2024 will have lots of technological changes. AI will continue to grow and proliferate, new personal security will make targeting harder, and people will rely on consistent brands with strong online presence.
AI is getting out of hand. But it could be good!
If you haven’t seen a fake video of Elon Musk or Joe Biden you have not been online much. The proliferation of fake content keeps growing as time goes on. What this means for online audiences has become very clear and can be summed up in the following points.
- People interact with and buy from brands with authority and authenticity online.
- New customers consume between 7-14 pieces of content before buying. (Up from 6-9)
- Purely AI-generated content is underperforming compared to Human-generated content.
This is not to say that AI won’t get better than people. It might. The trick is in knowing how to use it as a tool instead of as your whole marketing department.
Some great new tools are popping up and getting very good. We are expecting great things from tools like Google’s Bard for more accurate results and Microsoft’s Copilot for business insights based on true data.
Data and information constraints.
Data is critical in marketing. We all know not to try to sell a painting to a blind man. But how can we distinguish online?
It used to be easy to market to specific groups but with customers wanting more privacy online this has gotten much harder to do. As a result, those of us trying to market are going back to the basics. Making our ads speak to the audience instead of relying on the advertising giants to do it for us.
Better headlines, more targeted offers, and creative designs for our perfect customer are just a few ways of doing this. Platform use is also important. Advertising where people spend their time is crucial.
Brand over content. Content for the brand.
All this points to one critical thing. Having a Brand is how you sell. Your brand can be small or big. It can be fun or serious. It doesn’t much matter as long as it is consistent and authentic.
How does one do this? In a few ways:
Online it looks like having an active, informative, and entertaining presence that creates a sense of authority. You can then create content around your key offering establishing the value you provide.
In person, it is all about consistency and services. Is your team identified by the way they operate, the uniform they wear and the quality of interactions? This will make the difference, especially in the service industries.
On display such as on a billboard or at a trade show, you want to show the BRAND identity as concisely as possible. Create something that people will recognize and find consistent even through their online interactions with your company.
All this can be difficult to pull off. But it is not impossible.
At Solis Sphere, we are creating marketing plans that stay with the times and help you build your business. Read our news to find out how that is changing in the new year!