Marketing is a critical component of any company's long-term success, and it's always changing and evolving ... Which means it can be difficult to keep up with the latest strategies marketing leaders are using to stay ahead.
The most effective marketers know how to use techniques to connect and convert prospects — but you shouldn't need to reinvent the wheel to do so.
Here, we've collected some of the most powerful marketing tips to help you elevate your 2024 marketing strategy. Some of these tips come from current marketers, while others derive from foundational marketers, like Henry Ford.
Keep reading for your one-stop-shop to understanding all the relevant trends and strategies you need to keep in-mind this year.
Already know what you want? Jump there with this table of contents:
- Tips for Marketing Strategy
- Tips from Current Marketers
- Tips from Foundational Marketers
- Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
Marketing Tips
Tips for Your Overall Marketing Strategy
1. Champion social responsibility.
Now, more than ever, consumers lean on trust as a leading factor when deciding whether to do business with a company. This trust consumers have in businesses is often influenced by brands that champion social responsibility and take a stand on important issues, whether it be fair treatment of their employees or safe environmental practices.
We see many marketers preparing for this shift as we enter 2024, with 45% of them planning to increase their investment in creating content that reflects your brand’s values (such as social responsibility).
2. Never forget inbound marketing.
Inbound marketing centers around meeting consumers on the channels they’re already on. Employing the strategy follows the “attract, delight, engage” model, helping you create content tailored to your different audience segments at their respective place in the buyer's journey. 85% of marketers plan to keep the same or increase their inbound marketing budget in 2024.
Growing a business centers around generating awareness among consumers, so inbound marketing continues to be a significant marketing strategy for small businesses and growing businesses alike.
3. Create more short-form videos.
31% of the 1,400 marketers in our most recent State of Marketing survey say short-form videos yield the highest ROI, and 26% of respondents say they plan to invest the most in short-from videos in 2024.
This trend shift aligns with the attention spans of audiences that are much more fast-paced, so shorter forms of content get right to the point and allow audiences to consume and then move on. Hence, TikTok’s popularity, as it relies heavily on short-form video.
4. Let customers hear from you.
Whether it be a podcast featuring your business founders, or different Twitter Spaces discussions about business-related topics, consumers in 2024 will hear audio from businesses more than they ever have before. HubSpot found that 82% of marketers plan to either increase or maintain their investment in podcasts and audio content in 2024.
Tips from Current Marketers
5. Integrate inbound marketing tactics to build an online community and empower your employees.
"We've discovered that integrating inbound marketing strategies into our company culture yields remarkable results. By encouraging our team to document and share their processes and customer interactions, we've not only seen a significant increase in traffic but also enhanced our internal understanding and communication.
This practice goes beyond mere marketing tactics; it's about embedding these strategies into our cultural DNA. It empowers our staff, gives them deeper insights into our operations, and significantly boosts our online presence. By transforming these authentic experiences into engaging content for blogs, social media, and press releases, we're not just attracting an audience — we're building a community around our brand. This holistic approach has been a game-changer in how we connect with our customers and position ourselves in the industry."
— upstream CEO Ian Hammond
6. Double-down on understanding where your audience spends their time.
"Inbound marketing is no longer about creating content and hoping for your ideal customer to stumble upon it. You need to identify how someone is going to find you. Therefore, my top tip is to double-down on understanding your audience and where they spend their time.
Digital channels are saturated, and content gets washed away quickly. Using a multichannel approach that surrounds your target is essential. Utilise digital alongside traditional mediums such as print, events, and direct mail to reach your target through a combination of inbound and outbound methods.
Inbound is far from 'dead', but giving it a boost with other methods will yield even greater returns."
— Matt Freestone, Managing Director at Unmatched
7. Leverage the 'Attract, Delight, Engage' model to create tailored content for each stage of the buyer's journey.
"At BBD Boom, our strategy centers around the 'Attract, Delight, Engage' model, a concise yet potent approach to crafting tailored content for diverse audience segments within the buyer's journey.
Our initial focus is on attracting potential customers to our brand. We deploy strategies like SEO, how-to-videos, and informative blog posts to capture their attention. Our goal is to ensure we remain visible, relevant, and appealing to individuals actively seeking products or services we provide.
We believe in creating memorable customer experiences that foster loyalty and advocacy. Through personalized content, newsletters, and e-books we aim to surpass expectations at every touchpoint. Delighted customers not only stay with your brand but also become your strongest advocates, helping to spread the word.
Engagement is at the heart of our strategy. By consistently offering valuable content and meaningful interactions, we nurture leads and guide them towards becoming loyal customers. We use tools such as case studies, email campaigns, and interactive webinars to facilitate ongoing engagement and provide our audience with the insights they need to make informed decisions.
At BBD Boom, we understand that the buyer's journey is not a one-size-fits-all process. That's why we tailor our approach to the unique needs and preferences of each audience segment. The 'Attract, Delight, Engage' model ensures that your brand is positioned as a trusted partner throughout the entire customer lifecycle."
— BBD Boom Marketing Manager Stefani Borisova
8. Be active on LinkedIn.
"My #1 B2B inbound marketing tip is to be active on LinkedIn! Not just using your company’s LinkedIn account, but your personal profile and the personal profiles of company leaders, as well.
Post regularly (but not too much) and cross-promote with your company, colleagues, and partners to help build brand awareness.
According to LinkedIn, B2B marketers rate LinkedIn as the most effective platform for content marketing, with 94% using it to distribute content.
Engage in conversations with thoughtful commentary (don’t be negative!) and participate in relevant groups. And, if you’re not a writer or are scared to make a post, use artificial intelligence to help fine-tune your message."
— Alissa Arford, Head of HubSpot Marketing at The OBO Group
9. Don't just put out fluff content – put out content that educates your audience and answers their questions thoroughly.
"My top tip for inbound marketing success — regardless of what industry your company is in — is to answer the questions that your audience is asking, even if they're not questions that anyone in your industry really wants to answer. That means providing content on things like pros and cons, comparisons with competitors, pricing, issues, alternatives, industry education, product education, expectations, and more. That is the kind of content that converts.
The companies that will continue to be successful with inbound marketing are the ones that don't just put out fluff content (and there is A LOT of fluff content out there). You need to put out valuable content that helps to educate your audience — even around topics that your industry avoids. Inbound marketing is simple. It's about education.
Answer the main questions that your audience is searching for, answer them thoroughly, answer them in a variety of mediums (website, email, blog, social, etc.), and most of all, answer them honestly."
— Dustin Brackett, CEO of HIVE Strategy
10. Collect as much information about your ideal buyer as you can.
"Inbound marketing is more than just a single tactic, strategy, or channel. It's marketing that's centered around your buyer. So, my number #1 tip is to take a step back from the detail and understand your buyer's preferences.
A foundational understanding of how your potential customers purchase should underpin everything you do. Without it, you could be wasting marketing efforts and budget on things that don't engage your audience.
So, to get that crucial information you need to either conduct or obtain qualitative and quantitative insights from your ideal buyer, including:
- What their core pain points are that relate back to your solution
- How they like to find solutions to their problems
- What kind of content they consume
- What formats they enjoy most
- Which channels they use most
- Any communities they hang out in
You need to gather as much data as possible about the people you want to sell to, in order to know which direction to go in. Once you have this information, and only then, should you begin strategizing."
— Dan Stillgoe, Marketing Manager at Blend
11. Spend time clarifying SMART objectives and leveraging high-performance tools to centralize customer data.
"To succeed at inbound marketing in 2024, you will need to bring together two essential elements:
Firstly, it's imperative to spend the time necessary to define a well-developed strategy. This includes clarifying your SMART objectives across the entire conversion funnel, an in-depth understanding of your target audience (buyer persona), a complete analysis of your environment (existing content, tools, etc.), and a thorough benchmark of the competition. These elements are crucial if you are to focus on actions that will generate a good return on investment.
Then, to implement this strategy effectively, it is essential to equip yourself with high-performance tools such as a connected, high-performance CRM. This centralizes all customer data and provides your teams with the tools they need to work together in synergy. The value of data cannot be underestimated, and the more you ensure that you collect usable, standardized information, the more effectively you will be able to use it to generate quality leads and revenue.
In short, a clear, well-structured strategy, combined with the right tools and quality data, will guarantee your success in 2024!"
— Corentin Jacquemin, Digital Strategist Manager at Digitaweb
12. Focus on the 3 M's: Market, Message, and Media.
"My top tip for 2024 is fundamentally timeless: Focus on what I plainly call the 3 M's: your Market, your Message and your Media. Fancy ways of talking about these three pillars of marketing often makes some people lose sight of them. Essentially, they're the absolute bread and butter of any strategic communications.
The big difference today is that your target audience is increasingly difficult to pin down, and it's tougher than ever to successfully compete for people's attention. Plus, media channels frequently feel saturated.
The best way — and the only way — I know to navigate these challenges is to treat your marketing campaigns and activities with the rigorous project management they deserve. From inception and ideation to delivery and evaluation, be bold, persistent, critical, and creative in how you navigate this simple 3M formula. This should set you on the right track to successfully generating healthy and sustainable demand for your product or service."
— David Harris, VP of Demand Generation Services at Penguin Strategies
Tips from Foundational Marketers
Now that we've explored some of the most important marketers of today, let's dive into some historical figures who made an impact on how marketing evolved — even if they weren't technically marketers, themselves.
13. Make magical memories.
This list would not be complete without the creativity, passion, and business acumen of Walt Disney. He transformed the world of entertainment and created magical experiences for people of all ages. The incredibly successful mogul-turned-empire's marketing strategy leaned on a compelling brand story to target various audience segments. It created or restored content that appealed to a wide array of demographics, made Disneyland and Disney World magical destinations, and maintained customer loyalty through imaginative or nostalgic narratives.
There is a warm and positive association with the brand, which is upheld in all of its advertising, messaging, and content. Disney has shown that a strong brand perception combined with high-quality offerings can lead to long-lasting and profitable success.
14. Leverage the advertorial.
Julius Caesar is one of the most famous figures in history for his military victories, dictatorship of Rome, and the Shakespearian tragedy based on his assassination.
The populist general, to keep up goodwill among his subjects to justify consolidating ever more power, invented a technique used by many marketers today. When Caesar was off fighting in Gaul (modern-day France), he published a recurring article to send back to Rome to keep his citizens updated on his battles. Caesar's political enemies had been destroying his reputation in Rome, so these progress reports were ostensibly to keep the republic informed but were really to bolster public opinion and illuminate his victories in battle.
Today, the advertorial is an article that appears to be news on its face, but is really promoting a product or service. Just as Caesar leveraged the advertorial to improve public perception, companies can use this same technique to drive positive brand impressions.
15. Anticipate your target market needs.
Henry Ford is remembered as an integral part of U.S. history for revolutionizing the automobile industry in the early 20th century with the Ford Model T. Ford and the Model T were remarkable in terms of the interchangeability of its parts that allowed for mass production --, however, according to Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt, history has celebrated Ford for the wrong reasons. "His real genius," says Levitt, "was marketing."
Ford recognized that products must meet the needs and wants of the target market. It may seem simple, but before Ford, companies would just sell what they wanted to sell. Ford famously said: "If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse." Ford was able to recognize the needs of his market -- needs that the customers themselves couldn't yet articulate. Ford designed a product with his customers' needs foremost in mind.
16. Make your product exclusive.
On March 24th, 1756, Prussian King Frederick the Great ordered that potatoes be cultivated and distributed throughout Prussia. This order was not met enthusiastically by his subjects. Despite his subjects' resistance, he planted a field of potatoes and informed his kingdom of the potato's nutritional and economic value.
Then, Frederick the Great enacted one of the greatest (and earliest) marketing strategies -- he dispatched soldiers to guard the potato patch against trespassing or theft. The villagers were curious about the crop that the King's guards were patrolling, so they snuck in at night to steal the potatoes. From there, the potato flourished and became a staple crop.
Frederick the Great made potatoes scarce and exclusive, which made his target market motivated to try potatoes for themselves. It might be difficult to determine just how influential Frederick the Great was on the importance of the potato today -- however, his was probably one of the first and most successful marketing strategies in history.
In this day and age, we can learn from Frederick the Great and leverage exclusivity in something like a customer loyalty program, where you offer rewards to your most frequent (loyal) customers as an incentive to keep them doing business with you. 68% of loyal customers will join a loyalty program, so it’s worth considering.
17. Control supply and demand.
We all know the saying, 'diamonds are forever'.. However, diamonds weren't always the precious and expensive rarity we know them as today -- it took crafty strategy and advertising on behalf of De Beers to keep the diamond's reputation as intrinsically valuable and desirable.
In the late 19th century, diamonds were discovered in South Africa and the market became flooded. To keep diamonds valuable, Cecil Rhodes bought and merged all of the South African mining fields and the companies working on them, including one owned by two brothers with the last name De Beer.
Since the company held distribution and supply of the majority of the market's diamonds, they created the product's false scarcity and therefore drove up prices. Additionally, in 1938 they pushed their famous marketing campaign, "a diamond is forever." Their campaign convinced consumers that diamonds equated love, and that the bigger the diamond, the greater the expression of love.
Today, nearly all engaged couples are proving their commitment to each other with diamond rings, a direct result of the De Beers marketing campaign. They proved that limiting supply stimulates demand, and that creating strong emotional associations with products is an extremely successful strategy.
Nowadays, controlling supply and demand directly relates to holding a majority of the market share, meaning that your business owns/is responsible for/makes a majority of the sales in your industry. Businesses with higher market shares are industry leaders.
For example, as of February 2024, Google holds 91.47% of the search engine market share for search engines, and its closest competitor is Bing, which holds just 3.42% of the market share.
18. Delight through entertainment.
The circus was the dominant form of entertainment in the 19th century. The "greatest show on earth" had it all: exotic animals, trapeze artists, flamethrowers, and endless wonders to marvel at. P.T. Barnum was the ultimate entertainer, businessman, and marketing innovator.
He knew how to align his offering with the interests of his audience -- he had a "thorough knowledge of human nature … to please and flatter the public." He used this knowledge to build intuition about which acts to bring on, opportunities to promote his show, and how to delight customers nationwide.
Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
19. Work with influencers.
Influencer marketing was once considered a one-off marketing trend but is now an evergreen marketing tip for all businesses to consider.
The practice is suitable for businesses of all sizes, as the new wave of influencer marketing has less to do with influencers with the largest following, but more so with micro-influencers. These people are those with the most significant impact and relevance in their industry, and more than 64% of marketers who invest in influencer marketing work with them.
As a result, you don’t need an extremely large budget to tap down the hottest influencer for your next partnership. Instead, aim to find micro-influencers that are most connected to their audiences, trusted, and more likely to inspire their followers to make a purchase.
20. Always think about how to get your audience's attention.
Gary Vaynerchuk -- also known as Gary Vee -- is best known for his influence on digital and social media marketing. He is the founder of VaynerX, a media and communications holding company, as well as advertising agency VaynerMedia.
Gary Vee famously identified the potential of the internet in the late 90s, moving his family's wine company online to capture more market attention. Because of his early-mover marketing acumen, he has become successful in holding lectures for other companies hoping to find the next big opportunity.
Google first launched AdWords in the 90s and Gary Vee jumped on it -- now, he's teaching companies how he maps his audience's attention. He says he's obsessed with reaching consumers and that, regardless of technological advancements or market disruptions, it's all about capturing audience attention.
In addition, he recommends jumping on opportunities that are the best bang for your buck, which is important for small, growing businesses that don’t have the same access to capital and resources as more established companies do.
21. Produce an unforgettable experience.
At 8 PM on October 30th, 1938, millions of Americans tuned into the CBS radio station. The station was broadcasting some unknown singer when it was interrupted by breaking news — a group of scientists had observed explosions on Mars' surface. A few minutes later, the music was interrupted by a report that a large object, which looked like a ship, had crashed into a field in New Jersey. A couple of minutes after that, reporters on-site reported giant Martians with tentacles and lasers emerging from the ship, annihilating the army that had gathered. Radio announcers (who were really actors) stammered with fear, describing the 'horror' before them.
Almost a million radio listeners were convinced that Earth had been invaded by Martians that were murdering everything in their path. Mass panic broke out nationwide -- people ran screaming into the streets and begged police for help.
Orson Welles had -- extremely successfully -- translated H.G. Wells' science fiction novel War of the Worlds into a play for the radio. He created extremely compelling content to promote his radio station, the Mercury Theater company, as well as Wells' work.
Welles might not be a marketer in a traditional sense, but if you consider the idea that Welles performed careful audience research, put out evocative communications, and distributed gripping content that called millions to action and increased awareness for his production, then he is truly one of the greatest marketers of all time.
This situation is part of a practice called experiential marketing, Experiential marketing, where your audience experience something related to your business in a real-life situation. Many brands have leveraged experience marketing today in the form of virtual reality experiences. Plus, HubSpot Blog Research found 86% of marketers plan to keep or increase their investments in experiential marketing in 2024.
An unforgettable experience helps you remain top of mind for your customers and, as a small business, remaining top of mind is key to customer retention and keeping your customers to grow your business.
22. Harness virality.
Conrad Gessner was a Swiss physician and naturalist in the 1500s. In April of 1559, Gessner saw a tulip for the very first time and was captivated by it. He sketched the flower and cut its image into a woodblock to be printed and published — the first European illustration of the tulip.
The introduction of the tulip created mass craze and demand across the European continent. By 1610, a single tulip bulb was acceptable as a dowry, and many mortgaged their homes and businesses to buy bulbs and resell them for higher prices (millions of dollars in today's market).
What is now known as Tulip Mania is the result of Conrad Gessner, the originator of viral marketing. For something to become viral, the product must quickly carry through word-of-mouth and create lots of demand in a short period. By distributing images and beautiful descriptions of the tulip, Gessner created explosive market value and demand for it.
Harnessing the power of virality is still a solid marketing tip almost 500 years later, especially for small businesses and creators, as it often doesn’t cost much to go viral and the results are significant as it helps you build your own brand and brings exposure to a new audience.
Over To You
Although many years have passed, many foundational marketing tips are still relevant today. Leverage the tips on this list from OG marketers, as well as some up-to-date statistics, when creating a strategy for your business.
Originally published Feb 26, 2024 7:00:00 AM, updated April 03 2024
Topics:
Marketing Strategy