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Digital marketing in 2024:
6 key themes that will be part of your conversations

By Chris Scott | Chief Digital Officer

A challenging 2023? For sure. But one that’s opened so many opportunities ahead of 2024.

Here are some of the topics that I think are worth paying attention to as part of your digital marketing focus for 2024:

1) Being human

As AI becomes more advanced and capable of generating content and creative, we might be tempted to rely on it for everything. And then there are bigger conversations including reports about Q* from OpenAi that’s centred around the evolution of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

For marketing opportunities, technology makes it an incredibly exciting space. But we should not forget that the value of marketing comes from human insights, creativity, emotions, and connections.

Of course, AI can help us automate and optimise some tasks, but it cannot replace the human touch that makes our marketing authentic and engaging. We should use AI as a tool, but not as a substitute for our own creativity and judgement.

2) AI = technology advancement

Speaking of AI, the term is one of the most misused words in 2023 (IMHO).

Many SaaS applications have rebranded themselves under a generic 'AI' message, but what does that really mean? In 2024, we need to be more discerning about the types and levels of AI that we use in our marketing.

For example, there is a difference between GenAI, which is a form of artificial general intelligence that can perform any task that a human can, and the more common use of analytics and machine learning that can help us make data-driven decisions.

We should not fall for the hype of AI, but rather focus on how it can help us achieve our goals as a technology enabler.

3) Personalisation delivered through relevant, immersive content

Hyper personalisation will thrive in 2024. This is not just adding a name to an email, but giving the user the information they need, when they want it and at every touchpoint in their journey.

This requires a deep understanding of the audience's preferences, behaviours, and pain points, as well as a high-quality data collection and analysis. Hyper personalisation also means crafting immersive content that captures the user's attention and interest.

This could include interactive videos, AR, gamification elements or polls/quizzes to align your customers and brand.

4) Increased importance of Contextual Advertising

If you are reading an article about travel, or specifically you’ve been engaging with a brand around a specific topic and there’s strong intent, you will see relevant advertising. Contextual advertising is beneficial for both users and advertisers; users perceive contextual ads more positively than other forms of advertising, and they are more likely to click on ads displayed in the context of their interests.

Automation and optimisation of ad campaigns through 'AI' will become increasingly important in 2024, using advancements in technology to allow marketers to reduce the costs of managing advertising campaigns and focus on the strategic aspects of advertising.

5) Filling the pipeline

In 2023, we saw a rise in the desire for the short-term gain of filling the pipeline with leads.

However, this can backfire if done in the wrong way. It can lead to frustration by your sales team and by potential customers, who might feel spammed or pressured by marketing messages.

Therefore, in 2024, we should refocus on quantity with quality when it comes to lead generation. We should aim to attract and nurture leads who are genuinely interested in our products or services, who have a clear need or problem that we can solve, and who are ready to buy or take action.

6) Increasing conversions

Finally, one of the most important goals of B2B marketing is to increase conversions.

This means turning leads into customers, customers into repeat buyers, and repeat buyers into loyal brand advocates.

To achieve high conversions, we need to pay more attention to enhancing user experiences on our websites and social media pages. In 2024, many companies will exert more effort in creating more intuitive and user-friendly sites that are more appealing to users.

We should also use creative expression that ties back to our business outcomes. For example, we can use visual stimuli such as images and to showcase our services in action, demonstrate their benefits or features, or evoke positive motions. And then test those images, to ensure conversions are at their maximum.

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What else? So, these are some of the digital trends that I think will dominate B2B marketing in 2024. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with any of them? What others do you see developing? I'm always open for a discussion, therefore please do get in touch if you have any thoughts.