Top Marketing Trends of 2024

Marketing is an essential component of the success of any business. Promoting your products and services across channels relevant to your target audience is an ideal method of generating leads. However, marketing is a concept that is consistently evolving to meet the ever-changing demands of consumers and the needs of businesses. Let’s explore some of the biggest marketing trends of 2024 to help organisations effectively prepare their digital strategies to keep up with the latest trends in 2024 and going into 2025.

AI and automation

Artificial intelligence

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence has been one of the most significant digital marketing trends of the year. It has transformed the marketing landscape, with an increasing number of businesses utilising AI to support content creation and marketing analytics. According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2024, 64% of marketers already use AI and automation in their processes, and 38% of those who didn’t use it in 2023, planned to use it in 2024. 

Tools like ChatGPT have become invaluable for marketing to help teams generate content ideas, build briefs, and draft content. In fact, 84% of marketers using AI reported more efficiency when creating new content, and 56% found that AI helped to increase content performance [1]. Also, by using the power of AI in your analytics, you can develop greater insights into your target audience, predicting their behaviours, identifying new trends, and optimising campaigns faster and more efficiently.

Workflow automation

Automation is another key trend in digital marketing that has continued to develop this year. Businesses want to make their workflows as quick and seamless as possible and automation has been important in achieving that. When your digital systems can work together, you can effectively automate time-consuming parts of your processes, allowing teams to focus on more productive tasks. 

E-Sign offers a wide range of integrations with marketing and other types of applications like HubSpot, Pipedrive, Microsoft SharePoint and more. With these integrations, organisations can create a digital ecosystem that streamlines their document management. This user-friendly automation ensures transactions are completed quickly with efficiency and accuracy. It also supports businesses with their marketing efforts by making it easier to manage relevant documents, as well as increasing productivity in marketing teams by reducing the time that needs to be spent on administration.

Personalised content

The advancements in AI and machine learning have created new opportunities for marketing teams to better understand their customers, and therefore generate more personalised content that appeals to them, including tailored product recommendations and offers. This new wave of personalised content is invaluable with 96% of marketers saying it leads to repeat business and 94% reporting that it increases sales [1]. 

In addition to product recommendations, other personalised experiences may include augmented reality (AR) that enables users to “see” the physical product in their space, which is an emerging trend that continues to generate impressive results. By understanding individual customer preferences you can create a strong foundation for data-driven purchases and maximise consumer satisfaction. However, whilst this personalised content is beneficial, businesses must always handle customer data responsibly.

Lack of digital strategy

A continuing marketing trend in 2024 is businesses carrying out digital marketing without having a proper digital strategy in place. Whilst this has seen some increase over the years, 42% of businesses still have not planned and implemented a strategy [2]. Having an integrated digital strategy should be a main priority for organisations that want to grow sustainably and increase their presence in the market. A good place to start when developing a digital strategy is learning who your target audience is and establishing their challenges and how your product or service can resolve those challenges. 

Another important part of your digital strategy should be having suitable processes in place to make the customer experience as seamless as possible. For example, an electronic signature solution like E-Sign can simplify document transactions when proposals, agreements, contracts, etc need to be signed, which helps provide the recipient with the best possible experience. Also, with the ability to create your own document template or use a pre-built one through E-Sign, your organisation can save a significant amount of time when sending documents to customers. This can avoid delays, reduce the risk of errors in documents, and maintain positive customer interactions.

User-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful and growing marketing trend that provides businesses with social proof and engagement. It is a type of content that users post themselves about your product or service on their social media profiles. This type of content might resemble posts an influencer or affiliate would create, but with UGC, businesses don’t work directly with users to produce the content and they are not getting paid to do so. However, brands can sometimes encourage users to generate content by launching contests and challenges featuring specific hashtags, formats, or themes and rewarding the best entries. 

Marketing professionals are increasingly turning to user-generated content (UGC) as a powerful form of word-of-mouth promotion that resonates more naturally with audiences. It’s also a more budget-friendly alternative to influencer marketing, making it especially advantageous for smaller businesses looking to boost brand visibility, credibility, and customer loyalty. UGC helps companies influence the conversation surrounding their brand while fostering a sense of community among their customers.

Sustainability and genuine branding

Environmental concerns have continued to grow in 2024, with consumers looking for brands that align with their own sustainable values. Therefore, a continuing trend is organisations promoting their sustainability and the strategies they have in place to reduce carbon and become greener. However, this has to feel authentic to the brand, if consumers feel that a business is being disingenuous regarding their environmental efforts, it will be damaging to the brand and reputation.

Today’s consumers expect more than just superficial eco-friendly initiatives. Organisations need to take meaningful action by supporting local causes, integrating sustainable practices into their operations, and aligning with a clear purpose. Companies that genuinely adopt and showcase their commitment to sustainability are more likely to attract and retain a loyal, progressive customer base.

Short-form video content marketing

Another key marketing trend for this year is the continuing dominance of short-form video content, particularly in social media marketing. As marketers strive to target digital-first generations they need to present themselves on platforms these users are on: TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. These short videos, live streams, and interactive visual content have become an essential tool for many marketing teams. 

In HubSpot’s report, they state that video content is set to see the most growth in 2024 with the highest return on investment. 53% of marketers plan to increase their investment in social platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts [1]. Businesses that use this trend correctly and effectively will likely secure a competitive advantage and communicate their brand messages in a dynamic and engaging way for their audiences.

Influencer marketing

Despite the increase in UGC, influencer marketing remains a popular trend in 2024 for many businesses. Modern consumers are looking for genuine endorsements of products and influencers are an effective way for organisations to promote their brands in a way that comes across authentically to audiences. 

In particular, there has been substantial growth in micro-influencers, these individuals have smaller but highly engaged followings that are more likely to buy a promoted product. Companies that are looking to invest in influencer marketing may want to start by working with smaller influencers that have more niche, targeted audiences.

Trends to look out for in 2025

As we come towards the back end of 2024, the question all marketing teams will be thinking about is what’s next? There has already been speculation about some upcoming trends that could play an important role in shaping the 2025 marketing landscape, these include:

• AI will continue to be the cornerstone of digital marketing – but it needs to be used carefully and with purpose to ensure authenticity.
• Maintaining a simplified and streamlined marketing approach – marketers should prioritise core objectives that generate results instead of trying to use all platforms.
• Personalisation remains a priority – but it must come from a detailed understanding of your audience, be meaningful and reflect the values of the brand.
• Filling gaps in AI skills – as AI is becoming more utilised, marketing teams should ensure that they master AI prompting and optimise their strategies to stay ahead of the competition.
• Community engagement is key – this will help to build long-term loyalty and trust from your customers. Success in social media will depend on the quality of interactions rather than the volume.

Start your digital transformation with E-Sign

By staying ahead of evolving marketing trends like these, businesses can ensure they position themselves for ongoing success and stay ahead of their competitors. An important way to do this is by ensuring you have the best digital tools and systems in place to support your document workflows. 

Contact us today to discuss your requirements and our digital transformation team will be able to help you with a tailored plan that meets the specific e-signature and documents needs of your business. You can also get started with E-Sign by registering for our 14-day free trial. This will allow you to explore the features and functionality of the platform for yourself and see how it can work within your organisation. 

Article sources

1. HubSpot – “The State of Marketing 2024” https://www.hubspot.com/hubfs/2024%20State%20of%20Marketing%20Report/2024-State-of-Marketing-HubSpot-CXDstudio-FINAL.pdf
2. Smart Insights – 10 Actionable Digital Marketing Trends https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/digital-marketing-trends-2025/