The number 24 holds special significance: There are 24 hours in the day, 24 carats in 100% pure gold, 24 total major and minor keys in Western music, 24 frames per second in most motion picture films, and 24 cycles in the Chinese solar year - just to name a few. The number 24 is also representative of aligning heart with action, finding balance and and enjoying the beauty of life. We think 2024 is going to be pretty special for business.
To that end, we’re offering six highlighted strategies and tools that we encourage you to employ to make this the year it all comes together for your business. Our 2024 Marketing Trends and Rec.'s:
Social: Evolving, Critical and still largely, for the moment, Free
Social media is no longer just about posting content; it's about fostering genuine connection and insuring strategy, transparency and authenticity are the foundation upon which you connect with your audience. In 2024, consumers, especially Millenials and Gen Z, will migrate away further from Google search (if they even use Google at all) toward social platforms as the first choice for engagement, information and transactions. Begin with an intentionally-crafted social strategy that aligns with your brand and audience to insure what you post not only reaches the right people, but also connects and converts.
Note: Social need not be overwhelming and all-encompassing.
AI: Embrace the Opportunity & Engage the Efficiencies
Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn't a buzzword anymore; it's a game-changer. In 2024, businesses small to large can not only access AI tools - many free, but leverage AI to refine marketing strategies, personalize the customer journey, and deliver efficiencies to individuals and teams that will afford expansion toward deeper-level thinking and strategy. You may find AI will finally free up your time to work on a project/s that have been on your list for ages! If you haven’t yet, dip a toe in. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what AI tools can deliver.
Storytelling: The Most Powerful, Differentiating Tool Many Businesses Need to Employ
As the screen and gadgets distance us further from one another physically, consumers want stories like never before. People want to know your brand - intimately, and in the vacuum of not walking in your door in person, learn about you, your team and your business, online. Make stories your vehicle for connection with your audience. A well-crafted story evokes emotion, builds trust, and sets a brand apart in a crowded market. Make 2024 the year your business starts - and continues, offering stories.
Audience-Centric Strategies: Know. Your. People.
A message that bears repeating in 2024: Understand and connect with your specific audience/s - and we don’t mean “everyone”. Knowing your people - what they connect with, what they don’t, and how they navigate the world, is mission critical to every business on the planet. Businesses that take the time and make the effort to understand audience and how to specifically connect with whom they desire to, will win the race in 2024 and beyond.
Hiring for Marketing: Avoid Razzle Dazzle Imposters
Preying on FOMO and the overwhelm, the shiny, slick salespeople of marketing tips, tricks and tools are more prolific than ever before and they’re taking entrepreneurs and small businesses for a very expensive, ineffective ride on a rocket ship to nowhere. Before you hire for a marketing, insure you know exactly who you're hiring, and what you’re paying for, along with a commitment to data and details. Look folks up on LinkedIn and read Google reviews. An experienced, worthwhile marketer will want to thoroughly understand, and work with you, not only on your brand and strategy, but will regularly, and happily, stay in touch with you to provide data and gauge outcomes - not just take your money to post pretty photos and videos, or set it and forget it. If it feels too good, or too cheap to be true, trust that it probably is and keep looking.
Finally, Measurement: Make Damn Sure It’s Working
If we had to choose one glaring red flag for business in 2023, and the data strongly supports this, it would be that far too many entrepreneurs and businesses had no idea if what they were doing, posting and paying for, was actually working. We know you don’t have time, but we guarantee that when you ask for and engage with what’s working - and what’s not, your marketing effort and dollars will produce, more qualified, effective, successful results for your business. This effort need not be difficult or time-consuming and tools exist to bring performance information forward in simple, time-effective ways with huge results.
Want to engage and employ any of these marketing strategies and tactics in your business this year? Click Here to set up a free 15-minute Exploratory Call to learn how we can help take your business to the next level in 2024!