Both in 2024 and this year, after reviewing a number of marketing reports and studies from several areas of marketing, we can define the following trends that are good to follow and work with:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) increases efficiency and effectiveness
- Short video content drives social strategy
- User-generated content (UGC) increases brand awareness
- Community efforts and genuine branding foster consumer trust
- Quality editorial content endures
- Case studies continue to drive brand recognition and generate sales leads
- Changes in search engines shift search engine optimization (SEO) strategies
- AI-powered chatbots expand conversation opportunities
- Personalisation improves user experience
Let's take a closer look at each of these trends and the data underlying them.
1. Artificial intelligence increases efficiency and effectiveness
Advances in artificial intelligence are having a big impact on marketing. According to HubSpot's State of Marketing Report 2024, 64% of marketers are already using AI and automation. Additionally, consultancy Gartner predicts that 80% of advanced creative roles in marketing will be tasked with using GenAI to improve their marketing activities by 2026.
Two areas in which AI often appears in marketing workflows are content production and marketing analytics.
GenAI for content production
Many marketers use generative AI (GenAI) at various stages of content creation, estimating that they save approximately three hours of work per piece of content, with 84% of those using AI reporting greater efficiency in content creation, 82% reporting that they produce significantly more content, and 56% reporting an increase in content performance.
You can use GenAI tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to generate content ideas, create briefs and outlines, draft content, or even write complete pieces.
Using artificial intelligence for marketing analytics
Data-driven marketing isn't a new trend, but the way marketers get their data is changing thanks to artificial intelligence. According to The Work Innovation Lab's 2023 report, The State of AI at Work, 30% of workers are already using AI to analyze data, and 62% of workers want to use AI to analyze data.
With the power of AI driving the analytics, you can learn about your target audience, identify trends, predict behavior, and optimize your marketing campaigns faster and more accurately than you could without the help of AI.
Strengthen your marketing analytics skills with the Meta Marketing Analytics Professional certification. You'll learn how to collect and analyze marketing data and how to turn your insights into actionable strategies.
2. Short video content drives social strategy
As marketers increasingly target digital generations, they're meeting them where they are: scrolling through short videos on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. According to HubSpot, short-form video is the content type with the highest return on investment (ROI) and is poised to see the most growth in 2025. 53% of marketers plan to increase their investment in TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.
3. UGC increases brand awareness
User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content that users post about your product on their social media profiles. The content itself may be similar to the type of content you see influencers or affiliate partners post, but unlike those posts, brands don't directly partner with users to sponsor or create content. Rather, it's more word-of-mouth marketing, where users create content and share it with their audience, and businesses can then leverage that content through tactics like social sharing or giveaways.
Traditional influencer marketing continues to have its place in marketing strategy, but marketers are also increasingly relying on UGC as a cost-effective way to promote brand awareness in a way that feels organic to the typical viewer. According to Gartner, more than 80% of consumers believe UGC improves product discovery, brand trust and experience.
4. The power of community and a real brand foster consumer trust
According to Gartner, authenticity is the third highest value that American consumers identify with, and nurturing a brand's true voice will become increasingly important as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent in the online space.
The modern marketer's response: lean into emotional connections with community-building efforts. A 2024 report from marketing platform TINT found that 70% of marketers agree that building community is key to customer retention and that 82% of consumers are more likely to purchase new products from a company with an engaging online community.
5. Quality editorial content persists
Marketers will continue to invest in editorial content, such as blog posts and podcasts, to generate engagement, drive conversions and promote thought leadership. According to HubSpot, 82% of marketers surveyed plan to increase or maintain investment in podcasts and audio content, and 92% plan to increase or maintain investment in blog posts.
6. Case studies support brand recognition and sales opportunities
More traditional content marketing, such as case studies, is typically used to increase brand recognition and support lead generation, especially for B2B marketing. In 2024, case studies will continue to appear in marketing strategies. HubSpot found that 26% of marketing teams are already using case studies in their content marketing strategy, and 87% of marketers plan to increase or maintain their investment in case studies.
7. Changes in search engines are shifting SEO strategies
Gartner predicts that AI-based improvements to popular search engines will reduce organic search traffic to brand websites by 50% by 2028. Despite the changing landscape, HubSpot reports that 92% of marketers plan to increase or maintain their investment in SEO.
In addition to evolving historical strategies, SEO teams are increasingly expanding into video, image and, in some cases, audio search content, with the goal of prioritizing a delightful customer experience while leveraging all aspects of the latest Google and Bing developments.
8. Artificial intelligence chatbots expand the possibilities of conversation
Chatbots and virtual assistants provide consumers with quality answers to common or easy-to-answer questions. With advances in AI and natural language processing (NLP) technologies, it's becoming easier and easier for marketers to program and use these tools to increase efficiency without disrupting customer satisfaction. According to HubSpot, 58% of marketers plan to increase their investment in chatbots.
9. Personalisation improves user experience
AI-mediated personalised experiences lead to repeat purchases according to 96% of marketers and increase sales according to 94%. Product recommendations based on machine learning or immersive experiences, such as augmented reality (AR) features that allow users to "browse" physical products in their space, leverage consumers' individual preferences to unlock data-driven purchase decisions and increase customer satisfaction.
This is still a new trend in digital marketing. Although 73% of marketers agree that personalization is important, only 35% feel that their brand offers a personalized user experience.
Privacy policy and privacy protection are changing targeting strategies
Alongside the interest in personalisation, digital marketers are acutely aware of the changes in data collection and privacy that may change the way they learn about their audience. As Apple and Google phase out third-party cookies, businesses are exploring first-party data collection methods.
Source: Coursera, www.coursera.com
Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash