The state of marketing at year’s end and a look ahead to what’s next
Marketing trends ebb and flow at a rapid pace. Marketing is an ever-evolving sector influenced by both technological updates and consumer habits on a frequent basis. With so many moving parts — from the nearing dissolution of third-party cookies to the increasing call for personalization from consumers — it can be tricky to stay on track with and, even better, ahead of the trends. As the year draws to a close, however, marketers begin sharing their most crucial insights on this matter, and we here at Fishnet certainly have some tales to tell from our experiences.
In this post, we’ll discuss industry-wide advice on how to prepare for the upcoming year, impending changes, and our own valuable insights on what we’re doing to help bring our clients’ businesses to the next level of success.
Social Consciousness
Social consciousness is a broad subject that is not only crucial to advertise as a facet of your business but essential to genuinely adopt, as well.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts are important to infuse both within your own company and in your customer relations, representations, and practices as you aim to increase your social consciousness across the board. While certainly not a new topic, the need for DEI and ESG in business is ever-increasing and evolving and goes well beyond making charitable donations and striving to foster a diverse workforce.
Making efforts in the areas of DEI and ESG translates to driving actionable changes within your business to both improve in those realms and to advertise your commitment in these areas. For example, we work with a number of companies that place sustainable manufacturing and general sustainability efforts at the forefront of their business, even when it may not be a factor directly tied to what they are or could be doing. In areas from materials manufacturing to clean energy production, our clients who place this focus on sustainability are ostensibly easy to promote in this market because they are genuinely working to improve their practices, standards, and products or services. As consumers seek businesses that place a focus in these areas, it’s increasingly important that you examine how your business can exemplify these standards, rather than just talk about them, and we are more than equipt to aid you in those endeavors thanks to our long history in the area.
Privacy In The Age Of Hyper-Personalization
We’ve touched on these topics in previous blog posts but from our own experience and the insights of other experts in the field, these areas remain at the top of the list as we move into 2024.
Data privacy has long been a concern for businesses and consumers alike. In recent years, though, the consumer call for increased accountability on the privacy front has rung so loudly that, come summer 2024, Google will be phasing out third-party cookies in a move to join other search engines and appease a major concern for consumers. While this move will inevitably affect how innumerable companies do business, there are several ways to prepare for these changes and get ahead of them. This change certainly isn’t the only one relative to data privacy, so being aware of and planning for these shifts is a top priority.
What makes the data privacy changes so daunting is, perhaps, the effect it will have on businesses’ ability to create personalized experiences for consumers. People want personalization more than ever before, to the point where many specifically seek out companies that personalize their experiences and avoid those that don’t. From chatbots to individualized product recommendations, to personalized email campaigns and checkpoints, Fishnet can help your brand evolve to meet the desires of this rapidly changing landscape.
Modernization Of Marketing
This one may feel sort of obvious, but is actually an incredibly nuanced topic that can’t possibly be discussed in full here today. That said, we’re going to point out a couple of key ways that Fishnet has been helping clients modernize their businesses that are in line with the marketing trends 2024 has in store for us all.
Bring Legacy Products & Ideas Into The New Age
As a nearly 17-year-old company ourselves, we know all too well the importance of staying current with what consumers are looking for, interested in, and interacting within today’s complex market. From website overhauls that reimagine design, interactiveness, and personalization to implementing AI technology, employing modern creativity and functionality is key.
Take a clothing brand, for example, today’s shoppers are beyond done with the messiness that can accompany online ordering. From trying to track down the exact look of a model in an advertisement to not being able to envision how the piece might look given its specific shape and size, these common issues can be a thing of the past with the right website designs, development, and AI implementation. From simple “Shop the Look” features to virtual try-on functionality, there are easy ways to increase customer satisfaction with these personalization efforts and bring your brand, new or old, to life in this modern age.
Embrace The Power Of Social Media
The influence of social media has been obvious for years now, but as awareness around how the sector is operated and how it influences consumers increases, the need for a savvy and genuine social presence is more apparent than ever. Here are some of the best ways Fishnet can help your company maximize your social media presence in 2024:
Personalized Ads
Utilizing personalized advertisements is a fantastic way to connect with your target audiences and make quick, consistent conversions. With modern ads on platforms like Instagram, people can shop directly from their feed using a couple of taps and Apple Pay. This is not to say that modern consumers are super impulsive, though; research shows that they can often be quite thoughtful and deliberate, especially during the holiday season. That said, personalized ads are hard to resist for a reason: they’re personalized! When faced with the ideal product or service, consumers are likely to at least look into the opportunity.
Direct Messages (DMs)
DMs are the chatbots of social media platforms, allowing consumers to reach out to companies about their questions and concerns and receive real-time answers and solutions. Staying active on social media has to include being available by DM to build trust with consumers and increase your brand’s reliability.
Humanize Your Brand
Meet the Team pages are great, but you know what’s even better? The way that social media enables you to truly showcase the people behind your brand, your culture, your values, everything! Consumers are more interested than ever in companies that hold their values dear and showcase what those values are. Social media can help you improve this transparency thanks to its visual and storytelling nature. From company volunteering days to team member highlights, it’s great to show your audiences who you really are, not just what you sell.
The Bottom Line
While there are so many things to keep in mind as marketers, one of the most crucial things to stay on top of right now is looking ahead. What’s next? What direction is our company going in? What are our goals? What are consumers craving? What are the upcoming changes to technology? What are the new solutions to existing issues? At Fishnet, these kinds of questions inform so much of what we do, from our content strategies for clients to our office culture.
If you’re looking to get ahead of the changing trends as we head into 2024, contact us today!
