The dynamic landscape of digital marketing has already started to shift and evolve from what it was just a few months ago. With new opportunities, challenges and goals arising for businesses and marketers alike, let’s take a look at some of the new trends already taking shape, as well as what’s predicted for later this year.
The Pantone colour of the year, Peach Fuzz, sets the tone for 2024 – a heartfelt peach hue symbolising kindness, tenderness, and community collaboration. If viewed from the perspective of the digital landscape, we will see that the emphasis on community-building becomes a prevalent theme.
1. Overarching Trends: A Shift Towards Engagement, Culture, and Seamless Partnerships
- Engagement Over Reach: The focus of media allocation moves from sheer reach towards engagement-first campaigns.
“We’re seeing a shift in media planning, inspired by an organic renaissance. Gradually we optimise less for reach and eyeballs, but brands seem to understand and prioritise the value of qualitative engagement such as repeat views, shares and meaningful interactions.” – Pierre Quievreux, Regional Head of Media, Ogilvy
- Cultural Integration: Brands now need to immerse themselves in various corners of the internet and global locations, incorporating cultural moments into their DNA with the help of AI tools.
- Seamless Creator Partnerships: Creator-brand relationships evolve into dynamic partnerships, emphasising co-creation and seamless integration, moving beyond mere product placement.
- Gen AI & AI Upskilling: With 60% of marketers planning to increase AI utilisation, those mastering AI tools will have a strategic advantage. AI’s role spans community management, social monitoring, strategic initiatives, and creative endeavours, with the most successful brands redefining “authenticity.” It’s not about who (or what) creates your content anymore; it’s about the brand experience your content creates for the customer.
- Evolution of Community Management: Basic community management is outdated; a proactive community engagement strategy is now imperative. Users seek safer, quieter spaces such as closed forums like WhatsApp, private Facebook groups, Reddit, Discord, and Mastodon.
2. Instagram Trends: Prioritising Meaningful Connections
Let’s look at some of the top trends and platform focuses for Instagram this year.
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- Photo Dumps Reign Supreme: Move away from curated feeds to more in-the-moment content via carousel posts.
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- Edit In-App: Instagram continues to prioritise Reels, encouraging users to edit within the app.
- Live Streaming: With the Instagram Live Producer now available for all professional accounts, expect more gaming, live music, and high-tech streams.
- In-Platform SEO: Descriptive captions, keywords, hashtags, alt text, and keywords in reels are essential.
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- Community Over Following: Feed posts for Close Friends & Broadcast Channels usher in an era of prioritizing existing followers and fostering a community.
3. TikTok Trends: Exploring Curiosity, Storytelling, and Trust
Among Gen Z users, TikTok’s rise remains relentless, which means. However, with the platform becoming ever more saturated with ads, how can brands stand out in the noise?
- Be brave – TikTok has democratised and levelled up creativity, which means it has set a new bar for brands and everybody out there. Taking strategic risks and being vulnerable is now the ultimate brand strategy, where leaning into micro insights and showcasing quirks can be your superpower.
- Speak their language – use relevant cultural lingo cultivated on TikTok and lean into the open communication being had on the platform. Receive and respond to feedback in a way that helps build trust with your audience.
- Dig into the communities that your audience is a part of, and create content that aligns with their needs and curiosities, and take part in conversations happening around these topics on the platform. You’ll aid your brand’s discovery and build trust along the way.
- We just want to be entertained – entertainment-led content – be it ads or organic posts – reign supreme. The structure of stories has become somewhat predictable on the platform, so in 2024, it’s time to embrace “unhinged” storytelling. Collaborate with unexpected influencers, tap into AR and VR experiences, and tell your brand story through an educational comedic skit
4. Other Platforms: A Glimpse into the Landscape Beyond Instagram and TikTok
- Facebook/Meta: Despite challenges, Meta’s legacy ecosystem remains a leading ad destination, actively competing for attention.
- X (Twitter): Facing a decline due to management and platform turmoil, X’s monthly users are projected to decrease, urging marketers to reconsider heavy investments.
- Threads: While experiencing a significant traffic decline, Meta continues to nurture Threads. Marketers are advised to tread cautiously.
- YouTube: Surpassing 100 million subscribers globally, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium thrive. It continues to be a growing platform for music discovery, potentially filling the void left by TikTok and UMG’s dispute.
- LinkedIn: Emerging as a leader in B2B influence growth, LinkedIn sees strategic employee engagement initiatives, with brands incentivising staff to share insider knowledge through active digital networking.
With AI shaping and aiding marketers’ workflows and the type of content that’s created; the ever-evolving creative world of TikTok; and the battle for dominance between social platforms, the digital landscape for 2024 looks to be full of exciting twists and turns, new features and changes to audience interests. Stay tuned for more news and insights, and case studies on the most exciting digital marketing campaigns.
[Featured Image Creds: Pantone]
