2024 Marketing Trends!

Looking to strategize your marketing approach for 2024?

No worries~ Hootsuite has recently unveiled its social trends report, extracting insights from a survey of over 4,200 marketers and 4,500 consumers.

You can download the full 41-page report here but in this article. I will break down the top three trends shaping the social landscape in 2024.

The AI Trend

As AI-generated content explodes across social media, marketers eagerly jump on board while audiences hesitate.

This hesitation is understandable. We question if soulless algorithms can truly connect with humanity.

As Hootsuite Research found, 62% of consumers are less likely to engage with content if they know it's AI-created. We crave authenticity from real people with real stories.

However, we must acknowledge AI's allure in helping marketers scale content creation and optimize engagement.

We cannot ignore its ascendance but should thoughtfully navigate its integration.

The Platform Trend

In the past, when companies weren't sure if a social media platform was helping their goals, they usually didn't do much about it.

They'd try to do everything at once, spending a lot of time and money, even if it led to bad content, poor social media results, and stressed-out staff.

Surprisingly, they preferred sticking to this rather than reducing their efforts on the platform (a bit foolish, right?).

But things are changing now. Organizations are realizing this old way isn't working. They're admitting the problems and taking steps to fix them.

The Hootsuite report shows that organisations are getting serious about figuring out which platforms actually work for them and which ones don't.

Organisations are using Return on Investment (ROI) confidence to make smarter decisions about where to focus their efforts.

Not all popular platforms bring in the big bucks, and not all money-makers are super popular.

Look at WhatsApp—only 14% of businesses use it, but 2 out of 3 feel it's a real asset.

On the flip side, most brands are on Twitter, but only 30% see its value, a big drop from last year.

So, why the changes?

We're not entirely sure, especially with Pinterest and WhatsApp use dropping by 11% and a whopping 18%, respectively.

Whatever the reasons, businesses are saying bye to platforms that don't cut it in the ROI department.

They're getting smart, looking at their platform-by-platform scores, and making decisions that make sense for their business.

The ROI Trend

The main reason people use social media is to be entertained and unwind, not view brand promotions.

However, 34% dislike when brands focus solely on themselves—a practice nearly half of them are guilty of.

Though 69% of companies measure social media success through engagement, self-promotional content fails to drive the user engagement that fuels ROI.

In essence, what brands post doesn't align with what audiences genuinely want to see and engage with.

The solution is for brands to lead with entertaining, enjoyable content that focuses on building connections, not selling products.

The content should provide humor, inspiration, emotion, education or other forms of value.

If brands can become more relatable through entertaining content, they can capture attention and engagement organically.

By getting back to the core of social media - forming genuine connections around content people like - brands can then translate that engagement into ROI.

The key is an entertaining, consumer-centric approach versus aggressive self-promotion.

Conclusion

In closing, Hootsuite’s report signals significant shifts in three core areas to drive social media success in 2024:

AI-generated content will continue disrupting the industry - while its scale impresses, brands must strike the right balance with authentic human voice.

Platform selectivity based on direct ROI rather than herd mentality will increase as companies analyze business impact more rigorously.

An entertainment and engagement-first approach wins over self-promotional content as consumers demand connections over constant product pitches.

The common thread?

Social media is fundamentally about relationships.

Brands that provide enjoyment and value by embracing consumers’ needs first – not just pushing products - will build loyalty and reap the rewards.

As we chart our 2024 strategies, let’s remember social media’s roots in meaningful community.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this report in the comments section, and I'll catch you all next Monday. ??

Regards.

Manvendra