5 trends shaping the marketing landscape in 2024
The marketing landscape in 2024 is set to be shaped by several key trends. These include the growing emphasis on building personal brands, the shift towards businesses taking some ownership of their marketing efforts, the rise of short-form videos and carousel posts, the importance of omnichannel marketing strategies, and the need for consistent content creation.
These trends reflect a focus on authenticity, audience engagement, and seamless brand experiences. By embracing these trends, businesses can position themselves to effectively connect with their target audiences and navigate the evolving marketing landscape.
1. Build your personal brand
Forget faceless logos and robotic jingles. The future belongs to the rise of the personal brand. We’re human and we crave connection, not corporate robots. Share your story, showcase your expertise, and let your personality shine. Don’t worry about highly edited photos and over-produced videos with elaborate setups. Consistent and authentic content is what’s in, so forget the impressive transitions and supers – good sound, natural lighting, and a decent mobile camera lens at minimum are all you need.
2. Learn how to create results from inside your business
I know, I own an agency and I’m advising brands to bring marketing in-house. Hear me out.
The days of blindly handing over marketing budgets and hoping for magic are over. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are making it easier than ever to create engaging content, track results, and build relationships directly. This doesn't mean marketing agencies are dead! Instead, think of us as coaches and mentors.
Agencies can teach brands the how-to's, provide strategic guidance, and even set up the foundations of a great marketing system and help them master the tools. Once they have a good grasp of the basics, brands can then partner with agencies for more technical and sophisticated marketing work to support their internal efforts. Remember, informed brands make for better partners.
3. Create more short-form videos (but Instagram stories are where conversions happen)
Attention spans are shorter than ever, and our thumbs are perpetually scrolling. Enter the era of short-form video. YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Stories – these are the new water coolers, where brands can share their stories, showcase products in action, and connect on an emotional level.
But here's the twist: Instagram Stories might be the conversion champions you need. While Instagram Reels grab attention, Stories nurture relationships and drive action. Think behind-the-scenes glimpses, interactive polls, product or booking links, and customer testimonials – all condensed into bite-sized, binge-worthy clips.
Why didn’t I mention TikTok? Well, TikTok plans to focus on longer-form videos this year - think 30-minute-long videos. Why shift away from the entertaining digestible short-form content the platform is known and loved for? It’s because they want you to stay on the app for longer and they want to monetise the platform with ad spaces. We’re already seeing so many ads flood our FYP instead of the content we want to see. Let’s see where TikTok goes this year.
4. Execute an omnichannel marketing strategy
Gone are the days of siloed marketing channels. In 2024, it's all about executing seamless brand experiences across the entire digital landscape. From TikTok trending videos to personalised email campaigns, every touchpoint must operate within a strong marketing framework or funnel with the overall brand narrative.
5. Don’t overthink your content
Highly edited photos and over-produced videos with elaborate setups are out. Consistent and authentic content is in. Forget the impressive transitions and supers – good sound, natural lighting, and a decent mobile camera lens at minimum are all you need.
People crave realness (imagine you’re talking to someone on Facetime), relatable moments, and a peek behind the curtain.
Post often, even if it's just a simple video of your morning coffee or a quick product demo. Show your audience the journey, the ups and downs, the behind-the-scenes adventure. This raw, consistent approach builds trust, fosters loyalty, and ultimately fuels growth.
