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Marketing in 2024: Staying Ahead of the Curve

If your plan in 2024 is to use the same marketing strategy you used in 2023, it may be time to reconsider. A new year brings new opportunities to reach customers and leads. It can also bring new ways to market to them that will help you stand out from everyone else. While there aren’t likely to be any major shifts in marketing this year, it’s always good to try a few new things. Take a look at these suggestions for what you should try in 2024. 

Learn Marketing from Your Competitors

Putting your marketing plans together for the new year can be tedious. You need to review your target audience, evaluate your content strategy, and plan your ad spend. It’s a lot of work to get done, but you don’t need to do it all by yourself or start from scratch. Instead, you can leverage competitive content analysis and let it help you strategize for 2024. 

You can use this tool to scan your website and determine what changes will help you rank. It will also compare the websites of your top competitors to see what they’re doing and let you know how you measure up. You’ll know how many images, H2’s, hyperlinks, and keywords to include. Additionally, analyzing your competitors’ content gaps can inform your strategy and allow you to differentiate yourself in areas where your competitors may be falling short.

Find Your Cause

One avenue you absolutely should pursue in 2024 is marketing with a cause. Consumers are increasingly choosing companies to buy from based on shared values and moral stances. Depending on your company, the cause you choose to champion may be fairly obvious. Perhaps you rely on goods obtained in a sustainable way, or your employees are members of a strong union. 

If your company has an obvious cause to support, be sure to show it off in your marketing. Your target audience wants to know what you stand for and what you do to show your support. If you don’t have an apparent cause to rally behind, this is the year to find one. Ask what your company stands for, and then make it clear throughout your marketing. Even if it’s not a major issue, your audience will appreciate seeing that you believe in something and aren’t afraid to show it.  

Release Some Brand Control

This year is an excellent year to be unafraid with your marketing. It’s a year to make bold choices and maybe loosen the reins a little bit. Companies that tightly control who has access to the brand and how it is portrayed may come off as stiff or old-fashioned. With the continued prominence of influencers, now is the right time to bring some in and let them demonstrate your brand in a way that makes sense to them. 

Honesty remains incredibly valued in influencer marketing. SaaSquatch reports that 71% of influencers believe their honesty and authenticity keep their audiences engaged. You want your target audience to remain engaged when influencers talk about your products and services. Therefore, it makes sense to let influencers market for you authentically, even if it’s different from your usual branding. 

Modernize Your Marketing Video Strategy

Your usual branding may include video, but when did you last update your video strategy? For many marketers, the strategy was to “make video,” and they never really moved past that. In 2024, video should remain a key aspect of your marketing, but you need to use it more strategically. Think about where your audience is and what types of video they actually consume. 

If your audience primarily watches video on their phones, vertical video with captions is going to be your best bet. TikToks and Instagram Reels remain popular ways to consume content, and they usually end up on Facebook as shorts. Knowing this, ensure you have short, easy-to-digest content for those platforms. You may also look into YouTube Shorts, which have a similar style and are increasing in popularity. Make sure your video strategy contains a plan for all of this and reaches your audience where they are.  

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No matter what you are marketing, the odds are good that a large portion of your audience is on social media. The exact platform will vary based on their demographics, but they are there, and they may be looking for you. While Google remains the top search engine, it’s becoming increasingly popular to use social media to search for what you want. Consider looking up how to fix your sink on YouTube, for instance, or searching for makeup on Instagram, or finding products on TikTok. All of these are now normal ways to find things, and you need to make sure you can be found. 

Strengthening your social search optimization should be an overall priority in 2024. First, make sure you have content available on the platforms your audience uses. They can’t find you if you aren’t there. Then, make the best use of descriptions and hashtags by using trending keywords. Hubspot reports that 22% of consumers prefer to find products on social media; make sure you can be found. 

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Conclusion

Moving throughout the year, you shouldn’t see too many significant changes to how you market or the tools you use. However, as you finalize your marketing strategy for 2024, remain open to trying new things. While the tried and true ways will always be there, you may find a new market by reaching out in new ways. Experiment with some of these strategies, and see what the new year has in store for you. 

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