5 Tips for Your Digital Marketing Strategy in 2024

2. Explore the potential of messaging

A key trend of the past three years has been the shift away from posting to social platform feeds, which are public, and using private sharing DM groups. Not just Text Messages but options like Instagram Channels, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp Groups for your customers.

If your DMs are created properly and with respect, it is a valuable connection channel. A great promotional option, which could have more of your messages actually read, improving your brand awareness and client engagement. Do it right and it feels more personal. Even better if the offers or invitations are personalized. You can also have them share private deals with friends, making them an advocate for your business.

As always, make sure your messaging connects with your audience, remember to make it about them.

3. Consider alternative platforms

This one might require some extra work. But if you learn your ideal client is now using a different social network, you probably want to check it out and consider going to this new congregation place.

Have you consider Pinterest? It has over 400 million active users. Do you sell to a younger audience? Snapchat remains a high use app for them.

Are you more of a service provider? Yes, I have ideas for you lawyers, CPAs, coaches, trainers, etc.. LinkedIn is a must, give it a good try.

4. Experiment with generative AI tools

See the last word there? Tools. Yeah, it's just a tool, don't let the high tech flair intimidate you. And like most tools, the one to master how to use it will leverage it better. That's how your local business benefits.

Generative AI is here to stay, and it will continue to get better and play a more significant role in many ways.

But you need to understand it, and consider the benefits of the various tools and apps to optimize your daily processes. Generative AI is not just ChatGPT with its text responses, this and other tools can do audio and video creation, summarize documents for you, do customer service, and on and on. And you can expect to see significant growth and more integrations this year.

Whatever use you give it, remember it is for creative purposes when used in marketing, make sure your creation is engaging for your clients, that's something the machines can’t do by themselves. Coming up with great ideas remains the job of humans. 

Learn how AI systems work, understand the various tools available, how they’re evolving, and consider the ways that they can be applied to your local business. See these LinkedIn AI courses, some are available for free.

5. Improve your understanding of AR and 3D object creation

Ok, this one might a bit advance, but next year when you see it in marketing use you'll remember this letter. Apple just announced availability for their Vision Pro product, check it out to get a glimpse of the future.

Kids these days spend all of their time within immersive gaming worlds, like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox, where they socialize, interact, engage and buy digital goods. That points to the future of broader engagement trends, which will eventually also include professional interaction. As these kids grow up and become your clients, they will expect things to be like they are used to seeing in the digital world.

It might be worth taking the time to understand the latest AR tools, more and more will come soon.

Takeaways

There’s a range of emerging trends in digital marketing, and it’s important to recognize where the tide is pushing, and please know that these new things aren't only for big brands or big business. We can use them at the local level too.

Start easy, like short form videos, start learning the free AI tools available and identify how they can help you, if you are already active in social media, consider Direct Messages such as Instagram channels. And go from there.

The way we win against big brands with big marketing budgets and fancy tools, is with our knowledge and connection at the local level with our customers. Double down on this connection, make it engaging for them, and you'll have ravin fans for your products and services, most big brands can't say they have that.

What ideas came up? How will you use short form video or AI? Comment below or reply to this email and let's help each other win against big business.

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