Our 2024 State of Advertising and marketing & Tendencies Report went dwell earlier this yr, and I just lately dug into the information and compiled an inventory of key advertising and marketing suggestions for this upcoming yr to reply frequent questions like:

• Which trade tendencies and ways are entrepreneurs investing in?
• What challenges are they going through?
• And, what are their plans and expectations for 2024 and past?

Let’s dive into my suggestions.

11 Knowledge-Backed Advertising and marketing Suggestions for 2024

1. Produce short-form movies.

Our survey included greater than 1,400 world B2B and B2C entrepreneurs, and over half of them informed us that they’re leveraging short-form video in 2024, and it’s the format they plan to speculate essentially the most on this yr. Furthermore, it affords the very best ROI of another content material format.

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Quick-form video can be extremely efficient with customers. Whereas I’ve but to purchase one thing on social media (I’m afraid of scams), the draw is definitely there for me and my shopper friends — 56% of them say they’ve purchased one thing primarily based on an advert they noticed on TikTok.

So, why do customers interact extra with brief over long-form content material? When carried out proper, short-form content material is fast however concise, enabling fast-paced internet customers to rapidly get many of the info they want. And, if a short-form video does not pack all the data an individual must convert, it normally forces entrepreneurs to level out an important information that can make viewers desperate to study extra.

I believe Miss.Excel (an organization that gives Microsoft Excel programs) is a good instance of utilizing short-form movies on Instagram. On this fast video, its founder and CEO, Kat Norton, demonstrates her credibility as an Excel coach by displaying viewers methods to convert an inventory of names in all caps to correct textual content.

When you plan to leverage short-form content material within the subsequent yr, learn up on the most recent tendencies and suggestions from specialists within the video house to get inspiration in your technique.

2. Make it simple to purchase from you on-line.

We’ve written about social promoting loads right here on the HubSpot Weblog, however with good purpose — it’s the brand new frontier for reaching customers. Each time we re-run our Client Tendencies Survey, the quantity of people that look to social media to seek out merchandise will increase.

Those self same customers additionally purchase merchandise on social media, and 17% of social customers purchased a product in-app previously three months.

Since customers like it, entrepreneurs do it, and it pays off. They’re driving extra gross sales on social media than in previous years, and nearly half of the entrepreneurs responding to our survey will enhance their investments in social media procuring instruments this yr.

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In consequence, one among my prime suggestions in 2024 is to construct a social promoting technique that makes it simple for individuals to purchase from you on social media if it is sensible for what you promote. (SaaS companies, please steer clear of TikTok Outlets).

Nonetheless, whether or not you’re new to promoting on social or bettering your technique, you received’t achieve success with out constructing belief.

My generational belonging tells me that I must be leaping on the probability to purchase on social media, however I’m skeptical of it, as are 53% of customers. This weblog submit about constructing belief with social promoting is a good useful resource if you happen to use the technique.

3. Associate with micro-influencers.

Almost 90% of influencer entrepreneurs say influencer advertising and marketing was efficient for his or her firm in 2023. We’ll solely see it develop all through 2024 as half of these utilizing it plan to extend their investments.

The standout change in influencer advertising and marketing these previous few years is that entrepreneurs discover essentially the most success with micro-influencers with 10,000 – 100,000 followers.

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As a marketer, this is sensible. These influencers are extra inexpensive and, most importantly, have essentially the most tight-knit and engaged communities. In consequence, micro-influencers can provide extra persuasive and efficient product or model endorsements.

This additionally is sensible to me as a shopper. I belief and relate extra to the smaller influencers and creators I observe, rather more so than these with hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of followers.

And, as a lot as individuals would possibly prefer to say that they make their very own product selections, influencer advertising and marketing works — final yr, one in 4 customers purchased a product primarily based on an influencer’s advice.

Wish to leverage influencer advertising and marketing however do not know the place to start out? Take a look at this helpful guidelines.

4. Bolster your search engine marketing with thought management.

Google’s redefining of useful content material and including “expertise” to the prevailing experience, authority, and belief (E-A-T) framework have been among the many largest search engine marketing adjustments in recent times.

Now, content material that ranks greatest is most frequently created by these with expertise and experience within the topics they write about, and so they use distinctive private experiences and anecdotes to offer it the authoritative push it wants to face out from the gang.

On the weblog crew, we really feel that one of the best ways to bolster your search engine marketing on this “new period” of search is with subject material specialists (SMEs) and thought management. These individuals have important expertise, experience, and authority of their area of interest and might present readers with useful and actionable info.

A good way to incorporate SMEs and thought leaders in your content material is individuals inside your group who’ve expertise within the topics you write about. In the event that they’re not writers, ask them to contribute quotes you’ll be able to function in your weblog content material.

5. Do extra with AI and advertising and marketing automation instruments.

I do know you’ve learn this sentence one million occasions, however I’m saying it anyway — AI and automation have been in all places final yr. I did get a little bit of AI fatigue, however the reality is that they’re useful instruments, not higher-priced, inaccessible applied sciences solely utilized by big firms.

62% of entrepreneurs say AI and automation are necessary to their advertising and marketing, and so they might help with most issues, from operating advanced predictive analytics reviews to personalizing advertising and marketing emails to easily streamlining fundamental duties to offer entrepreneurs extra time for advanced methods or ways that require the human contact.

Doing extra with AI shall be a advertising and marketing theme all through 2024, and I like to recommend giving it a shot if you happen to haven’t already, particularly since there are lots of use instances:

• AI may be your content material advertising and marketing assistant. Generative AI instruments might help you create compelling, on-brand, and high-performing advertising and marketing content material. 81% of entrepreneurs utilizing gen AI say it successfully assists them of their function.
• AI might help you be more practical together with your knowledge. Feed your essential advertising and marketing knowledge to an AI instrument to rapidly analyze marketing campaign efficiency and determine tendencies to concentrate on. 6 out of 10 AI and automation customers analyze knowledge with AI.
• AI provides you time again to be extra inventive. Advertising and marketing is a inventive function, however typically, we don’t have a lot time to be inventive due to different required day-to-day duties. It is perhaps thrilling to study that entrepreneurs save and get again a median of two.5 hours per day by incorporating AI instruments into their processes.

Any advice I give for AI and automation additionally comes with a disclaimer: the instruments you utilize shouldn’t be your replacements. As an alternative, I like to recommend working together with your AI and viewing it as a trusty sidekick that can show you how to maximize your effectivity. Sean Downey, Google’s President, Americas and International Companions, informed HubSpot, “It isn’t concerning the know-how itself. It’s about what you, as entrepreneurs, will do with it. AI can’t do something with out you — however you are able to do a lot extra with AI.”

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6. Champion social duty.

Shoppers care that the manufacturers they help are dedicated to social duty. They wish to purchase from manufacturers that share their beliefs and attitudes, and their probability of buy due to a model’s dedication to variety and inclusion jumped 17% from final yr.

As a enterprise, while you inform customers about your values, you:

• Construct deeper connections with audiences with the identical pursuits,
• Fosters belief and loyalty,
• Stand out from the competitors and entice new prospects seeking to patronize companies that share their values.

Sharing this sort of content material pays off, as entrepreneurs report it affords the second-highest ROI of all of the tendencies they leverage, and most plan to speculate extra in it this yr.

When you take something away from this advice, although, let or not it’s this: the content material you share or commitments you make to social duty have to be real. Shoppers can acknowledge faux appeals and received’t allow you to get away with it; they may even name you out for it on-line.

7. Leverage audio for engagement slightly than ROI.

Audio-first platforms like Clubhouse have popped up in the previous couple of years, and apps like Spotify have added extra dwell audio options. The fast soar in recognition confirmed us simply how viral audio content material may be, even when branded.

And, in 2024, it’s nonetheless value conserving in your radar. On the patron facet, 75% of People ages 12+ have listened to on-line audio previously week.

With entrepreneurs, podcasts or different audio content material usually are not among the many most leveraged tendencies, nor do they provide the very best ROI, however investments will proceed to develop in 2024:

• 39% of those that already leverage podcasts or different audio content material will make investments extra in 2024
• 42% of these leveraging audio chat rooms plan to speculate the identical quantity in 2022.
• Podcasts or different audio content material are the highest media codecs entrepreneurs plan to leverage for the primary time in 2024.

Why is that this advertising and marketing format nonetheless so widespread if it doesn’t provide the very best ROI?

My teammate Caroline Forsey spoke to Dan Stillgoe, Mix’s Advertising and marketing Supervisor, and he stated it nicely: “It’s true you’ll be able to’t immediately attribute leads or income from a podcast, however that‘s not its objective. Podcasts are a long-term brand-building channel that may enhance affinity and connection in your model like no different channel…Podcasting is the right approach to craft content material that’s participating and genuine.”

Podcasts stand out to me, as a shopper, for his or her authenticity. Sure, hosts do analysis, plan episodes, and write out speaking factors, however I don’t get that sort of pure, free-flowing dialog from another media I devour.

And, as Stillgoe talked about, podcasts are a good way for what you are promoting to develop into a trusted voice and thought chief in your house. It’s not a real “behind-the-scenes” look, however listening to somebody converse provides what you are promoting a human voice, which fits a good distance in constructing a reference to listeners.

8. Use an omnichannel method.

Entrepreneurs leverage a median of 4 platforms of their function, and Fb (57%) and Instagram (55%) are the preferred. The 2 additionally tie for the very best ROI.

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However these are simply two of many platforms, so how do you decide? I like to recommend these two guiding questions:

1. The place are your audiences spending time? You’ll submit into the void if you happen to concentrate on a channel your viewers isn’t on. Our Client Tendencies Report will let you know the place your audience teams are.
2. How many individuals are in your crew? Fewer palms imply selecting the simplest platforms for what you are promoting wants as a substitute of extra platforms to maximise your impression and ROI.

I do know {that a} problem to utilizing a number of platforms is having sufficient content material to share on every one. In a separate Social Media Tendencies Survey, we discovered that entrepreneurs normally share related content material throughout all platforms with small tweaks to tailor it to every platform. This implies you aren’t pressed to create new content material for each channel as a result of you’ll be able to repurpose what you have already got.

9. Align gross sales and advertising and marketing groups.

Organizations with tightly aligned gross sales and advertising and marketing groups see 27% quicker revenue progress and 36% greater retention.

Regardless of its significance, aligning with gross sales is without doubt one of the prime challenges entrepreneurs face, most importantly due to an absence of communication and needing to be clearer about total targets and technique.

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Monica Elgemark, Chief Advertising and marketing Officer at Oneflow says that, to handle the challenges of gross sales and advertising and marketing alignment, “It is crucial to outline clear targets and aims that each gross sales and advertising and marketing groups can rally behind. Clear targets and aims that differentiate between consciousness and income must be thought-about for each gross sales and advertising and marketing to know the values totally different campaigns deliver. It’s a mutual dependency between these areas that wants respect.”

10. Profit from your advertising and marketing funds.

Most entrepreneurs had their budgets stay the identical between 2022 and 2023, possible due to the financial enterprise landscapes accelerated by the pandemic.

For instance, companies with high-priced merchandise noticed an absence of gross sales flooring efficiency as decision-makers wanted to spend extra cautiously. In the meantime, on-line advertising and marketing offered exceedingly stable site visitors and conversion alternatives as customers and prospects have been caught inside on the internet.

Entrepreneurs nonetheless say their budgets will stay the identical this yr, however they anticipate budgets and ensuing ROI shall be scrutinized considerably extra now than previously, possible as a consequence of financial occasions of the previous few years. Enterprise leaders have positioned extra significance on how and why cash is spent as it’s to maximise effectivity.

When you‘re on a crew receiving extra eyes, I perceive how it’s possible you’ll really feel strained to be as efficient as doable, particularly if you happen to’re hoping to justify extra funds sooner or later. I like to recommend studying this weblog submit about managing your whole advertising and marketing funds and downloading our free funds planning templates that can assist you plan your individual.

11. Give attention to constructing hybrid methods.

45% of the worldwide entrepreneurs we surveyed are hybrid workers, whereas simply 24% are totally distant. Staff usually are not dashing again to the workplace full-time, in order you propose for 2024, take into account constructing methods that work greatest for a dispersed workforce.

Not solely that, however hybrid is the preferred work mannequin (most well-liked by 41% of workers), adopted by distant (32%), with in-person coming final (27%).

The excellent news? Providing flexibility may end in nice worker or crew retention. The highest purpose individuals we surveyed wish to keep of their jobs is to take care of their versatile work schedule, beating out aggressive pay.

Need extra suggestions?

This isn’t our solely advice submit leveraging our Advertising and marketing Business Tendencies Survey knowledge. That will help you dive deeper into data-backed ways, we’re persevering with to publish content material round particular findings, tendencies, and methods highlighted in our survey.

Under are only a few of the posts we have written just lately about particular tendencies and ways found in our analysis.

Want much more steering in your advertising and marketing planning? We have you lined with the free useful resource under.

Searching for much more perception? Dive into extra data-backed suggestions, tendencies, and yearly predictions with the free useful resource under.