Marketing trends come and go – what was once gospel is now old hat, and what is now essential was once a mere pipedream.
At their core, though, marketing principles will always remain the same.
The main issue is, and will always be, getting your message, product, and service in front of the right people at the right time.
Of course, the nuance is in how you do that in an evolving world, which is precisely why we’re looking at what marketing trends we’ve got going on in 2024.
Video, Is It Essential?
We actually covered this in a recent blog, which you can read here.
But as you might know from our own output, we believe that video for any business in 2024 is a non-negotiable.
We like to practice what we preach, which is why we’ve all been getting a lot more comfortable in front on the camera with short, sharp marketing messages.
Video has become a part of our daily lives, and I don’t mean the Netflix (or Disney or Amazon or wherever else you consume your content) binge-watching that we’ve all become so familiar with.
I mean the Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube Shorts of this world that deliver quick hit content. All of which mean that it’s a medium that people are used to consuming – which ticks the all-important box of having an audience that are prepared to consume the type of content we’re talking about.
The next question is… why video?
Well, the irony of this being in the written word isn’t lost on us, so at this point I’d like to invite you to check out our recent videos HERE to get a feel for the sort of content we’re producing and why.
80% of all online traffic is video, which means that it’s by far and away the most popular medium for consumption on the internet. And it also means that if you’re not onboard, you’re leaving opportunities (and by extension, money) on the table.
Videos are shared 1200% times more than links and text combined and 96% of people have watched videos to find out the information they need to make a purchase.
This points to one inevitable conclusion – video is essential in 2024 and that trend is likely to continue in one direction.
Testimonials, Reviews, and Case Studies
Whenever we’re writing copy, we’re conscious of the fact that it’s very easy to blow your own trumpet… and it’s often fun too.
But there’s only so much credibility to be gleaned from saying ‘Hey, we’re great at what we do’ without any evidence from outside your business that you really are.
Which is precisely where testimonials, reviews, and case studies provide enormous value.
More than a quarter of marketers use case studies as part of their content strategy, but how true is that of other businesses – how many case studies or testimonials do you have on your website?
When did you last ask someone for a review? And do you have any testimonials on video?
When someone arrives on your website or Google’s your business, they’re looking for one thing and one thing only – validation.
That proof that you are the right business for what they need and they’re satisfied that you’re going to deliver what they need. For many businesses, the question that you should be asking is simple, but incredibly effective:
Why us?
Why should anyone choose YOU over any other business that offers the same product or service as you?
Of course, if your business is one without a direct alternative, the question then becomes about how you cement your place in the market before a competitor arrives (whether that’s tomorrow or 10 years down the line).
Recent reviews on Google, Trustpilot or wherever you host reviews provide instant validation without anyone having to do any further digging – customers know you’re legitimate, reputable, and keeping customers happy.
But case studies and testimonials can do a much more expansive job of offering prospects a peek behind the curtain to see just how people benefit from your strategy, product or service.
And once you’ve got them, it’s not simply a case of popping them on a testimonials page on your website and that’s job done…
Because the next stage is getting as many eyeballs on that content as possible. The sort of content we’re talking about here is almost a lead magnet that signposted content can draw attention to.
Video testimonials (and testimonials and case studies in general) require more legwork to bring to fruition, but that’s exactly why you should invest the time, effort, and money in getting them done properly.
Because if something takes time, effort, and money, you can bet that most people won’t bother, and it’s a differentiator for you and your business.
SEO Won’t Be Going Anywhere
Once upon a team, search engine optimisation (SEO) was about little more than writing as many keyword-rich articles as you could. They’d inevitably provide nothing but superficial value for the reader, but they’d be incredibly effective in driving organic traffic onto your website.
Well, as you can imagine, things have changed a bit since those days.
Today, search engines like to serve content that answers the questions people are asking when they hit search.
And that means the ‘They Ask, You Answer’ strategy for SEO is one that’s rising to the forefront for many businesses.
After all, if you can answer the queries people have in your industry, you naturally become a go-to for solutions and when the time is right, you’ve got the trust to sell the right solution.
Sometimes it might even be more direct than that, but the general concept is as simple as it seems – it’s taking the basic idea of FAQs, expanding it, and then providing context and value.
The golden age of ‘blogging’ might have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that blogging in a business context is old hat. Far from it.
In fact, while blogging has been a favoured marketing strategy for businesses for almost as long as the internet’s been around, experts are expecting it to be a field that continues to grow in 2024 and beyond.
As with any medium that’s been around for a while, there’s a reason – blogging works.
Organic SEO is incredibly important, especially for small businesses as the competitiveness and cost of ad spend increases, it’s a cheap (or free, depending on your resource) marketing tool.
Search discoverability is a crucial part of any marketing strategy and while it might not provide instant hits, it’s worthwhile investing the time and effort into nailing your SEO content so that it’s diverse, relevant, and a real asset for you and your potential customers.
Get help to grow your business, for FREE
Book a free 3XM Business Growth Call, and spend 30 minutes with a member of the 3XM team, where we’ll help you outline some straightforward actionable things you can do to improve your marketing and grow your business, no strings, no tie ins, and no purchase necessary.
During your Business Growth Call, we’ll:
- Take a look at the marketing you’re doing, and give you our two cents on how to improve it
- Tell you what we’d be doing if we were in your shoes
- Give you actionable tactics and strategies we’re using right now to get leads and customers for our clients
- Make sure you walk away with something you can take away and use straight away
Click the button below to book a slot, and we’ll see you on the call:
