Top 11 Marketing Trends You Need to Know for 2024

Staying up-to-date with the latest marketing trends is crucial to your business growth and connecting with your target market.

In the marketing world, nothing is constant. Consumer attitudes, behavior, preferences, and trends change from time to time.

Take a look at these latest trends in marketing today and determine the ones you can apply to gear up your marketing strategies this year.

What are the recent trends in marketing?

Trends in marketing depend on market and consumer behavior and can vary from time to time.

In advertising, more brands are now leaning towards QR code-powered campaigns. More companies are starting to invest in a reliable QR code generator to run tech-savvy ads on print and digital platforms.

Social media also shows a significant shift. It has grown from a mere social platform to an online marketplace, and now it’s also becoming a customer service tool.

But this is just about advertising and social media marketing. The thing with marketing? It’s a broad concept.

When you say marketing, it can refer to various branches—social media marketing, content marketing, influencer marketing, email marketing, and more.

So, here’s a list of recent trends in various marketing fields you should check out to keep watch on the market movement and make your strategies even more powerful.

The top marketing trends in 2024

Here are the best marketing strategies for 2024 that get better traction than your old-school ones:

1. Social media marketing

You can increase your sales, engagements, and website traffic by using social media channels.

TikTok, one of the fast-growing social sites with 1 billion active monthly users, is the top choice for marketers who wish to grow their audience and campaign engagement this 2023.

Its laser-focused algorithms help businesses efficiently reach their target audience in no time.

There are many marketing ideas you can play around on social media platforms. The key is using standard-length video, proper hashtags, popular sounds, camera filters, and other trends.

Another marketing hotspot to consider is Instagram. Meta says 80% of consumers say the platform helps them make wiser buying decisions.

You can even establish and dispense your Instagram ads to your target market. It’s an effortless task, seeing that 87% of IG users revealed that they take action after seeing a product on the app, as stated by Social Pilot.

These numbers and the exponential growth of users constitute a significant marketing influence.

2. Influencer marketing

Though new in the industry, influencer marketing is now worth $16 billion—over $2 billion more than in 2021.

According to HubSpot, 89% of marketers who currently use influencer marketing will maintain—if not increase—their investment in the next year.

This is because influencers and their followers help businesses increase brand awareness, boost lead conversion, and generate a loyal pool of patrons.

It’s undeniably one of 2024’s current trends, as we’ve seen more and more brands tapping into micro and nano-influencers to create content and promote their offerings.

Wonder how such a neo-marketing tactic got so big? Well, influencer marketing’s success in the past years can be directly related to the growth of social media usage.

In 2021, brands leaned more toward Instagram and TikTok influencers to increase engagement and sales. Shopify’s influencer marketing statistics shows that 97% of marketers deem Instagram the most trusted influencer marketing platform.

Influencer Marketing Hub reported that from 2015 until 2017, the number of brand-sponsored influencer posts on Instagram totaled 2.68 million and is expected to rise to 6.12 million by 2023.

On the other hand, the upsurge of TikTok users and influencers also made it one of the most engaging platforms on the internet today.

But why focus only on these two when you can tap influencers from Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and other social sites?

You see, these other social media sites may have more monthly users, but none are as engaged and active as those in IG and TikTok.

And as marketers, you know how important it is to engage your target market in your campaign.

To integrate an influencer marketing strategy this 2023, focus on the social media sites with the most engagement from your audiences and the influencers suitable for your brand.

3. Video content marketing

According to Biteable, video marketing has been a popular strategy since 2010, and the usage statistics keep growing. It’s no wonder that it’s among the latest marketing trends today.

In 2022, a HubSpot report showed that 83% of companies acquired leads and customers by posting video content on their socials. And about 99% of marketers who use video content will plan to use it more in the future.

It’s no longer surprising to see such huge percentages of marketers and businesses switching to video-aided advertising. 

With platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, Vimeo, and YouTube dominating the internet, it’s only smart to use short videos to boost your brand.

What’s even more noteworthy is that 66% of consumers would rather watch a short video about products and services over lengthy articles and posts.

This only means that videos catered to the standards of the platforms above get better traction than merely relying on articles, print, and other forms of marketing.

Video content can better explain what your brand or product is all about in an engaging manner—one thing consumers need and want.

Customers can retain and absorb 95% of your video content’s message, as per Insivia’s report. Take advantage of this and launch creative and compelling video campaigns for your products and services.

4. Content marketing

Posting blog articles and white papers, sending regular newsletters, and publishing press releases are some of the best digital content marketing tactics you should start using this year.

Produce SEO-friendly content, especially in long-form articles or blog posts. The more optimized your content, the more likely it is to rank on search engines like Google. And top results could lead to increased organic traffic.

SEO and content go hand in hand. This fusion is a smart tactic to drive more traffic and boost brand recognition.

An Ahrefs 2022 report revealed that 67% of marketers increased their generated leads by curating content for their target audience. In 2022, video content was marketers’ top content marketing strategy, followed by blogs, articles, and infographics.

These are the primary media that your target market interacts with before they decide on purchasing something.

If your content is informative, transparent, and compelling, it can persuade audiences and turn them into buying customers.

5. QR code marketing

QR codes weren’t initially made for marketing purposes. But with the new intelligent use cases of various QR code types from QR code software here and there, marketers found this digital tool valuable.

QR code marketing has been one of the booming marketing trends since 2020, as demonstrated by big brands—McDonald’s, Burger King, Nike, IKEA, and more.

Many deem these 2D barcodes as an all-in-one marketing tool that can help marketers establish engaging digital marketing plans.

You can encrypt massive amounts of information into a QR code. You can store up to 4296 alphanumeric characters, 7089 numeric characters, and 1817 Kanji characters.

You can embed website URLs, text, numbers, and even files within the code. And these data are readily accessible using only a smartphone—one scan is all it takes.

Marketers can use QR codes to amplify their social media, content, SEO, video, and other marketing strategies. Why? Because QR codes are an interactive tool that allows for better conversion and traction rates.

In 2021, Statista recorded 75.8 million QR code scanners in the United States. It’s expected to reach 99.5 million by 2025, seeing that American QR code scanners will continue to use the code for various marketing campaigns in the future.

But take note, that’s just in the USA alone. How about in other parts of the globe?

According to the QR TIGER QR code generator database, India’s QR code scanning activity reached 16.1% based on QR code statistics in 2022.

The country’s QR code usage primarily focuses on QR code-based payment, railway ticketing operations, and other consumer-to-merchant services.

Other Asian (mainly China and Japan) and European countries have also incorporated QR code technology in the corporate field.

Marketers use QR codes in various materials and platforms, whether digital or print. Some examples include websites, banners, display ads, social media posts, billboards, posters, and flyers.

These digital innovations have even appeared on TV. There’s the floating QR code ad by Coinbase during the Super Bowl LVI. QR codes also made cameos in series like Moon Knight, Love Death + Robots, and The Umbrella Academy.

6. Local search optimization

This 2023, say yes to a local SEO strategy for your website. Localized website content is an effective strategy that can help easily rank your website in your target locality.

A BrightLocal survey shows that in 2022 alone, 78% of consumers searched for businesses near them online at least once a week. Additionally, 97% of internet users look up local businesses to help them find products and services nearby.

Optimizing your business website for local searches can just help you become one of the top results on your target market’s search engine.

To start this marketing technique, you can claim a Google My Business Page so people can easily find your physical stores when they search for products and services in your area via Google.

Ensure that you provide exact details about your business, use the right keyword (this should include your business location), and gather as much customer feedback and review as possible.

7. Voice search optimization

Another SEO strategy to look out for—as the 2024 market trends suggest—is voice search optimization, and here’s why.

A Statista report shows that in 2022, over 66 million U.S. families are predicted to have a smart speaker in their household. It wouldn’t be a surprise to foresee an inclination to voice searches using Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and even Google’s voice assistant.

Oberlo reports 71% of internet users prefer voice searches over typing keywords since the former is more convenient. You can easily find what you’re looking for even when your hands are full, like when driving or cooking dinner.

Moreover, voice searches allow users to be more conversational in their queries, creating a huge difference from conventional long-tail keyword searches that often sound robotic.

Optimizing your website for voice searches can rank your page faster. This is because search engines (like Google) prioritize websites that offer content with value.

The more relevant your information is to the target keyword, the higher your chance of ranking up.

HubSpot suggests including potential voice search questions and topics in the article headers to help search engines recognize your content.

It’s a win-win for you and your target audience. You get to raise your website ranking while your audience can get good-quality and accurate answers to their queries.

8. AI-based marketing strategies

Indeed, the marketing industry has gone far beyond print media campaigns now that AI marketing is coming into view.

This advanced strategy got mainstream in early 2010, which helped businesses and marketers streamline their jobs.

Artificial intelligence-based marketing automates promotional strategies such as data analysis, search engine optimization, retargeting, customer support, and marketing campaign creation.

You can use the following AI technologies for your marketing campaigns:

• Search engine optimization tools
• Chatbots for customer assistance
• Content creation and checker
• Digital marketing automation software
• Ad targeting
• Lead retargeting
• Dynamic pricing

A Statista report showed that AI marketing’s worldwide market value would grow from $27.4 billion in 2023 to a whopping $107.4 billion in 2028, proving how impactful this marketing strategy is.

Through AI, marketers will have efficient partners to help gather real-time data analytics about their campaigns.

This new marketing trend also helps target the right market, understand their needs and demands, and decide which campaign is more effective for a particular demographic, season, and location.

9. Use of infographics and images

A visually attractive infographic can quickly grab your audience’s attention in a sea of text ads. Statistics will prove that.

Sprout Social’s report reveals that 65% of B2B marketers mainly use infographics for their content marketing initiatives, and 84% found the strategy effective.

You can create infographics accompanying your blogs, social media posts, and white papers to provide extensive information about different topics, your products and services, or your brand.

High-quality infographics can also help you build market trust. Seeing your catchy and informative images may compel users to share them on their socials and networks.

HubSpot says integrating images and infographics into your website can quickly boost traffic by 12%. But aside from simply putting these visual media on your site, here’s one smart way to add them:

You can use an image gallery QR code to display multiple images to show infographics or promote your offerings effectively. What’s more impressive about this tech tool is that you can easily add them to any digital or printed marketing campaign materials.

10. Podcast marketing

An audio broadcast you can play on-demand as you do other things—that’s a podcast for you. And yes, it’s among the 2023 marketing trends you should consider using.

This fast-growing industry has already amassed 63% of US consumers and listeners, making podcast platforms ideal for promoting your brand.

In 2022 alone, Statista has already recorded 62% of US consumers who have listened to at least one podcast. And about three of every four US podcast listeners use podcasts to educate themselves about new things.

Marketers can leverage this by curating podcast content that informs their target listeners about their products and services to strengthen their brand recognition and awareness.

11. Interactive marketing

Want to grab your customers’ attention and enhance brand messaging retention by 70%? Interactive marketing is your wise choice.

Interactive marketing is a proven marketing strategy that has been around for over a decade, turning boring marketing strategies into fun and immersive ones.

According to a Demand Metrics survey, interactive content can help improve your website traffic, reduce bounce rates, and generate twice the conversions than static content.

Things like quizzes, surveys, and mini-games are among the various forms of interactive content. These will surely catch their interest and lead them to engage.

Using one lets your business gain valuable insights about your customer preferences and behaviors, which can help create targeted and personalized marketing messages for them.

Start generating more sales and keep your customers engaged with your marketing campaigns by crafting the right interactive content for them. 

Digital platforms to use for 2024 current marketing trends

Social media

Social media has a huge potential for marketing and advertising. Today, people use social media to interact and as a place for e-commerce.

As of 2022, social media users rose to over 4.59 billion people. And globally, each person spends an average of 151 minutes daily on social media.

In a survey conducted by Sprout Social, 78% of consumers expressed interest in purchasing after having a good experience with the brand on social media.

Consider this latest survey from Statista for the top 10 most used social networks in running your ads: 

• Facebook
• YouTube
• WhatsApp
• Instagram
• WeChat
• TikTok
• Facebook Messenger
• Douyin
• QQ
• Sina Weibo

The more visible your brand on social media is, the higher engagement you gain. A brilliant tool to help you achieve this is a QR code for social media.

It’s a dynamic QR code solution that stores all your social media links. It displays a mobile-optimized page with buttons for each social link you add. Scanners can then like, follow, subscribe, and connect to your socials in just a few taps.

It also comes with a button tracker. This added feature lets you know which social media platforms are popular among your scanning audiences.

And since it’s dynamic, you can update your social media links anytime. You can also track the QR code’s performance to fine-tune your social media strategies.

QR TIGER’s Link in Bio QR code solution lets you choose a theme and add a widget. You can embed a video, add custom meta tags, display store hours, and store other links you want to share.

QR code generator

QR codes are not branded “all-in-one tools” for nothing. 

These square-shaped codes simplify marketing tasks through its centralized software and contactless technology.

Integrating QR codes in marketing requires using a professional QR code platform with the best functions and features.

With the rise of advanced QR code solutions, you can incorporate them into your strategies and marketing assets in many ways. However, the QR code solution you use depends on your goal and purpose.

Now, more and more businesses are diving into QR code marketing. Big brands like McDonald’s, Burger King, Lacoste, L’oreal, PUMA, and Ralph Lauren use QR codes to provide their market with interactive experiences.

QR code marketing popularity is evident even in the famous Super Bowl halftime show. Some of the most iconic QR campaigns flashed during the show include Coinbase’s floating QR code and Cheetos’ “Snap to Steal” QR campaign.

While it’s true that choosing the best QR code generator for your campaigns can get overwhelming, the outcome and the service will be guaranteed worth the price.

To help you out in choosing the ideal QR code platform, take note of these QR code software must-haves for a successful campaign:

• Offers static and dynamic QR code solutions for various data types: URL, social media, files, vCard, menu, app stores, video, email, and other links
• Real-time data analytics of QR code campaign scans
• User-friendly interface and easy-to-navigate settings
• Integration with CRM software and marketing automation tools
• Tight software security; ISO 27001-certified or GDPR-compliant
• 24/7 customer support

Metaverse

Metaverse is a collective shared space of multiple emerging technologies parallel to the physical world, providing a bigger platform for e-commerce, gaming, education, and more.

In simpler words, it’s an advanced 3D rendition of the internet, allowing you to engage in activities such as shopping as though you are inside a physical store. 

One can access the Metaverse using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). 

VR is a 3D environment simulation closer to a lifelike experience. VR is possible through a VR headset, gloves, vests, and full-body tracking suits.

While AR is less immersive, it uses the real-world environment and overlays virtual information for an enhanced experience.

It is a larger virtual economy run by digital currencies and non-fungible tokens (NFT). And businesses find more significant opportunities in this realm.

According to Gartner’s expectation, 25% of people will spend an hour daily in the metaverse by 2026.

It is possible, considering that Facebook has already rebranded its corporate name into Meta and plans to invest $10 billion in that innovation. Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Qualcomm have also shown interest in the same concept.

2022 was the year for the Metaverse, as many people recognized its existence. Despite its rapid surge in popularity, it quickly flopped.

It may be gone for now, but it’s not game over. It’s important to note its vast potential in the market in the coming years as the technology matures and more people understand its practical use.

Hop into the current trends of marketing with QR TIGER

The rule of thumb when marketing in this new age and era is simple: go all out on digitalization.

All the mentioned marketing trends in 2024 mainly focus on digital platforms. So, it’s only wise to invest in the right software with the perfect functions for your every need.

Note that your 2024 target market values authenticity and convenience, meaning you’ll most likely need marketing software that automates your campaigns and caters to your audience’s demands.

These trends may be overwhelming, but jumping into them can be easy with the right tool. Start your journey with QR TIGER—an advanced QR code generator trusted by over 850,000 global brands like TikTok, Disney, Universal, McDonald’s, and more. 

With its cutting-edge solutions and advanced features, you can definitely improve and power up your marketing game and stay one step ahead of your competitors.

FAQ

What is an example of a market trend?

Here’s an example of a recent market trend: Social media will be used more for customer service.

More and more marketers are using social media as a customer support tool, from being a social platform to an online marketplace. Due to this shift, companies or marketers find a way to adapt their plans and strategies.