Team Insights:Digital Marketing World in 2024
AI Implementation into Digital Strategy – Amber, Digital Account Manager
In 2024 we will continue to see the trend of artificial intelligence grow within digital marketing strategies.
This year we expect to see marketers leverage advanced technologies (including artificial intelligence) to tailor their marketing efforts to individual preferences and create more engaging interactions.
AI allows users to analyse large amounts of data easily, which helps to gain more valuable insights into consumer behaviour, preferences and trends. This fast-paced approach will allow digital marketers to save time which allows for a more strategic approach to their marketing strategies and help to create more meaningful campaigns.
AI also has the ability to be automated for routine tasks, optimise ad placements, be used for chatbots and virtual assistances on websites, and it can also help to create ideas or topics for blogs and social media channels. This allows a digital marketing expert to become efficient within their role. Implementing AI into a digital marketing strategy in 2024 will allow for more agile and adaptive marketing techniques.
Analytics – Incrementality Testing – Tony, Analytics & Measurement Specialist
2024 is set to be the year of the death of third party cookies so this means that third party tracking will become even less reliable than we saw in 2023 with the move to Google Analytics 4.
This year we will see a shift towards the measurement of incrementality, what the true contribution of each channel, campaign ad etc has on the main KPIs for our clients.
We’ve long seen disparity between the results reported in Google Analytics vs those reported by each individual channel (Facebook, Google Ads etc.) due to varying measurement models. In 2023 we began to also see an increasing disparity between these results and those reported by client’s own platforms due to the reduced support of third party cookies.
By measuring incrementality we can get a better sense of the additional conversions which have resulted directly from our marketing activities, place a value on these and identify which types of activities provide the best incremental contributions to their main KPIs and be able to provide better strategies and campaigns based on this data.
SEO and the Impact of Search generative Experience SGE – David, SEO Specialist
Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) is a new approach to search results that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide its users with quick and clear overviews of certain search topics. SGE search results provide information on Google search engine results page (SERP) without having to click on individual webpages.
How will SGE Impact SEO?
SGE will have pros and cons when it comes to the impact on SEO.
On one hand, it may impact the amount of traffic a website gets as more search results are served to users right on Googles SERP – especially for informational-style content.
Making it easy for users to obtain information faster and provide better user experience is what Google wants to achieve here and it is what Google wants from websites providing content to do as well.
On the other hand, SGE may provide better quality leads and sales to websites on Google.
Website traffic may decrease, especially for basic queries. But most people will still need to conduct more in-depth research so will need to get this information on an actual website.
It is also important to add that SGE will not fully replace traditional search results but rather be used alongside them to provide a better overall experience for its users.
We are in the early days of SGE. Testing is still ongoing. When it is fully rolled out, there will be issues. Google will constantly be reviewing its impact and looking for ways to improve its accuracy and efficiency.
Search Generative Experience is the biggest thing to happen in Google in over 20 years so it is important to understand how this will impact your business, website, and overall online presence.
PPC Marketing in 2024 – Simon, PPC Specialist
This year promises to be an exciting year for PPC, marked by significant transformations in data practices, technological advancements, and evolving consumer preferences. Just a few changes to notes are the Transition Away from Third-Party Cookies and Data-Driven and AI-Enhanced Marketing
Transition Away from Third-Party Cookies:
In 2024, a substantial shift is occurring as third-party cookies phase out, commencing with Google Chrome. While this development enhances user privacy, it poses challenges for digital marketers. Marketers must now pivot toward zero and first-party data for successful PPC campaigns. Many marketers appear unprepared for this shift, necessitating exploration of alternative data collection methods like Google OTC (Offline Conversion Tracking) or Meta’s CAPI for effective conversion tracking.
Data-Driven and AI-Enhanced Marketing:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are becoming indispensable for PPC campaigns, streamlining processes and yielding valuable insights. While data privacy regulations like GDPR continue to influence targeted advertising, data’s significance remains steadfast. In today’s competitive digital landscape, data offers insights into consumer behavior and market trends, facilitating evidence-based decision-making. Marketers must harness big data for precise targeting and personalization. AI serves as a creative asset, augmenting teams and enabling the creation of personalized, data-driven PPC campaigns.
The Rise of Social Media Search Optimisation – Colm D, Paid Social Specialist
Marketers have long been optimising their websites and content through Search Engine Optimisation, bringing visibility and traffic to their sites via search platforms like Google. Recently, professionals have been taking similar optimisation actions on social media content. According to reports from Google, 40% of Gen-Z is using Instagram and TikTok for search instead of Google. As a result, it is becoming more important for digital marketers to pay attention to details like keywords and metadata on social media posts.
This year it will be more important to focus on captions, keywords and descriptive data to get those results. in 2024, we see keywords and content driving performance.
This also means captions, inclusive of keywords and descriptive data can help a brand’s post deliverability, So, while brevity historically drove social engagement, increasingly more keywords and content are likely to help boost post ranking.
Digital Marketing Assets – Keeping up with technology – Aoife, Marketing Executive
The ability to design Digital Marketing assets is becoming more accessible, automated and therefore more competitive. In a saturated landscape of strong visuals, it is becoming more and more important that potential customers engage with your Paid Search or Paid Social Advertisements over your competitors.
Software like canva and the implementation of AI into Photoshop suggest that it is now easier to create impressive visuals. However, we believe that Marketers need to up their game as a result of these tools.
Softwares may be becoming more automated however, a trained, creative eye is what is needed to come up with a vision and to execute it correctly. Marketers need to focus on creating effective creative assets to keep up with the ever evolving competition as a result of technologies and market trends which are moving at an increasing pace.
However, design is not the only important quality when it comes to creating effective assets. Don’t forget that they must be engaging on a consumer level as well as a visual level. Make sure that your business objectives are being met with each asset that potential customers see. What are you offering? Why is it needed? What is unique about your product or service? Digital Marketing Assets are not just about the visuals but the content also.
UGC in Tourism – Bridget O’Leary, Project Co-Ordinator, Digital Transformation
UGC (User Generated Content) is a trend that is evolving travel marketing in 2024. According to Nosto, UGC is affecting retention and business intelligence, and travel companies are embracing personalized and authentic content
User-Generated Content (UGC) is one of those trends in tourism marketing that can have an incredibly huge influence on travel decisions of your potential customers. Ranging from social media posts to exceptional reviews, a great UGC strategy engages with your customers by posting pictures and videos and sharing their travel experiences in a way that gives your business an authentic and trustworthy profile.
Especially for destination management organisations, UGC is a perfect way to reach new customers and elevate online visibility. For example, Visit Brisbane, the official destination management brand of the Australian city of Brisbane, is setting a successful example with their social media account, where they encourage travelers to post their photos and videos of their Brisbane experience with the hashtag #visitbrisbane. Statistics suggest that they collect thousands of new leads and Instagram followers, effectively catching the attention of their targeted audience.
