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If you’re a budding digital marketer or an experienced one, you’ve probably looked into digital marketing trends in 2024 at some point!
Professionals who seek a career in digital marketing must keep up with current digital marketing trends in the business.
With the rate of change increasing year after year and the spectrum of digital marketing expanding, every digital marketer must continually devote time and attention to upskilling and learning.
Knowing the inner workings of algorithms, new modifications, or features provides you with the very first advantage and allows you to develop the most successful marketing strategies for you and your organisation.
Here are the top ten Digital Marketing Trends:
AI in Marketing
AI is a powerful algorithm that trains itself by analysing massive amounts of data on a specific industry or topic and learning the patterns that work well. The AI’s learning capabilities enable programmers to introduce improvements in outcomes by allowing the AI to employ the strategies it discovered work best.
There are numerous examples of AI already performing previously unimaginable tasks, such as content authoring for JP Morgan and Chase; Persuado, an AI-powered content authoring assistance, has been implemented.
AI can perform a variety of tasks and operate as an extension to any digital marketer who understands how to use it. It is inexpensive, precise, and incredibly efficient. With so many large corporations embracing these tools, every team must devise a strategy for incorporating AI into their arsenal of tools.
The world has been talking about how the Artificial Intelligence wave will eventually take over every part of your life. Little do we realise, the transformation has already begun. 60% of internet users have also used an AI chatbot to answer questions across numerous apps and websites. Most of the content we consume on social media sites has been fine-tuned by AIs to keep us engaged for longer! This technology is so wonderful that it is expected to be a $190 billion industry by 2025, and digital marketing trends present an incredible opportunity for marketers to capitalize on it.
NFT
Non-fungible Tokens are digital assets that can be exchanged. Each NFT contains a unique token that indicates that it is the original NFT and that you own it. NFTs have not only rocked the art and technology worlds, but they have also begun to infiltrate the marketing industry.
As part of their core marketing objectives, brands provide free NFTs in a raffle. For example, Marriott Bonvoy organized a raffle in which the winners received their own NFT as well as 200,000 Bonvoy points.
Only high-end businesses such as Adidas, Marriott, and others have targeted these types of digital marketing initiatives. When more brands use NFTs as a marketing tool, the growth and prospects are limitless.
AR
According to Wikipedia, Augmented Reality is an interactive experience of a real-world environment in which real-world items are supplemented by computer-generated perceptual information.
It has three basic features.
1. a hybrid of the actual and virtual worlds
2. interaction in real time
3. precise 3D registration of virtual and physical objects
While virtual reality creates a buzz and gets everyone interested with great sci-fi ideas, augmented reality is considerably more marketable. Experts predict that in terms of market share, AR will continue to beat VR, making it a significant aspect of digital marketing trends.
AR technology is increasingly being used by brands to improve the consumer experience and enhance sales.
IKEA, for example, has its own app that allows users to take a picture of their space with their cellphones (iOS 11.0.1 for now) and test drive IKEA’s furniture in it. Ability to move the furniture around to see how different it looks from different angles.
Another example is Gucci, the latest premium company to integrate an Augmented Reality function to its smartphone, allowing users to ‘try on’ footwear.
By directing their smartphone camera below, the user can observe 19 various sneakers on their own. It allowed users to switch between pairs by swiping left or right. Users can also capture images with the app, which can then be shared on social media or through messaging apps.
Voice Search Optimization
There are several reasons why Voice Search, a capability that we all gained with our smartphones around 2014, is exploding this year. First, smart speakers are becoming more popular. 20% of families have purchased a smart speaker such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home. The proliferation of fully voice-controlled devices is an important measure of how people have begun to adapt to this new behaviour.
Second, Google boasts that its Voice Search has a 95 percent accuracy rate. The ease of use factor for voice search has increased as search accuracy has increased. With improved accuracy to match what you ask for, and the convenience of utilizing your voice to acquire results, the process has become more customized and appealing.
Third, and most importantly, it is predicted that by 2022, voice results will account for 50% of all internet purchases. This is a billion-dollar opportunity for digital marketers to capitalize on. With so many growth indicators pointing to the advent of voice search, preparing your website for voice search will be critical in the future. Staying ahead in digital marketing trends means adapting to this new wave of voice technology.
Metaverse
The Metaverse is commonly referred to as a realm within our world. Meta presently owns the Metaverse (Facebook). The concept of a digital realm where virtual and augmented realities coexist to provide a universal experience is both novel and untapped.
A digital avatar of yourself in a futuristic environment where all actions are conceivable appears to have a lot in common with gaming. So, how does it become a 2022 Digital Marketing Trends?
Metaverse, a network of realities/virtual universes in which space exists practically everywhere, has enabled social commerce. Digital marketers have discovered a way for their businesses to fill that need and establish an entirely new medium of digital marketing.
Even though we haven’t yet achieved the height of marketing in this area, the potential is enormous!
Programmatic Advertising
The use of automation to acquire digital advertising is known as programmatic ad buying. While the traditional process entails human discussion, requests for proposals, and quotes, programmatic buying purchases advertisements using algorithms and machines. This shift represents a key development in digital marketing trends.
AI is used in programmatic advertising to automate so that marketers may target more particular consumers. Automation is rapid and efficient, which enhances conversions and minimizes client acquisition costs.
Real-time bidding is a sort of programmatic ad buying that enables for better and faster targeting by qualifying advertising to be bought and sold on a case-by-case basis, which means that users who are your target customers will see the ad.
According to eMarketer data, over 88 percent of display advertising in the United States will be secured programmatically by 2021.
One of the better examples is ‘The Economist,’ a digital and print journal that launched a programmatic advertising campaign to entice inquisitive people to try the publication. The same campaign created 6,50,000 new prospects, resulting in a 10:1 return on investment (ROI). Brand awareness for “The Economist” increased by 65%.
Chatbots
Chatbots are expected to become one of the leading digital marketing trends in 2022. The AI-based technology uses instant messaging to communicate with clients and site visitors. It is intended to communicate with clients through textual or aural means.
Chatbots can be used by businesses to engage with customers. Because there are many people viewing the website at the same time, it is advantageous to have a technology that can respond to hundreds of users at once. Chatbots provide 24/7 customer support, rapid responses to requests, and solutions to simple questions.
To interact with businesses or brands, 63 % prefer messaging on chatbots. This virtual help delivers outstanding customer service, allowing a company to eliminate monotonous chores and focus on more vital responsibilities.
Starbucks has created a chatbot that functions through the MyBarista app and allows you to order via Amazon Alexa or SMS.
Another fantastic example of a chatbot system is Google’s recently unveiled project LaMDA. It will transform the next generation of chatbot systems.
Aside from allowing consumers to stay in the comfort of their homes until their coffee is ready, the chatbot notifies the client when the order is ready to be picked up and accepts payment and tipping.
Automated and Personalized Email Marketing
As the term suggests, automated email marketing involves automatically sending emails to your consumers based on events or timelines that you define.
Email has traditionally been the most dependable digital marketing method. Promotional emails are an excellent means of reaching out to your clients and informing them of your organization’s accomplishments or upcoming sales.
However, as a result of the overuse of mass email approaches, most individuals have ceased replying to promotional emails. Personalized emails are an excellent approach to reclaiming your consumers’ attention and building a much more engaged clientele, aligning with modern digital marketing trends.
Every firm should strive to make their customers feel special. Personalized emails accomplish this by giving the customer the impression that the company is more than a fictitious corporation, but rather a group of people just like them.
One of the most effective examples of automated email marketing is:
EasyJet: EasyJet has started an email campaign that used consumer data to tell each client their unique narrative. Customers’ travel history with the airline was utilized to develop tailored stories that advised and recommended where they might like to fly next. 12.5 million personalized emails had been sent, with a 25% higher CTC than non-personalized emails.
Marketing Automation
Automation has significantly improved the industry in recent years and will be one of the primary digital marketing trends in 2022. Marketing automation is all about optimizing and automating processes to make them more efficient, effective, and faster. Lead collection and nurturing will be one of the primary purposes of marketing automation.
If you get a lot of visitors to your website but don’t capture strong leads at the right moments, the traffic is useless. Marketing automation allows you to combine multiple CRM systems and lead nurturing software to aid you in acquiring leads at any time of day and personalizing the process.
You can nurture these leads stage by stage after they have been obtained. This enables a better and higher-quality conversion rate.
Geofencing (Location Based Marketing)
Geofencing is a location-based service marketing technique in which an app or other software program uses radio frequency identification (RFID), GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to trigger a targeted marketing activity such as a text message, social media advertisement, email, or app notification. Geo-fencing occurs when a smartphone enters or exits a geographical boundary.
Excellent instances of geofencing include:
Starbucks: Starbucks employs geofencing to promote its products to customers who are interested. They typically send push alerts when users pass by their company or are in the surrounding neighbourhood. They also send a unique push message informing nearby clients about the fantastic deal Starbucks is offering; it is a savvy offer to lure consumers in the door.
Sephora: Sephora employs a “store buddy” geofencing function that activates as soon as a user enters the store. If a user enters one of the geofenced regions, they will receive a notification regarding current specials, discounts, and so on.
Geofencing will become increasingly important in marketing strategies for firms that aim to convert digital consumers into loyal consumers.
As one of the evolving digital marketing trends, it enables brands to deliver tailored marketing efforts based on location, making interactions more timely and relevant.