The New Year always brings an atmosphere of opportunities. You will set ambitious goals for the coming year, both in your personal and professional life. As you develop innovative marketing strategies and new ways to promote your brand, reflect on the past year. Identifying what isn't working for you or your business is, of course, just as important as focusing on innovation. The Internet's "in-out" trend is based on the idea of making room for what doesn't work. Of course, we've put together some ideas about what we think and what should emerge from the marketing industry in 2024.
We are going to:
Hyperpersonalization
Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all marketing strategies that targeted almost everyone and virtually no one. Casting a wide net and winning back a few new customers may work once or twice, but it is not effective. To most effectively reach, engage, and convert your target audience, you need to know who they are. May you take a closer look at your demographics this year. Researching information about your customers, such as their geographic location and average age, can give you insights into their lifestyle and interests so you can better connect with them. At the same time, a personalized approach is required to keep your existing customer base engaged while you look for something better. Of course, you can add the recipients' names to the beginning of the letter, but go a step further. Customers who receive personalized content from a brand are more likely to interact with it. Reward loyal customers with a surprise gift when they make a purchase ten times, send them content that matches recent purchases, and who doesn't love birthday discounts?
The only social purchase
According to Sprout Social, in 2022, 40% of consumers found their ideal product through organic brand advertising and 49% found a brand through sponsored advertising. Organic content isn't over yet; because it is more important than ever. While social commerce isn't exactly new, it's not slowing down anytime soon. With the launch of the TikTok store, people loved the ease of consuming content and products without even switching apps. Consumer brands looking to reach Gen Z shoppers must meet them where they are.
Using AI
AI will never replace the value of human communication, but it can improve your work. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in marketing can help you automate processes, better understand user data, and improve the effectiveness of your advertising. Having artificial intelligence in your pocket means you'll spend more time on certain parts of the job, increasing efficiency. From apps that optimize your social media posts for efficiency to project management tools that help you stay organized, at The Brief we look at all the ways you can use AI in marketing.
Experimental brand activations
Many argue that the digital age is causing the slow and painful death of physical stores. But what if this is just a rebirth? According to an IBM study, 55% of Americans prefer to shop online, while 45% still prefer to go to stores and find products in real life. Experiential marketing can sometimes be substituted for event marketing, which simply means connecting and communicating with your customer base in person. Brands have many incentives to invite their followers to interact with them. The impression you can make on a person is much more lasting if it is done in real life. Taking the essence of your brand and turning it into a tangible experience will help convey the essence of your brand on a level that is completely impossible in a digital format.
What's in there:
Campaigns that sometimes have impact
The influencer marketing landscape is constantly evolving. As consumer demands change and social media channels change, so does the role of influencers in getting your brand out there. Along with industry saturation have come regulations requiring influencers to disclose their paid partnerships to their social media followers. Consumers are tired of constant sales and can now clearly see when an influencer is promoting a product because they are paid to do so. This has created a level of distrust between influencers and their followers. A one-time paid post may attract some traffic, but due to the highly transactional nature of the content, it may not drive many conversions. Alternatively, partnering with an influencer who organically interacts with your brand can be more authentic and resonate with your social media community. Partnering with an influencer means they will share more content over time, which can usually lead to more sales, Green said.
Let's look at the gap indicators.
The emergence of irrelevant metrics, such as subscriber count, dates back to a time when marketers struggled to find a way to measure the success of their efforts. Everything happened very quickly when it was possible to buy fake followers on social networks. Buying social media followers has since been widely discussed in marketing forums and among peers, but this deceptive practice needs to be dispelled. Increasing the legitimacy of your social media accounts can undermine the authenticity of your audience. What good are 20 thousand subscribers if they are all bots? These excesses mean nothing. In fact, if you have 500 followers and they are all real people who identify with and believe in your brand, you are likely to have a better relationship with them and more likely to become repeat customers. Instead of looking at numbers that don't really matter, focus on retention and engagement metrics that can tell you how your brand is doing.
green wash
Greenwashing refers to copy and design choices that make a brand or product appear environmentally friendly when in reality it is not. As we previously discussed on The Brief, marketing organic products without greenwashing is not impossible, but it does require being honest about your sustainability practices. Today, 44% of shoppers are excited about the products they buy, especially looking for brands whose environmental and social values align with theirs. Green bait and switch has come of age and consumers now know better than ever how to recognize it. Unfortunately, this makes your brand look untrustworthy and raises questions about what else you are doing to mislead consumers.
There are several common themes that unite this list of entries. Start by prioritizing engagement with your audience through personalization and shared experiences. From your interactions with stakeholders to communicating your sustainability efforts, authenticity is essential if you want to achieve real long-term impact. Keeping up to date with digital and technological advances can not only make your job easier, but also open up new opportunities to increase your income.
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