Beth HawksHey there! We hope you’ve been keeping up with our blog series on 2024 digital marketing trends. Last week, we talked about the exciting trends in awareness marketing. Today, we’re going to shift our focus to engagement – what happens after someone becomes aware of your brand. The customer journey is evolving, and the way you communicate with customers plays a vital role in every decision they make.
So, let’s delve into the four key areas of communication that you can leverage to enhance customer engagement: chat, messaging, email, and video.
Choosing Chatbots for Customer Chitchat
First up, let’s talk about chatbots. In 2024, it’s anticipated that more people will turn to chatbots over search engines for answers. These AI-powered chatbots offer a conversational approach to research, providing individualized, user-friendly results, and gathering valuable data that can help businesses grow. It’s remarkable how effective they can be!
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Did you know?
• 25% of marketers who report having “effective” marketing strategies in 2023 used AI and automation like chatbots versus only 5% of those who report having “ineffective” marketing strategies.
• 36% of marketers use AI chatbots in their marketing role.
• 58% of marketers plan on increasing their investments in AI and automation like chatbots in 2024.
• 72% of marketers agree that AI and automation tools like chatbots help them personalize the experience customers get with their company.
• 24% of marketers feel that AI tools that help customer service teams respond to tickets would be most helpful to their organization.
Make Memorable Experiences with Messaging
Moving on to messaging. Investment in mobile messaging, through channels like SMS, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, is on the rise. Currently, one in five marketers globally use mobile messaging, as these tools enable companies to provide a more personalized customer experience overall.
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The results of personalized messaging include:
• 120 times the return on investment • 50% better customer re-engagement • 21% increase in sales conversions
Don’t Discount Email Marketing Yet
Now, let’s address the topic of email marketing. Yes, email marketing is still going strong in 2024 and is tied for second place as the channel with the highest ROI. One in three marketers currently reports using email, with 87% planning to maintain or increase their investment in it for the coming year. However, with the changing landscape, it’s crucial for email marketing teams to focus on creating authentic and personalized experiences. Simply adding a first name isn’t enough anymore. Companies should leverage dynamic content to personalize emails at scale. Email marketing tools can help achieve this by personalizing content and product recommendations based on past purchases, including customized images and local geographical information.
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Did you know?
• 49% of marketers using AI generate email content with it. • Companies using dynamic content personalization in their emails • The number of email users is set to grow 2.5% in 2024 and 2025 to a worldwide total of 4.73 billion email users.
Show Up with Short-Form Video
Lastly, let’s talk about video marketing, which continues to deliver fantastic return on investment. Short-form video, content between 5 and 90 seconds in length, is the top format for engaging audiences. It’s particularly crucial for brands targeting younger audiences as they prefer social video platforms to search and interact with companies. Having a strong presence on YouTube can go a long way in boosting visibility. Optimize your brand videos with important keywords and create channels and playlists based on your most popular content topics. Also, consider harnessing the power of AI video tools to transform written content into engaging short-form videos
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Did you know?
• 30% of marketers who don’t use short-form video plan to start in 2024. • 56% of marketers using TikTok will increase their investment next year, the highest of any platform. • Google introduced YouTube Shorts in 2023 to complete with Instagram Reels and TikTok. It’s a way to identify and connect with new audiences, and a great place to advertise well-developed short-form videos.
We hope this overview on 2024 trends in engagement marketing has provided valuable insights and ideas for your digital marketing strategy.
If you want to read the full 2024 State of Marketing Report from HubSpot, you can view/download a copy on their website.
Do you have questions or need further assistance? Reach out to us. We’re here to help you navigate the ever-changing digital marketing landscape!
Stay tuned for more trend-focused content coming your way.