Introduction
The world of digital marketing is ever-changing, and businesses must stay ahead of the latest trends and innovations to stay competitive and effectively reach their target audience. As we look ahead to 2024, there are several emerging digital marketing trends that marketers should keep an eye on to stay ahead of the game – none bigger than Artificial Intelligence. In this white paper, we’ll highlight some of the most noteworthy AI digital marketing trends in 2024, and provide tips on how you can leverage AI for better visibility and engagement.
At this point, most all of us are familiar with and have already tried out some form of generative AI. Whether it’s been ChatGPT or Bard, this technology has made its way to the mainstream public. This has created a lot of hype in the public about these new technologies. All of this progress has led to a new race for search engines to beat one another and either capture more market share (Bing) or maintain market share dominance (Google).
Bing is taking the most straightforward path. They have chosen to partner with OpenAI and integrate their technology (right now, specifically GPT-4) into Bing search. This is largely because Microsoft concluded that OpenAI’s generative AI technology was superior to their own internal technology. Bing has already integrated GPT-4 and its generative AI capabilities into live search results, but you can only access this when using the Microsoft Edge browser.
Google has taken a different path and chosen to leverage their own technology. They have release Bard, which is a ChatGPT competitor and in addition have also released Search Generative Experience (SGE) in a beta format that you have to sign up, receive access, and opt-into testing.
In 2024 search engine results will now be providing users with longer, more robust answers to questions of all varieties, including offering follow-up prompt questions to get more specific. This can have an impact on traffic flow to your website from content that may normally be a top clicked search result.
Programmatic advertising uses automation and real-time data to drive more effective targeting and budget optimization. Since programmatic advertising can offer excellent
efficiency compared to the traditional approach, advertisers are shifting towards programmatic ads. Precise targeting is essential for small, niche audiences and specific demographics. Advertisers can achieve budget savings by setting rules for ad frequency, bid prices, and targeting while targeting the right individuals.
Of course, there is still a balance of AI-powered learning and real human ad management needed to achieve great results. AI should act like an extra member on your advertising team, shifting targeting, ads shown and budget quickly to achieve your goals. Because this is happening in real time, you always want to ensure that the shifts and changes being made are reaching your target audience and working towards the key performance indicators that are important to your team.
In 2024 the paid search landscape will continue to get more competitive and users will continue to get used to seeing exactly what they searched for within a few seconds. You should be prepared to test out AI-driven campaigns or ramp up the campaigns you know are working to stay competitive in your industry. Use AI to help create ad copy that is relevant to your landing page for a full user experience.
Prepare for a shift towards long-form content that captivates and informs your audience with in-depth analysis and a personalized touch. Recent studies reveal the power of long-form content, generating more organic traffic, leads, and shares. As mentioned above, onsite content will be key in 2024 to capture organic traffic as search engines continue to use AI to provide answers in a way that users may never need to visit another site. Counter that by using AI to help generate helpful content with a deeper connection to your audience that makes it important to still visit and read.
In 2024 your onsite content will continue to bring in qualified traffic if it provides information and connectivity to your audience that a search engine quick answer result cannot. You should also think about AI-powered development tools that can help further engage your audience once onsite. These tools include improved content recommendations on blog and article pages, AI-powered site search and in some cases dynamic content used for different site visitor intentions.
Video content is predicted to remain a dominant force in digital advertising. With the increasing popularity of short-form video content, platforms like TikTok and YouTube provide opportunities for businesses to connect with their audience. TikTok’s popularity has increased, providing a new and evolving space for marketing executives to experiment with – including their new AI Creative Assistant. Similarly, YouTube continues to enjoy success, with over a billion active users logging in monthly.
In 2024 Interactive and gamified are also predicted to increase. These initiatives have yielded high engagement rates and bring a sense of fun to advertising. As people become more wary of intrusive advertising, brands invest in eye-catching and unusual formats to capture their audience’s attention. These ads give users the power to interact with them, further enhancing their interest.
