4 MIN READ

At this point, I think we can all agree that 2023 is a year we won’t soon forget. Beyonce’s Renaissance tour, Taylor’s Eras tour, and Barbenhemier alone are enough to write many, many blog posts on (and believe me, that’s my goal). With the new year a few short weeks away, I’ve been daydreaming about what would make 2024 exceptionally great. All that pondering led me to come up with a wish list of things I hope to see in 2024 that will make marketing more enjoyable and effective for everyone. 

The Fall of X

I’ve been predicting this ever since Musk acquired the platform, but I would really like to see Twitter/X become defunct in 2024. With advertisers leaving and an alarming amount of antisemitic content, there’s no reason to be investing your marketing dollars into a platform that is detrimental to your brand.

Threads Becomes a Thing

For one beautiful, brief moment in time, Threads was the belle of the ball and the word on everyone’s lips. And then it saw a dramatic decrease in usage…. That being said, we’re seeing Threads steadily making strides. With a desktop version now available and launch imminent in the EU, we can reasonably hope for full-scale adoption in the next year.

Macro/Mega Influencers Dwindle in ImportanCE

I sat in on Women in Influencer Marketing’s State of the Union earlier this month, and they chatted about a topic near and dear to my heart: influencer follower counts don’t matter. Hear me out—TikTok has changed how we support accounts. Previously, if we enjoyed a video or photo on a social media platform, we would like or comment. Following or subscribing was a much bigger commitment. Now, TikTok culture has changed that. It’s just as simple to follow as it is to like and comment, and users are much more inclined to do so when we want to see a follow up video or hear what happens next. So now we have “influencers” with overnight 100K+ followings that don’t have consistent stories to tell or a plan for their content…ultimately, leading to low engagement or overall irrevelancy. Instead of counting followers, I’m hoping brands focus on content and conversion in 2024.

Budget for Nano & Micro Influencers 

With that in mind, smaller creators with a following between 1K-50K are the solution we’re looking for. These smaller creators have a more involved community, leading to higher conversions and engagements. Using your budget here will allow your marketing dollars to go further. In the end, the splashiness of high follower count doesn’t make up for a lack of results. 

Get Social Media Shopping Under Control 

The rise of TikTok Shops has made the platform feel more like QVC than my beloved FYP. While there are great deals to be had on high-quality products, the majority of what is being sold perpetuates overconsumption, fueling the continued rise of SHEIN, Temu, and other fast fashion brands. As TikTok refines this new integration, I can only hope that they find a balance between incessant selling to where the whole app feels like an ad and making shopping for the right products simpler through social media. 

More Photos Please 🙏

Can we travel back in time to when Instagram was a photo sharing app? I’m probably a crotchety millennial with this one, but I would love to have somewhere that's photo-focused again. I feel like I have to scroll for ten minutes to see anything that's non-video on my feed. There are so many places we’re all trying to appease the algorithm gods with video content and having to consistently add Reels into the mix isn’t particularly fun for anyone. 

Delivering Value with Email Marketing

If I had to make a conservative guess, I would estimate I got about 14 million Black Friday emails this year. Did I read any of them? Absolutely not. Like everyone else, I’ve become more protective of my time, space, and‌ inbox. If brands want to overcome this and get subscribers to actually click their emails, it’s high time to provide more value. While this might sound overwhelming, it’s really quite simple. Fashion brands can share exclusive style tips. A household cleaner company could offer a list of cleaning hacks. The list is endless—you merely have to pay attention to what your customers are looking for information on. 

Work with the Robot Overlords Wisely

As we’ve shared before, the B&B team is a big fan of incorporating AI into your marketing program. In fact, 97% of marketers are using AI in some capacity at this time. That being said, AI requires a skilled hand. It’s essential for brands to use AI thoughtfully. Leaning too far into AI only can spell disaster. If you’re relying on AI to write your copy, create images, or identify all your influencers, consumers will be able to easily see the lack of human touch and burn out quickly on your brand. Heading into 2024, it’s essential to be transparent with your AI usage and to continue to utilize your empathetic marketing skills. 

If you’ve got 2024 planning on your mind now, make sure you check out our 2024 trends blog post for a look at what you can expect in the new year. As always, feel free to reach out to us.