State of Marketing Report 2024: The Top 5 Marketing Trends To Leverage ROI This Year

It’s possible to say that in today’s fast-paced digital landscape, consumers and decision-makers have higher expectations than ever before: they demand companies and brands to not only keep up with technology, but also consistently optimize the customer experience – after all, it seems that users from all around the world have become accustomed to seamless, personalized, and convenient experiences. 

But with that in mind, how can marketers apply their knowledge and understand how to prioritize their strategies to outperform their goals this year?

Well, we all know that every marketing campaign or initiative should be evaluated based on its ability to generate a positive return on investment, and after reading the new 2024 State of Marketing, a report by HubSpot, Litmus, Rock Content, and Wistia, some ideas came to my mind.

So that’s why today I am excited to share the five major marketing trends for 2024 that hold the promise of delivering outstanding return on investment (ROI) for your brand or business.

Backed by insights from over 1,200 marketers globally, these trends have the power to generate significant returns and sustainable growth for your brand. Check it out:

1. Short-form Video Content: Captivating Audiences in Seconds

Who hasn’t lost (or invested?) a few hours a day browsing through their cell phone and consuming short videos on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels or Youtube Shorts? This behavior has not gone unnoticed by marketers: 90% of the respondents will increase or maintain their investment this year in this type of content.

This happens because these bite-sized videos offer a quick and entertaining way to convey messages, showcase products, and tell stories – an innovative way for brands to relate to their audience.

So, if you’re a marketer yourself, it might not come as a “surprise” to say that focusing on creating engaging and shareable content that aligns with your brand’s story and values could be a great way to explore Short-form videos, and increase ROI.

To achieve this, start by trying to identify your target audience and understanding their preferences, interests, and pain points. Craft short-form videos that address these specific needs and keep your videos concise, visually appealing, and attention-grabbing  – after all, viewers have shorter attention spans in this format.

And don’t forget to hook your audience within the first few seconds to guarantee good engagement, ok?

2. Influencer Marketing: Harnessing the Power of Connections

The second trend with the highest potential ROI is Influencer Marketing, something that continues to be a powerful tool for brands to reach and engage with their target consumers. 

But in 2024, it seems that the focus shifts towards authenticity and building meaningful connections with influencers who align with your brand values – nobody wants to see Hollywood stars or super-models being paid to be “the face” of some product or company anymore. They want to feel represented by “ordinary” people, who exert influence in a smaller (but highly engaged) audience.

So, if I can give you one piece of advice on this topic, it would be: carefully select influencers who authentically align with your brand values ​​and target audience. Go beyond the number of followers and look for influencers whose content, style, and values resonate with your brand, ensuring that your brand or company will be promoted in a more organic and trustworthy way. 

3. Social Media DMs: Elevating Customer Service

The rise of Social Media Direct Messages (aka DMs) as a customer service channel cannot be ignored, and it was the third most important trend among respondents in the 2024 State of Marketing report. And it is not for nothing: DMs offer a convenient and personalized way for brands to interact and engage with customers, address their concerns, and provide real-time assistance.

More than ever, customers expect fast and personalized service when contacting a brand, and most of them look for this service where they spend most of their time: on social networks.

Therefore, it is essential that companies have this channel monitored and active, with a dedicated team that can respond promptly to questions and resolve customer concerns. This allows your company to build brand loyalty, and turn satisfied customers into possible brand advocates! 

Therefore, when investing in this channel, try to avoid generic or automatic responses and always talk to the user by calling them by name, and treating their problem objectively (to send “copied and pasted” texts available in the company’s FAQ it’s a no-no, alright?).

4. SEO: Maximizing Organic Visibility

Our good old friend, Search Engine Optimization, remains a cornerstone of digital marketing, and its significance continues to grow in 2024. With increasing competition and evolving search algorithms, it is crucial for marketers to prioritize organic visibility (and it’s not like the tech market has plenty of money to invest in ads all the time, right?) by optimizing your company website and creating content for relevant keywords, leveraging structured data, and focusing on mobile optimization.

So, don’t forget to use keyword research tools to identify popular keywords with a balance of search volume and competition, and consider both short-tail (broad terms) and long-tail keywords (more specific and targeted phrases) to be added into your website’s content (including titles, headings, meta descriptions and body copy).

Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, and it’s essential to monitor your website’s performance, track keyword rankings, and make adjustments as needed.

5. Brand Values: The Power of Purposeful Content

Last but not least, we have “creating content that reflects your brand’s values” as an important trend for a high ROI in 2024, according to the State of Marketing Report.

When you are creating articles and materials that are not only focused on generating more numbers but also on impacting essential causes for the company or promoting the company’s values ​​in the market, you build a strong and authentic connection with your target audience and increase brand affinity, trust, and loyalty. 

Thus, if you still don’t invest in this trend, try to create value-driven content including storytelling, demonstrating social responsibility, and showcasing customer success stories.

Storytelling allows you to communicate your brand’s values in a compelling and relatable way, and it helps create an emotional connection with your audience and reinforces your brand’s identity. For example, you can share stories of how your brand has positively impacted customers’ lives or highlight your commitment to sustainability or ethical practices.

Sharing reliable content with your company values connects you with your audience on a deeper level and can establish a genuine relationship.

And as you can imagine, this connection drives brand loyalty, customer advocacy, and ultimately leads to increased ROI as satisfied and loyal customers continue to engage with your brand and recommend it to others!

By embracing these five emerging trends and aligning their strategies with brand values, marketers have the opportunity to establish genuine connections with their target audience, amplify brand affinity, and cultivate unwavering trust and loyalty, thereby propelling their efforts towards an impressive return on investment this year.

So, take charge of these trends, unleash your creativity, and pave the way to marketing success in 2024 – after reading the State of Marketing Report and learning all about the marketing trends, okay?

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