The old marketing playbooks won't work anymore in 2024 – but what will?

Two weeks ago, we had our “AB2B Strategy for 2024 and beyond” walkthrough with the whole company, and one of the main topics we discussed was “the changes we see in the marketing realm”: 1) how they affect the way we work, and 2) what skills we should learn next.

Of course, as I think this is super interesting, I wanted to share some of the trends we’ve identified…. Let's say this is "part 1", as there is actually much more than just this. ????

(This is a long one, but I think these things are just way too important to be converted into a simple listicle, so bear with me!)

? As AI becomes more accessible, it's easier than ever for anyone to “do marketing” – the ambition level must go up

The democratization of AI brings countless new ”content creators” and ”experts” to the field. It causes way too much noise, generating way too little trust because?everyone sounds the same.

I know you know what I’m talking about.

While AI is a content farmer’s best friend,?it's also a brand’s enemy.?There was already too much useless content on the internet BEFORE?we had ChatGPT help everyone produce more of it.?

Now we’re about to be buried in that???.

?? For marketers, these changes emphasize the significance of?human creativity?and?strategic thinking?– and taking smart advantage of the available tools to support that. Content in many forms will still be needed, but the ambition level must be much higher (which, in my opinion, is only a good thing).?

? Search becomes different – again

AI interfaces like ChatGPT have become search engines, and AI is becoming increasingly incorporated into traditional search engines.?

At the same time, the ways people search for information keeps changing (voice & visual search, searching from TikTok instead of Google, all that we’ve already heard before).

And just couple weeks ago, a CEO considering partnering with us asked if SEO activities will be needed at all in 2024. One of our Content Strategists, Clem, said it’s like asking if you’re still going to need food in 2024.?

The answer is YES…. But the food might be different.?

Questions every marketer is (or should be!) asking right now:

???What kind of content is relevant in the future, and where should it live?

???How to stand out and differentiate?

???How will the zero-click searches affect my traffic and conversions??

???How do I make the search or answer engines (like ChatGPT) pick and?recommend MY content?over the other options??

And so on.

All this is changing the SEO game, likely leading to organic search as we know it now becoming less important and emphasizing the importance of?direct connections,?communities?– and?topical authority?of?trusted brands.

? Authenticity and algorithms – who can we trust?

The more people think they can outsource their marketing to AI, the more there will be half-thought, no-value-adding, and/or entirely hallucinated content online.?

Did you see this “SEO heist guy” stuff already? Yeah. Those things are happening.?

And then, on top of that, there are the deepfake videos, AI-generated images that look real, singing?AI Sauli?(which I love, btw), and so on.?

Oh man, this is not going to help with those?trust issues...?

Anyway, trust in search results is very much connected to content quality – but who’s content can you trust, after all? Where are the actual, original thoughts and thinkers?

?? The key takeaway from this for the marketers??With everyone shouting, the depth and authenticity of your voice become paramount. This highlights the significance of?brand,?trust,?and… again,?creativity?and?strategic thinking. ??

? Targeting and tracking becomes more difficult

People are becoming more aware of their online privacy rights and demanding?greater control over their personal information.?

Ad blockers, browser restrictions, and tightening privacy regulations such as GDPR change how we collect and handle data – just to name a few issues affecting marketers.

Previously, advertisers could rely on precise targeting and retargeting to deliver their message. Now, traditional methods of tracking user behavior through third-party cookies are becoming obsolete. Without granular user insights, advertisers must focus on contextual targeting and first-party personalization.

??? Engaging content, a?strong organic social media presence, AND a?reliable brand?help us gain first-party data, which has become more important than ever. This change requires a deep understanding of the target audience and a strategic alignment between content and advertising.

? The buying process is more dependent on marketing, and many things traditionally sold by sales reps can now be sold online

We have been talking about online/digital sales becoming a thing in B2B for years. And even more years have passed since everyone started repeating the good ol’?“70% of the buyer's journey is complete before a buyer even reaches out to sales”... ??

The combination of these mantras is still very much valid – or maybe even more than ever. A company relying solely on outreach tactics in their sales clearly has a growth problem.

There is a clear shift towards self-service: Enabling buyers to make purchases without or with only a little assistance of a sales rep, conducting sales through websites, e-commerce platforms, or digital marketplaces, and increasing operational sales efficiency through technology & automation =?no need to hire an army of sales reps anymore. ??

??? What should marketers think of this??Well, what a huge opportunity! The online sales channels need customers, and marketing will be crucial in bringing them in.

? The rise of the commercial organization

In many organizations, sales & marketing data is still a mess. Tech plays one part in that, but it all starts much earlier.?

Many companies still operate in sales & marketing silos, and there are no processes in place to actually break them. Or a company has designed a beautiful process, but for one reason or another, it does not work in real life. There is, for example, no marketing to get the wheel rolling.?

Another big question for many is collecting, using, and storing data. And even to understand which data is relevant and which is not. How do you legally and ethically handle data in marketing and throughout organizations?

At the same time, forerunner organizations think of the whole commercial operation as one, and talk about commercial organization or RevOps, and make tech & data decisions to unify their operations and tech stacks. ??

Today, technology is much more accessible than it was even 5 years ago. No-code platforms, easy-to-use or native integrations, etc., do not require putting everything on a single platform as long as the data flow is ensured. Knowing how to use tech is rarely the real problem thanks to intuitive UIs.

?? Strategic thinking to understand how to build great processes, how to build a sustainable data infrastructure, which tech to choose, and how to make sure it actually brings the value it should is more crucial than ever.

So…. yeah. Interesting times ahead! 2024 is definitely going to be a big year. And I have to admit: I CAN'T WAIT. ?? ??