that aligns with mobile users' attention spans.
Mobile-first strategies emphasise the importance of accessible and interactive content. Brands optimise content for mobile devices, ensuring seamless viewing experiences across various screen sizes. Interactive elements like polls, quizzes, or shoppable features embedded in content enhance user engagement, fostering a more immersive mobile experience.
Social Media Trends
TikTok, among other platforms, has become more than a content-sharing platform; it’s become a search engine. Users employ keywords and hashtags to explore content and discover a myriad of topics, resembling a search engine experience within the platform itself.
TikTok's algorithmic prowess harnesses these keywords to serve users with hyper-relevant content, fostering exploration and engagement. Tapping into this marketing trend for 2024 allows you to tell customers about your products using the mobile-first strategies described previously.
The lines between social media and e-commerce blur further as platforms facilitate seamless shopping experiences. Features like Instagram Shopping Tags or TikTok's Creator Marketplace enable users to explore and purchase products without leaving the app. It’s important to get keywords associated with products correct to enhance searchability, allowing users to find your brand effortlessly.
Beyond transactions, social media is also about community. If you build a community based on your brand, you encourage discussions, get user-generated content through competitions or campaigns, and actively participate in conversations, creating an environment where interactions are meaningful.
Graphic Design Trends
Just as with other parts of your strategy, graphic design also affects marketing trends for 2024. This year sees the continuation of many of last year’s trends but with slight changes. Let’s get into the details.
Abstract Gradients
Gradients maintain their influence, gently transitioning colours from one hue to another, but 2024 introduces a vibrant twist. Neon shades that exude energy are making an appearance, which is a change from the usual crystal tones.
Designers are opting for two-toned transitions between complementary colours, creating clear divisions without overwhelming visuals. This results in a more modern and refined aesthetic.
3D Elements & AI-generated Images
AI design tools like Midjourney are fueling the adoption of surreal images that still have a hyper-realistic feel. The settings and environments are reminiscent of a digital realm come to life. AI tools create designs within minutes, making them an efficient option if you have a limited design budget or need a design on a time crunch.
AI has also been used in conjunction with 3D elements for a life-like design. The fusion of AI-generated images with 3D elements creates a synergy that allows for visuals that defy traditional boundaries. The result is an immersive experience, where vivid, futuristic-inspired landscapes and products come alive in a strikingly realistic yet surreal manner.
Brands are leveraging these cutting-edge visuals already, and they can be seen across various mediums, from captivating ads and attention-grabbing posters to engaging social media content and forward-thinking web design.
For example, Reddit's 2024 rebrand embraces 3D elements by integrating a 3D mascot and logo symbol into its brand identity, signalling a bold step towards a futuristic visual language.
70s Nostalgia
Nostalgia fuels the next design trend. Designers are delving into the funky and vibrant aesthetics of the 60s and 70s, which is a departure from the glittery excesses of Y2K. Seventies nostalgia draws on faded retro colour palettes, handmade illustrations, and a deliberate emphasis on infusing designs with a human touch.
The focus gravitates toward simplicity, evoking a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era and creating a sense of familiarity among the current technological advancements. These designs exude a laid-back aura that encapsulates the essence of simpler times.
The resurgence of 70s nostalgia brings forth a more grounded and earthy aesthetic. Expect to see retro stripes, floral or funky patterns, and a relaxed vibe.
Illustrations and Doodles
Illustrations, doodles, and hand-drawn images are coming to the forefront; additionally, animations will become more popular in 2024. Hand-drawn logos have already popped up in various industries, particularly the food and beverage sectors, as well as in niche craft and artisanal businesses.
These illustrations focus on the human connection and infuse designs with a playful and emotional touch. It’s all about fostering connections and injecting a sense of enjoyment into designs.
Seamlessly aligning with the nostalgia-driven graphic design trend, these illustrations, whether quirky patterns or free-flowing doodles, breathe life into designs with a hint of retro charm. Implementing serif and cursive fonts further elevates this trend which pays homage to traditional craftsmanship and handmade goods.
Experimental Typography
Typography ventures into daring and innovative territory this year. Experimental typography takes on a modernised approach that positions fonts as a focal point in designs.
Display and serif fonts will be popular but they challenge the boundaries of legibility. You may see elongated, handwritten fonts, abstract lettering, and an emphasis on negative space within fonts.
Although audiences want to see experimental typography, you still need to ensure the font is legible. There have been some instances where designs feature fonts that are difficult to read, so always test your typography by showing it to a segment of your audience.
Increased Use of Email Marketing
Email marketing has been around for decades, but it continues to gain steam which is why it’s made it to our list of marketing trends for 2024. Email marketing is essential for personalisation, and you can engage subscribers even more by communicating with them often.
Focus on Accessibility
Accessibility takes the forefront in email marketing strategies. Your designers and writers should prioritise visually appealing emails that are also accessible to all recipients, including those with disabilities. Implementing features like alt text for images, clear and concise content, and adaptable layouts ensures a seamless experience for every subscriber.
Hyper-Personalisation for Engaging Experiences
Use data insights from platforms like Klaviyo to craft highly tailored content that resonates with your audience’s preferences and behaviours. Dynamic content blocks, predictive recommendations, and behaviour-triggered emails make it easier for your brand to establish deeper connections with your audience. In turn, this improves loyalty and increases engagement rates.
Optimising Email Flows
Email flows should already be part of your email marketing strategy. Refine your emails, even more, to deliver a cohesive and engaging journey for subscribers by mapping out customer journeys and automating email sequences based on subscriber actions.
Interactive Elements
Interactive elements within emails can capture the attention of your audience. Try out polls, quizzes, or clickable features, and see if they enhance subscriber engagement. A big positive of this strategy is that you are creating a two-way communication channel. Additionally, leveraging AI-driven predictive analytics helps in curating highly personalised experiences, ensuring that each email interaction feels tailored to the recipient's preferences.
Online Only Offers
A final marketing trend for 2024 that we need to talk about is online-only offers. Online-only offers cater directly to the preferences of consumers who embrace digital channels and crave convenience. These exclusive deals can be communicated through social media, on your website, and through emails.
Interestingly, despite the digital shift, a large number of consumers are returning to in-store shopping, possibly driven by a sense of nostalgia. For many consumers, the tactile experience of browsing physical shelves, interacting with products, and the ambiance of brick-and-mortar stores is appealing, so you need to find a way to get consumers browsing online too.
Online-only offers play a crucial role in bridging this nostalgia-driven return to in-store shopping with the convenience of online experiences. Limited-time online-only deals or digital-exclusive collections evoke a sense of exclusivity, similar to discovering hidden gems in-store, which may get customers shopping online.
What’s Your Favourite Marketing Trend for 2024?
That’s it for our marketing trends for 2024! What will this year hold? We can’t wait to see!
What is your favourite trend between the ones we discussed? Or, do you think something totally different will pop up?
