Wondering which 2024 digital marketing trends you need to onboard? I discuss a few options that companies of any size can leverage.
Digital marketing entails all the online tools and platforms a company might use to send traffic to their website and/or storefront.
Generally speaking, the must-haves are:
- SEO
- Email Marketing
- Social Media
- Online Advertising
- Reputation Management
Building out a digital marketing ecosystem is unique for any given company. You can tailor it based on your industry and specific goals.
2024 Digital Marketing Trends: Optimize your Google Business Profile
Your Google Business profile is what shows up on the right of the screen when people query your business online. You want to ensure it’s verified to enjoy the maximum SEO benefits.
It only takes 15 minutes to log into your profile and ensure key facts about your company are up to date. Simply “search” your company name and locate the “Own this business”? link.
Click it to begin the process of verifying your business and then you can easily add your information.
Making sure things like your phone number, address, hours and website URL are correct will measurably increase your organic traffic.
Nearly 80% of consumers searching for your product or service are doing it online. If your information is wrong, they move on.
Many of us find your businesses on Google and attempt to call, click or get directions right in the moment. If the buttons have misinformation and/or don’t work, you lose the business.
Consistently updating your Google Business profile with things like pictures, holiday hours and new promotions tells Google your business is valuable. It makes Google more likely to organically show your business over your competitors when people are searching.
Repurpose the content you already post on other social media platforms and start using it on Google Business as well. You will be shocked at how much more organic traffic you see over time!
Of all the 2024 digital marketing trends you can do, working on your Google Business profile will yield strong results.
2024 Automation Trends
We all know automation tools aren’t a new “trend”, but they’ve become more relevant since the explosion of AI.
Companies who are leveraging the power of AI, video and chatbots on social media are seeing a huge boom in online inquiries.
The ability to reach so many new people quickly can be overwhelming. So, to handle the leads, using automation tools like a chatbot is a huge time saver and makes your prospects very happy.
You can load these up with FAQs, ensuring the people initially reaching out get answers immediately, without having to wait for a human to open their DMs or emails.
You might be thinking that an automation tool seems impersonal, but it’s not meant to replace quality customer service.
A chatbot helps improve customer service by getting your prospect the information that they want right away. This is proven to significantly increase the chances of securing a sale.
Simply include an option for the prospect to contact you directly if the chatbot hasn’t answered their question.
Not only are these so easy to set up, but they really help you streamline your customer acquisition process. Similarly, another great automation to consider is text message (or SMS) marketing. There are tons of great, affordable tools out there and 2024 is a great year to onboard that.
Email Marketing Trends for 2024
A relatively simple thing that companies of any size can do to improve sales is to automate some email marketing – also known as a “drip campaign” or a “nurture sequence.”
The benefit is two-fold really. By batch creating a series of emails, it:
- Reduces your workload and,
- It shows your most loyal customers – those who have opted into your email list – that you consistently share things of value.
The best part is how easy it is to do!
- Set aside a single afternoon and write a series of emails. The first one can be the “welcome to my list” email.
- From there, build a few more and include valuable (but not time sensitive) information about your company.
- Introduce the team, include incentives for buying, or leaving a review…you get the idea.
- Set up the emails to trigger when someone subscribes and then send them once a month from there.
Companies typically see the strongest ROI from email marketing, so putting more effort into that in 2024 will definitely yield results.
Digital Marketing Tips for Small Businesses in 2024
This can all be a little overwhelming for small business owners who wear all the hats.
My best recommendation for taking the overwhelm out of any big effort is to break it down into manageable tidbits.
As a small business owner myself, I know it’s downright stressful to consider adding more work to an overflowing plate, even when I know it’ll boost revenue.
When hiring a consultant or a marketing employee isn’t an option, your best plan is to pick a single platform and master it over time.
Whether it’s a social media app, an email marketing tool, Google Ads or SEO, just pick one.
Wondering how you pick? Rather than throw a dart, ask yourself this:
What do I enjoy doing?
- If you’re creative, you might enjoy learning a social media platform first.
- Maybe you’re a data nerd like me; Google Ads and Analytics is a great place to start.
- If you like writing, start building those email automations.
Pick something you can already do, then start learning a platform that aligns with your skill.
Digital Marketing with No Budget?
Digital marketing truly levels the playing field. In 2024, anyone can use it to their advantage. More of my favorite digital marketing tips can be found here.
One thing you must always remember: You don’t need a budget to be successful. I know countless small businesses that have no marketing budget at all.
They’re just spending time and energy on these platforms until the ROI can justify spending money as well.
However, what if it feels like you don’t have money OR time? If this sounds like you, grab a pen and paper, then set your phone timer for 4 minutes. Everyone has 4 minutes!
Now, casually jot down different ways your customers find you.
- word of mouth
- drive by your sign
- etc.
This is valuable in two ways. Firstly, when looking at this list you get a gist of where your time is best spent. Secondly, you inherently know which of these things bring in the most customers.
This quick exercise can identify at least one thing you’ve been spending time (and/or money) on that just isn’t worth it. That frees up a little time to enhance things that do work.
Conclusion
Try any of these 2024 digital marketing trends to up your game:
- Optimize and use your Google Business Profile
- Automate lead follow up with a chatbot or use SMS automations
- Create or enhance your email sequences. For instance, add a nurture series.
- Identify areas for efficiency
I hope these ideas help you make more sales!
With nearly two decades in the industry, Belle Strategies’ owner, Rachel Creveling, is a seasoned business consultant who crafts comprehensive frameworks that integrate operations, marketing, sales and HR to position her clients for optimal success. She excels at incorporating trending tech ethically and studied Strategies for Accountable AI at Wharton.