Ready to get the need-to-know info on content marketing trends in 2024?
We know you are, because Brandwatch's annual digital marketing report for 2024 shows that conversations about content creation has increased by 91% in the last year!
We've read through the 'state of the industry' reports from the big names in the business like Hubspot, Hootsuite and Brandwatch to give you an overview of the running themes and top trends your business marketing should tap into for 2024.
These insights are your map to navigating content marketing for your brand in the year ahead!
2024 marketing trends for businesses include:
Keep reading to find out more about each one!
Gone are the days of glossy, picture-perfect brand images. Now it’s all about keeping it real! In 2024, the spotlight is on brands that aren’t afraid to show their true colours and share stories that resonate on a personal level.
Consumers today are looking for genuine connections. Research shows that 86% of consumers consider a business' authenticity before purchasing or engaging with them. Brands that share their true stories – ups and downs and everything in between – are winning hearts, minds, and loyalty across social media.
The studies showed that 56% of consumers think businesses should be more relatable on social media. So, how do you show your brand’s authenticity? It’s all about content that echoes the everyday experiences of your audience. Whether it’s a funny take on daily struggles or acknowledging common challenges, relatable content goes a long, long way to building a relationship with potential customers.
Another trend that’s been catching on is showing the human side of businesses – the faces and stories behind the products and services. This not only humanises your brand but also fosters a deeper connection with your audience.
In 2024, it’s not about being everywhere; it’s about being where it truly counts! There’s no point in joining any and every social media platform for your business. Instead, focus your energy on spaces where your brand can truly shine and succeed.
Brandwatch’s annual digital trends report highlights a strategic shift in the new year. Brands are now focusing more and more on the platforms that offer the best return on investment (ROI). Hootsuite also reported that their studies showed 68% of marketers were concerned about the ROI of their efforts. It’s quality over quantity in the digital space!
Dive deep into analytics to understand which platforms are your best performers. Are you getting more engagement on Instagram? Is LinkedIn driving your B2B interactions? It’s all about playing to your strengths and focusing your energy where it matters most.
This targeted approach influences how and what content is created. You know what that means? Tailored content that resonates with your audience on each platform, instead of posting the same thing to every account. This will maximise your impact and your conversion rates.
Get ready for a show! In 2024, brands that can entertain are the ones that will stand out in the crowded digital landscape. In your quest for clicks and conversions, don’t underestimate the power of a good laugh or a captivating story.
According to Brandwatch’s 2024 report, captivating your audience isn’t just about informing them; it’s about entertaining them. Brands that can master the art of entertainment will see a HUGE boost in visibility and engagement.
Focus on crafting content that viewers can’t resist sharing. Lighten up your content with a touch of humour. Funny memes, witty one-liners, or amusing takes on everyday situations can make your brand more relatable – and shareable.
Everyone loves a good story, especially when it’s told creatively and engagingly. Stay on the pulse of current trends, viral memes, and popular references. A clever nod to pop culture with your brand’s personality and experience can make your content viral-worthy.
2024’s content marketing is all about balance between self-promotion and delivering genuine value to your audience. In fact, consumers say self-promotion needs to go. One study showed that the biggest complaint from audiences was that businesses were too focused on self-promotion (coming in at 34% of those surveyed), closely followed by 32% who said their biggest complaint was that content quality was poor.
Don’t just tell your audience about your products. Show them how your brand fits into their lives. Educational tutorials, fun facts, and engaging stories about your brand and its impact can be way more effective than direct advertising!
Use your analytical tools – and direct community engagement – to understand what your audience craves. Are they looking for expert advice, industry insights, or light and easy entertainment? You can also build your content around your community’s contributions, feedback, and stories.
While mixing promotional and audience-centric content, be sure to maintain a consistent brand voice and message. This will go a long way in building a trusted, recognisable brand identity AND a strong relationship with your audience.
Call it a sign of the times, but we can’t even begin to talk about 2024 content marketing trends without addressing AI. Of course, creativity and authenticity are key to success and a killer brand following… but can this new technology play a part without taking over completely?
According to the annual scoial media report from Hootsuite, AI is transforming how brands are creating content. AI tools are being used to craft initial drafts, suggest content ideas, and even optimise for SEO. In saying that, we’re still years and years away from perfect AI-generated content. You still need that human touch of creativity to lead content creation!
AI’s superpower lies in its ability to analyse massive amounts of data – including data from social media platforms. This means efficient help for predicting trends, understanding what your audience loves, and even determining the perfect time to post. In fact, Brandwatch notes that AI-driven analytics are borderline indispensable for strategic social media planning.
These AI-driven helpers are changing the customer interaction game. They provide instant responses to customer queries on websites and social media accounts. As your brand scales up, this can improve engagement and customer satisfaction. Of course, nothing beats human-to-human interaction, so we recommend a mix of both.
Coming into 2024, key trends like AI integration, authentic content, ROI-focused platforms, entertaining engagement, and clear messaging dominate the digital space.
Sure, smaller trends, like the latest video craze on TikTok, will certainly come and go this year (and we’ll keep you informed of all the best ones ????), but the ones we’ve discussed today will make the biggest difference to your overall marketing strategies.
Ready to make waves in 2024 with your content marketing? Dive in with the Sunshine Coast's best marketing content creators.
We make sure that your business not only keeps up but stands out. With our finger on the pulse of the digital world and creativity at the helm, we’re here to elevate your content in 2024 and beyond.
Whether you need a social media strategy, a brand overhaul or just someone to help make your next marketing video - our team of expert content creators is here to make you stand out and look awesome.
Want to get to know us better? Get in touch with us and come visit us at our Sunshine Coast studio in Maroochydore - or check out what we are up to on social media!
The Sunshine Coast isn’t just a slice of paradise; it’s a rapidly growing market ripe with opportunities for tradies. In fact, in the 2022/23 financial year, the Sunshine Coast Council reported over 10k building applications and $2.2B worth of building approvals.
The growing trades industry makes it more important than ever to stand out. But gone are the days of relying solely on word-of-mouth or local directory listings. Now you have to compete online, and face the digital marketing battle to reach your target market.
To be the best of the best requires effectively navigating this digital marketing landscape to stand out and hook your ideal clients. Here you'll find some ideas and strategies to skyrocket your marketing and get the results you're looking for!
Pictures speak a thousand words. If you're trying to demonstrate that you do a quality job, then you need quality photos to prove it. Taking professional photos of your work will:
Video is the peak content type for digital marketing. Reports show that 66% of consumers consider video the most engaging type of content.
Types of videos that tradies can use for marketing include:
Social media isn’t just a playground for fashionistas and foodies; it’s a bustling marketplace where everyone, including tradies, can shine.
Misconceptions, like Instagram being unsuitable for plumbers or carpenters, undersell its potential. The truth? Every trade has a story, a process, and results worth sharing. If you're not sure it's for you - read more on our blog about why social media marketing is important for business.
Some of the benefits of having your trade business on social media include:
A pro social media management team will help you put together a strategy that will work. They'll help you use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Facebook to showcase your craftsmanship and connect you to new clients. Finding the right social media managers is important to make sure you get the ROI and results you're looking for!
Your website acts as your digital front door, a place where potential clients can explore your services, assess your professionalism, and get in touch. It's more important than your business card used to be!
But a website alone isn't all you need. You need your website to be searchable on Google, with search engine optimised (SEO) pages that ensure that when people are searching for you, they find you first.
Think about it - when was the last time you searched for a Sunshine Coast business and went past the first page of recommended search results?
As a trades business, you need a website that can be found before your competitors, that then converts your traffic into sales and bookings. It's a two-fold process, and one is not more important than the other. If you have a high-converting website that no one can find, it's not going to work. And if you have a website that doesn't convert customers, then it doesn't matter who finds it, it also won't work!
So how do you get both? We recommend working with a digital marketing agency, with experts in both web design and SEO. Keep in mind, however, that though they are similar services, they are extremely different skills!
If you've got all of the above marketing tools already flowing, with great visuals, videos, social media strategies and a good website, then your next step is to boost your content with ads!
Platforms like Meta and Google ads are like the high-precision tools in your marketing toolbox. They enable you to craft advertisements that speak directly to your target audience.
Through Meta and Facebook Ads, you can tap into the vast social network to showcase your projects and connect with customers who value your craftsmanship. Google Ads propels your services into the spotlight when potential clients search for your tradie expertise.
These platforms can deliver extremely high results, but keep in mind you need to use them correctly! Otherwise, the ad spend money you are shelling out could be going to waste.
The best way to make sure that your ads are high-quality, client-converting power tools is to work with someone who knows how to use ads for tradies. Even better, get a local Sunshine Coast ads manager to help, who knows the area and comes with the extra insight of being a local!
While we could write all day about how important your digital marketing is, there is still a time and place for your 'old school' traditional-styled marketing.
For example, use well-designed picket signs out the front of your projects so people know who it is that's doing the work. While you're there, letter-box the neighbours with some fliers so that when they find themselves wondering who is making their neighbours house, garden or construction project look so good, they'll know it's you! And never underestimate the power of a good car wrap while you're stuck in the Nicklin Way traffic!
Just make sure you put the same effort into designing your printed marketing as your digital, keeping a consistent style across both the digital and traditional spaces. This is where high-quality project photos remain imperative!
Running a trades business can be all-consuming, with so many tasks to juggle. From quote enquiries to invoices and ordering supplies, it's easy to let marketing slip to the bottom of the list. Especially in an area like the Sunshine Coast that is growing so quickly!
You don't have to do it all! In fact, if your marketing is done right, the results should easily pay for themselves while still expanding your business and profits. Get help from a good marketing agency to take the weight off your shoulders.
Get the best Sunshine Coast content marketers working on your trades marketing so you don't have to!
At All In Creative, we specialise in crafting tailored strategies that resonate with the Sunshine Coast community. We’ll elevate your business, with a serious focus on meaningful results.
Our team is small enough that you aren't working with an agency where you are just another number, but big enough that you have access to a range of specialists, like our Sunshine Coast video experts, local graphic designers and website builders.
With a finger always on the pulse of marketing trends and a deep understanding of the local commercial ecosystem, we are here to elevate your trades business.
Experience marketing mastery with All In Creative. Get in touch with us today!
Is it really necessary to have a blog on your website?
The answer - only if you want to be seen by your customers, share the latest about your business, and have a greater success rate with customer conversion.
So, in short – yes!
Your website blog is your most effective way to communicate with your existing and future customers.
Even more, it provides Google with up-to-date and regular content for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), helping people find your site.
This article is here to give you an overview of:
In short, you want a blog that delivers clear and helpful content related to your business and industry. Explain what you do, how you do it, and why potential customers should choose you and not the competition.
For SEO purposes, you'll need a broad range of topics and information that help your ideal customer at every point in their buying or decision journey. That means covering the searches they do when they don't even know they need you yet, to educational information about what you do, all the way through to post-purchase information.
By including a range of topics, you’ll help build your website’s authority in Google’s eyes, meaning your keyword and website ranking will perform much better – making your website easier to find and increasing your traffic.
Can’t an AI writing tool like ChatGPT just write my blog for me?
Well, it could... but you wouldn’t want it to.
While AI is a powerful tool, it lacks a human content writer's originality, understanding of context, and accuracy. AI writing tools don’t actually understand the text they generate. They simply source existing content from the internet and then repackage it in a different way.
This comes with more than a few risks...
While AI is constantly improving, it still can’t compare to a human content writer who takes the time to research and present facts and figures intelligibly and logically. Because AI doesn't understand its own content, it has no way to know if it is contextually correct. This can lead to incorrect or inaccurate figures or out-of-place content.
Google ranks websites by rewarding those that demonstrate expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). Websites with repetitive or unhelpful content tend to get bumped down the rankings by the search algorithm. In 2022, Google stated that it was releasing a "helpful content update" that would prioritise helpful and original content made by people for people.
By the time you generate what you want the AI writing tool to say, then edit and proofread the pieces it generates, it is often quicker for a human writer to create the text. The cost of hiring a local blog writer is also generally cheaper when you account for the business running time to operate the AI tool.
Brands spend millions on advertising and marketing to evoke an emotional reaction in their customer base. This is a human touch that cannot be replicated by technology. AI writing tools will write in the same way, no matter the content and your brand voice risks sounding like everyone else. Remember, AI writing may seem extremely clever, but it cannot have its own creative thought. Successful campaigns like ‘should’ve gone to Specsavers’ and Snickers' 'you're not you when you're hungry' could never be generated by AI.
Running a blog and a business may take up a lot of time, but hiring a local Australian writer is one surefire way to ensure your content is consistent, well-researched, plagiarism free and written to your brand voice. And it probably won’t cost as much as you think!
Do you like a casual style or a formal and professional tone in your brand? A human blog writer can easily incorporate all your business and style quirks to make content that sounds like you and fits your business perfectly.
A local writer will also help close the gap with your audience with local expertise and expressions. For instance, an Australian content writer will sound different to an American or British writer. An Australian writer will know your business fixes concrete cracks in the footpath, not sidewalk, and is better positioned to understand regional trends to tailor your blog content to your local customers.
Additionally, hiring a writer trained in SEO that understands keywords and how they work means your website blog has a greater chance of being seen by search engine algorithms, putting your brand in front of the eyes of more potential customers. A trained writer will know how to add content to pique search engine interest.
For example, our All In Creative writers know the essential SEO features to include in your blog, like; the importance of keywords in headings, using the right character count for answers to be featured as a snippet, and how to include and format bullet points to be featured as answers on Google’s search page.
If your business uses social media to connect with customers, then your blog content can be repurposed again and again, tailored for different platforms. Obviously, you would want to avoid a 1000-word post on your Facebook feed, but targeted snippets can be used, leading your customers to your website and then to contacting you.
Using SEO keywords means that search engines will pick up the same niche phrases in your website blog and your company’s Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages. This gives you a much wider net of visibility, with more chances to be seen for the same time, effort and money.
Are you ready to begin your blog journey, providing a direct link from your business to your customers with up-to-date, factual and helpful information?
The team at All In Creative is here to help you with your blog and copywriting needs. Our trained writers are SEO writing experts with years of experience writing blogs and website content.
We know that what you say and how you say it is important, and our team are completely local Australian writers with years of marketing experience. Our head office is based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, with writers also based in Sydney and Brisbane, and we don't outsource our work overseas. Call us on 1300 993 010 or contact us through our website for a free creative quote and a friendly conversation about how we can help your business’s online visibility.
We are here to make you look awesome!
