A 2023 marketing recap and how to strategically plan for marketing success in 2024

2023 has changed the marketing landscape quite a bit! From the rapid development of AI, to new social media channels and the ever-changing algorithms… it’s been a big year of evolution for marketing.

So the question on everyone's minds now is… How does this impact their business and what do they need to be doing to develop the best marketing strategies in 2024? 

Well, you’re in the right place!

Let’s break it all down so you know exactly how you can market your business successfully in 2024.

How do the social media changes affect your business?

We saw a lot of change on social media this year- from new channels popping up (hello Threads), to social channels changing names (Twitter became X). 

This has meant that the social media landscape has changed and that isn’t surprising and social media channels have a habit of constantly changing! 

It’s for that reason that although it’s important to be on social media and keep up with the trends and changes, it’s more important to make sure you’re diversifying your marketing.

If you want to see more success from your marketing in 2024, I would highly advise not putting your eggs in one social media-based basket!

The reality is, that just having a social media marketing strategy isn’t going to be enough to market your business well in 2024. You need to have different strategies in place to position your business in the way you want and to support your growth! 

So my advice is to keep up to date with the social media channels and market your business on a few, but remember to incorporate other marketing strategies as well.

And of course, whatever marketing strategies you rely on, make sure that you have a certain level of consistency throughout. Having the core foundations in place such as a clear tone of voice and a sense of brand direction is key to any successful marketing strategy. 

This is also why, although AI can be amazing, you need to be careful how much you rely on it!

Should you hand your marketing over to AI?

We’ve seen AI become a focal topic during 2023 and rightly so!

It’s an incredible piece of technology that many people have started leaning on. 

When used correctly, AI can definitely support your marketing strategy but I'd be hesitant to hand everything over to AI for 2024 purely because the best marketing is always tailored to your specific business and sometimes the best way to do that is to have real people behind it! 

I think AI is amazing for generating ideas for content, brainstorming headlines, creating frameworks and even coming up with discussion topics.

Objectively speaking, AI can generate good quality work but when it comes down to it, it doesn't know your business as well as you do and sometimes it can struggle to capture your authentic voice.

And having a level of authenticity that is reflective of your goals, values and business is what people really connect to and is what will make your marketing stand out in a competitive market.

So definitely lean on AI in 2024, but make sure you’re keeping that personal touch, leading with your values and what makes your business unique!

What you should be focusing on for 2024?

The new year brings a fresh perspective to business which in turn, brings a lot of energy and motivation! So of course, as business owners, we want to make the most of this, which is why it’s a great time to start strategising!

If you want to make sure you’re creating the best marketing strategy possible for your business in 2024, here are my biggest tips.

• Identify your goals for the year- Look at your big-picture goals for the year and get crystal clear on what they are and why you want to achieve them. 

• Identify what resources you have in place to help you meet your goals - It’s unlikely that you’re going to have the budget and resources to do everything you want to do right away, especially when it comes to marketing. So it’s a good idea to look at what's available to you to get you started. 

• Break your goals down into smaller goals for each quarter - This will give you a guide for what you need to be focusing on each quarter while enabling you to work towards your bigger picture goals. Remember to leave some space to be responsive to things as they pop up!

• Look back at 2023 - Remember to take a step back when you start to plan for the year ahead and look at what worked for you in the past. Look at the data and metrics from what you’ve already done. 

• Remember that there are so many ways you could market your business in 2024, from paid ads to email marketing, organic social media, influencer marketing, SEO and even affiliate marketing…keep your options open, and be willing to try different things but only select what compliments your business, goals and resources. 

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed about having to plan for 2024 yourself,  I recommend working with a marketing professional to help you get a bird's eye view of your business so you can create an effective marketing strategy that helps you achieve your goals.

If you want to book a one-to-one strategy session to get your 2024 started in the best way possible,  just click here!